Patient Stories

Rebecca Blomgren felt betrayed and angry when the “bump” she had told her dentists about for years was dismissed as nothing but was finally diagnosed as advanced oral cancer. This experience has taught her to accept her fears and anxieties without apology.

As a psychologist dedicated to helping people cope with disasters, Jamie D. Aten knew the damage “survivor’s guilt” can do. As a stage IV colon cancer survivor, he says, “I wasn’t prepared for it to hit me personally.”

For Erika Brooks, it took some time to adjust to what it means to have an incurable cancer. She says, “at first, I kept thinking it was a death sentence.” Eventually, she came to see her cancer in a different light.

Brigid Wallace contemplates the choices she made when living in the “new normal” after her cancer diagnosis. She describes the struggles and personal victories that tested her faith and strength after she learned she had non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Dennis Golden was an active, fit, 70-year-old when he learned he had prostate cancer. He was surprised to discover that few men know the warning signs and how potentially serious it can be. In response, he formed the National Prostate Cancer Awareness Foundation to educate men about this disease.

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.