Patient Stories

After the shock of being diagnosed with advanced-stage brain cancer, oncology nurse Sherry Moore’s outlook on life and her approach to her patients changed profoundly. She also learned that it was okay to be happy, angry, sad, or scared, and that grief was fluid.

After being diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the esophagus in 2017, Stephen C. Aldrich realized his treatment options were limited to improving his quality of life but not extending his life. Determined to find a better option, he embarked on a mission to get his data to help design a new vaccine that resulted in his cancer remission. Read his story to find out why all patients with cancer should gain direct control over their data to identify the best treatment options for them.

Martin Miralda was fresh out of college when a short visit to the United States helped to save his life after he was diagnosed with leukemia. Despite his lacking health insurance as a non-resident, he received superior medical care through “Charity Care,” a service that covers necessary hospitalization for uninsured people in the country and is available in several states.

With an infant son and a difficult-to-treat breast cancer, Sal Gregory decided she had to gather strength through her faith and positive attitude.

When Page Leggett found out that HPV infection, a common sexually transmitted disease, had caused her anal cancer, she relied on her incredible sense of humor to get through that experience and start a conversation about this taboo topic.

After a lifetime of treating patients, Dr. David Crouch understood his own illness left little room for optimism as skin cancer returned again and again. As a last resort, he joined a clinical trial of a new immunotherapy that provided him a new lease on life. Today, after 2 years in remission, his mission is to educate people about this cancer and this immunotherapy.

Rebecca Fillers was only 24 when she was diagnosed with a rare and incurable cancer. Now she struggles to find a place for herself as an adult with an uncertain future.