A cancer survivor. A heart attack victim. Pediatric patients. Be inspired by medical stories from ordinary people who’ve had extraordinary challenges. Hear about the health problems and transformations of our patients.
When Mary Nay turned 70, she celebrated by walking a mile at her gym. The next year, she turned 71 and walked two and a half miles. Her commitment to fitness would be impressive no matter what, but Mary has cerebral palsy and walks with two canes. She has muscular…
Denial and acceptance: two feelings Joe Thomas felt when he discovered he had a rare form of blood cancer called T-cell lymphoma. The local radio talk show host and program director for WCHV had noticed early warning signs but neglected to take a closer look. “I didn’t want it to…
If you knew your stem cells could save another person’s life, would you Be The Match? The Be The Match® registry is the world’s largest and most diverse bone marrow donor registry, offering patients potential cures for immune disorders and blood cancers. [caption id="attachment_8671" align="alignright" width="225"] Molly and her non-related…
Luck was not on Jim Bryant’s side. He was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma, a rare blood cancer that accounts for only about five percent of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Although mantle cell lymphoma is most common in men over 60, and Bryant fell into that category, he was still told he…
From the nationwide spread of the Ice Bucket Challenge to the heartbreak of Robin Williams’ death, we featured some hard-hitting stories this past month. [caption id="attachment_8713" align="alignright" width="300"] UVA neurologists take the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.[/caption] We’ve all seen the videos, but do you really know what the challenge is…
In 2012, Good Morning America anchorwoman Robin Roberts was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a rare blood disease resulting from chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer.
The past month we featured some remarkable and inspirational patient stories about rare conditions with big impacts: [caption id="attachment_8516" align="alignright" width="300"] Kathy Cundiff (center) and daughters Molly Winstead (left) and Emily Phillips[/caption] Cathy Cundiff protects her health as well as that of her daughters – she is aware of the…
Devon Hendricks, 33, enjoys nail polish, playing with her dog, and spending quality time with her boyfriend, Dennis. Throughout her life, she always experienced headaches, but her struggle to find out what caused them began six years ago. [caption id="attachment_8558" align="alignright" width="300"] Devon Hendricks[/caption] What started as headaches soon grew into a…
My battle with cancer started in 1994. There was an unusual mole on the back of my left shoulder blade. I had it removed and they told me it was stage 2 melanoma.
I am the definition of someone who is at high risk for cancer. My aunt died from ovarian cancer at age 51. My mom passed away from breast cancer at 48.
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