Faith and hope, along with strong support from the community, like family, friends, and other people battling the disease, are among the factors that will help cancer patients survive through the days. It’s a terrible experience, and I believe – especially when walking the dark paths of the disease.
Every cancer survivor has a story. Perhaps, one significant motivation is to learn about survival. Learn how to see the situation with a silver lining. With this, let us learn the stories of the 5 cancer survivors of some courageous hearts which beat the odds.
It feels so uplifting to know that those survivors out there made it through the days, from diagnosis to surviving the disease. It increases the morale of others who are losing hope. If they can do it, so do you.
List of Life-Changing 5 Cancer Survivors
Here are some of the brave stories of cancer survivors that will surely inspire patients. This story of 5 cancer survivors will let them know that they aren’t alone in this life-changing struggle and that this journey is worthwhile.
Despite all of it, may their positive battles against cancer disease serve as an inspiration for all cancer patients out there.
1. Rachel L.
Rachel was diagnosed with Askin’s Tumor. She was just playing field hockey when she felt back pain. Later, the pain worsened until her chest and legs felt numb. Her doctor said that it was neurological. Therefore she visited her neurologist who made some tests.
Her MRI revealed that there was a tumour pressing on her spinal cord, and it was egg-sized. There she was diagnosed, and the tumour had rapidly suppressed her breathing, so she underwent surgery to get rid of the first tumour.
The next year, Rachel underwent chemotherapy, where lots of medicine were introduced. She also had 6 weeks of radiation together with her chemotherapy. Also, she was confined for the autologous stem cell transplant. This led Rachel to peel layers of her skin and her internal intestinal linings.
Because of what she had been through, Rachel experienced septic shock, mainly because of the various infections she had in the bloodstream. She went into remission for about half a year until another tumour was found between the lung, heart, spine, and pulmonary artery.
Thankfully, the tumour was removed safely. Later, another persistent cough became an infection. Because of that, the doctors recommended removing part or all of her lungs.
Imagine 3 life-threatening scares with cancer, numerous intense surgeries and treatments, an open cavity found in her chest, and dizzy side effects – Rachel has survived all of that at such a young age.
Although doctors gave Rachel a 0% chance of survival, she never stopped hoping and living her best life. Her illness did not stop her from doing things she loved, just as getting a degree in psychology and interior design, and a master’s degree in art therapy. She even met the love of her life and got married.
For her, it’s just cancer. Her faith and hope and her God are bigger than her fears. Because of her story, Rachel was named Woman of the Year in 2008 by Glamour Magazine. Surely she had resisted all odds.
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2. Lynda P.
Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, Lynda showed her strong side and believed everything would be okay. But then, after five years of remission, Lynda, once again, was diagnosed with a completely different type of breast cancer.
Lynda and her family fought this dreadful disease and beat it with aggressive cancer treatment and support from her doctors. She had an oncologist, breast surgeon, and radiation oncologist. This medical team did a great job of helping Lynda survive.
Lynda showed her friends and family that she was indeed a fighter. No cancer would ever define her. She is religious with her treatment and changes her lifestyle, and she keeps telling another patient that one factor that would beat cancer is the patient’s will to survive. With that, many became inspired by her story.
3. Guy C.
At first, Guy was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He had surgery to remove the tumour, but then years later, the cancer came back. He checked with a medical oncologist and was later diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer metastasizing to his femur.
Fortunately, his chemotherapy-treated cancer was successful for two and a half years. Yet, it came back in 2015, and the chemotherapy did not have the same positive effect. His doctor offered Guy another form of treatment, immunotherapy. It’s when it uses its immune system of the body to attack cancer cells.
The guy receives treatment once every two weeks. He told me once that he feels so lucky to have lived as long as he can because, based on statistics, he should not be here today. Thanks to his medical team at the Comprehensive Cancer Centers for helping him in his treatment and letting Guy continue to spend his quality time with friends and family.
4. Lysa B.
Just when Lysa was turning 40, she began experiencing severe back pain, which ended with her being in a local hospital. The doctors discovered that Lysa had Stage IV lung cancer that had already metastasized to her ribs, spine, and pelvis.
Immediately, Lysa started an intensive cancer treatment plan, including ten radiation treatment cycles, 3 surgeries, and five months of chemotherapy.
It wasn’t until the next few years that Lysa met her medical oncologist. At that time, 16 new tumours had developed in her lungs. It was that time when her condition got worse.
Her doctor expedited the cancer testing process and discovered a gene mutation that affected less than one per cent of those diagnosed with lung cancer. With this, she had three months of treatment and saw significant improvement. Until it reached six months of treatment, there were no signs of disease in her body.
More than five years after her diagnosis, Lysa is still in remission. With that, she volunteers with the American Lung Association to help raise money for cancer research. She always inspires other patients not to lose hope, as there are already incredible advancements in treating lung cancer. She remains optimistic about telling her story to others in the same situation.
5. Denise
Denise lived in Hawaii when she was diagnosed with Metastasized Abdominal Sarcoma. Her doctors told her they could no longer do anything and gave her only one month to live. She lost all hope.
Imagine when you’re being told you have terminal cancer. She was even told to have a second opinion. Her situation got worse while she was on vacation in LA. She ended up in the hospital, where she was admitted for about five days.
A new doctor offered her services to help Denise. She uplifted Denise, and there she had another will to survive again. That doctor was meant to be, and Denise was in remission for about six years. Now, she’s on a clinical trial with a new drug and still alive and kicking.
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5 Cancer Survivors: Wrapped Up
Cancer doesn’t promise to be easy. No matter what type of cancer, be it lung, breast, bone, or anything – it would spread to the person’s entire body. It would affect every aspect of the patient’s life and their loved ones.
But there are a lot of stories of these 5 cancer survivors and warriors who remained to pursue their passion in life and live it to the fullest.
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