When Jess began to feel pain in her right leg in 2020, she thought it was sciatica. When extreme pain radiated to her lower back, a physical therapist thought she had a bulging disc. However, her condition worsened, she went in for an MRI, and it revealed a tumor originally thought to be on her spinal cord. Further tests indicated the tumor was inside her spinal cord and a diagnosis of myxopapillary ependymoma, a rare cancer. The tumor was surgically removed, but her post-treatment life was very difficult. There were prolonged instances in which she could not move her legs, which brought her to tears not only from the pain, but the chilling thought of the rest of her being spent in bed or on the couch. Jess went through all sorts of medications from morphine to medical marijuana, but medical savior was a spinal cord stimulator. It has enabled her to maximize her movements with little or no pain.

In 2020, Jess led an active lifestyle. It included soccer and other activities with two young sons. But she started experiencing pain in her right leg. She thought it was sciatica but believed it would go away. When it didn't, and pain radiated to her lower back, she saw a physical therapist, who thought Jess had a bulging disc. One night at home, Jess fell and said one of her sons looked her in the eye and told her she needed to see a doctor.

Jess underwent an MRI. It indicated she had a tumor on or near her spinal cord. Doctors were initially baffled because they could not pinpoint the tumor's location, but additional tests showed the tumor was inside her spinal cord. A surgical procedure to remove the tumor was completed successfully. It was after the procedure when Jess was regaining consciousness in her hospital that she was informed she had Stage II myxopapillary ependymoma, a rare cancer. Ten days after surgery, Jess underwent a spinal tap at the location of the tumor to determine whether any tumor cells had been left behind. Thankfully, the results were clear and have remained clear ever since.

However, many challenges awaited Jess. There were instances in which she was immobilized, having to remain in bed. She felt pain from head to toe. Certain fabrics rubbing against caused pain. As did extreme temperatures or the wind. She was prescribed opioids, which she said did nothing to alleviate the pain. She was given morphine. Eventually doctors prescribed pregabalin and duloxetine, medications which were able to reduce the pain. Jess also tried medical marijuana, which reduced the pain.

The biggest development in her recovery was her working with a specialist in New Hampshire who performs spinal cord stimulator procedures. Jess completed a trial with a stimulator and when using it, much of her pain was gone and she regained much of her mobility.

Jess says her spinal cord will never be the same and neither will she, but she is grateful for the mobility she has. She adds that since October 2025, she has been sober from alcohol and cannabis.

Additional Resources:

Support Groups:

The CERN Foundation: https://www.cern-foundation.org

walk.talk.connect: https://walktalkconnect.org

Book:

ReConnected: Stories from Spinal Cord Tumor & Dawn Standera, available on Amazon

https://www.youtube.com/@reconnected-SCTtumorstories

Adam Deans was an athletic teenager and had aspirations of becoming a professional athlete. However, all that changed when he fell down a flight of stairs at school. At first, doctors thought Adam had dislocated his left knee, but upon getting further medical attention, tests showed he had cancer, known as osteosarcoma in his distal femur. Doctors recommended chemotherapy, but when that was ineffective, the leg was amputated in 2005. In 2008, a friend introduced Adam to wheelchair basketball. Still with his athletic prowess, he learned the sport quickly and became good at it, eventually the Australian national team. It won the world championship in 2014 and in 2016, Adam played for the national team at the Paralympics at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Adam retired from wheelchair basketball in 2017, but now married with two children, he is happy with his life.

Adam wanted to become a professional football player in his native Australia. He seemed positioned for such a pursuit until one day in his final year of high school when his leg broke as he was going down a flight of stairs. Rushing him to the hospital, paramedics initially thought Adam had dislocated his left knee and tried popping it back into place; but at the hospital, tests showed he was going downstairs with a broken distal femur, broken because of the presence of a cancerous tumor.

He soon learned he had osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. Not only that, but at age 17, he would have to have his left leg amputated, followed by two rounds of chemotherapy. He was gratified to experience very few of the nasty side effects that come with chemo, the worst being hair loss.

Like most teenagers, Adam wanted to fit in with his peers. He wondered how that could happen and wondered if girls would find him attractive. That was in 2005. In 2008, a friend overcame a great deal of resistance and persuaded Adam to attend a wheelchair basketball practice. At first, Adam was intimidated at the prospect of simultaneously handling a basketball and a wheelchair, but his athletic prowess kicked in. He made the local team in Perth, then found a spot on the powerful Australian national team.

In 2014, the Aussies won the wheelchair basketball world championship and was favored to win gold in the paralympics at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. However, the squad came home without a medal after it was eliminated in the quarterfinals. The following year, Adam retired from competitive wheelchair basketball, but his story should be a source of inspiration for anyone whose cancer diagnosis will result in disability. He has gone on to get married and has two children.

By way of advice, Adam Deans says anyone diagnosed with cancer should not try to proceed by themselves. He says anyone diagnosed should not be afraid to lean on others because "that's what loved ones are for."

Additional Resources:

Support Group: Sock It To Sarcoma https://www.sockittosarcoma.org.au

What began as a harmless looking spot on Kevin Donaghy's forearm turned into a pair of diagnoses of skin cancer. The first was Stage II in 2018, but 18 months later, it returned and was diagnosed Stage IV metastatic melanoma BRAF+. The urologist said Kevin, an IT specialist from Melrose, Scotland, may have six months to live unless he underwent a newly-approved immunotherapy known as pembroluzimab. That was in 2020, and Kevin is still with us. The immunotherapy triggered a bout of ulcerative colitis, which left him bedridden for six months, but Kevin says his health is no different than it was before his diagnosis.

In late 2017, Kevin didn't give much thought to a spot he saw on his forearm. He thought he might have cut himself and didn't know it. When the spot didn't go away, he sought medical attention. His doctor said the spot did not look cancerous, prescribed some cream for Kevin to rub on it, and said if the spot changes in size, shape or color, to come back. The spot made none of those changes, but it also didn't go away.

Kevin was referred to a dermatologist, who called for a biopsy. He was away on a business trip when he received an urgent phone call stating that Kevin needed to come in that afternoon. He came in two days later and the dermatologist said the biopsy indicated Kevin had a cancerous tumor in his forearm. Another biopsy was conducted to see if the cancer had spread to any lymph nodes and thankfully it hadn't.

Not long after the tumor was removed, Kevin received a phone call from the oncologist while walking in downtown Edinburgh. The doctor told Kevin he was cancer free. On the sidewalk, he dropped to his knee and wept, overcome with relief. He thought the worst was over.

However, his health took a turn for the worse some 18 months later when he experienced severe back pain and sought medical attention. Another biopsy revealed that the melanoma had spread, bypassing his lymph nodes, but resulting in tumors on his right lung and one next to his spine, which was the source of back pain.

Kevin was told he had six months to live unless a procedure involving an immunotherapy called pembroluzimab was successful. The operation seemed to go well, but at its conclusion, Kevin had to periodically come in for CT scans. A couple years later, Kevin was contacted by his urologist who said the immunotherapy had shrunk the tumors and again, he was told he was cancer free.

There was one more problem for Kevin. The immunotherapy triggered ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory disease. He was bedridden for six months, but eventually survived that as well.

These days Kevin Donaghy says his health is just as sharp as it was prior to his diagnosis, and that going forward he "wants to do more."

He has gone on to write a book, "Stories of Hope and Cancer." Thousands of copies have been donated to cancer charities around the United Kingdom. It chronicles the stories of 39 cancer survivors.

Additional Resources:

Kevin's book: "Stories of Hope and Cancer," available on Amazon, with proceeds going to cancer charities throughout the United Kingdom.

Blood detected in Bob Schreiber's urine led to a diagnosis of Stage IV bladder cancer. This came after a cystoscopy, in which a tube is inserted into his urethra, taking a picture of the bladder. Twice without success, Bob hoped BCG treatment would address the cancer by instilling a set of chemicals inside the bladder to strengthen the immune system. As a result, he had to get his bladder removed. It was replaced with a neobladder, which was made from his small intestine. His recovery took close to a year, he has to deal with incontinence at night, but would his overall health is about 80 percent of what it was pre-diagnosis.

In 2015, Bob's cancer journey began when a lab tech detected microscopic drops of blood in his urine. This got the attention of a urologist, who immediately suspected cancer and called for a cystoscopy of Bob's bladder. The doctor wanted to make sure there was cancer and that if there was cancer, to make sure it had not spread beyond the muscle of Bob's bladder. Thankfully, the cancer had not spread, but the photos from the cystoscopy confirmed Bob Schreiber had Stage IV bladder cancer.

Bob was told in terms of treatment, the gold standard is the removal of his bladder, but he learned of a potential remedy called BCG instillation. Under this procedure, chemicals would be instilled into the bladder to strengthen its immune and defeat the cancer. Bob and his wife preferred to go this route, but the operation was unsuccessful.

They switched hospitals and made a case for a second attempt at BCG instillation, claiming kidney damage that occurred on the first attempt may have compromised the first attempt's effective. A new care team went ahead with the second BCG instillation, but it, too, was unsuccessful. This left Bob with no other option than to have his cancerous bladder removed.

Although he could have chosen treatment that would have left him with a bag to collect his urine, he instead went with a neobladder. That's a replacement bladder made from his small intestine. The difficult and dangerous took eight hours.

A day after its conclusion, Bob got up and walked around the hospital floor. And he walked and he walked and he walked. By the time he was done, Bob said he had walked about a mile and a half! Hospital staff had done a better job of bouncing back from this particular surgery than any patient they had ever had. Whereas many patients remained hospitalized after this procedure for weeks, Bob went back home just four days after the surgery was done.

Bob Schreiber said recovery was slow, but he made progress. He said then, and now, he is able to remain continent during the day but does have incontinence issues at night and has to make trips to the bathroom every three or four hours.

Bob says his health is approximately 80 percent of what it was prior to his diagnosis, but he is extremely grateful to be able to chase after his small grandchildren.

Additional Resources:

Support Group:

The Bladder cancer Advocacy Network: https://www.bcan.org

Beth Lehman went through a tumultuous year in 2020. Thanks to heavy drinking, she was diagnosed with cirrhosis, then basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, followed by hepatocellular carcinoma, a form of liver cancer. She underwent radioactive embolization in order to get a liver transplant. Beth said the two-hour operation wasn't so tough, but the after-effects were difficult, including nausea and vomiting. Then she experienced a procedure to get rid of the skin cancer on her right temple. She says between her physical and emotional recovery, she advocates for cancer patients and is happier than ever.

Beth's alcohol consumption had soared to four or five bottles of wine a day. In 2020, she began to have a buildup of fluid in her stomach, known as ascites. For a long time, she avoided consulting a doctor, suspecting a doctor would tell her to quit drinking; but when ascites asserted itself, she sought medical attention. She was diagnosed with cirrhosis. Upon further examination, five tumors were discovered in her liver, which led to a diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, a form of liver cancer.

This diagnosis came after another diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma, but the skin cancer had to take back seat to the liver cancer.

Beth said her care team first had to determine whether the cancer had spread beyond her liver. Thankfully, it hadn't. In order to complete a liver transplant, doctors wanted to execute radioactive embolization, in which radiation beads would be injected into her arteries through her wrist or groin and targeted at the tumors. However, for that to happen, the tumors had to be 2cm, but her largest tumor was 1.87cm. Incredibly, Beth's care team told her to go home and let the tumors grow so they would be large enough for it to go through with the radioactive embolization.

Once the tumors grew, Beth went through the procedure, also known as Y-90. She had to go through the procedure a second time. Usually, a second procedure comes eight to twelve weeks after the first procedure. Beth's second procedure came just four weeks later. She said she was awake during each procedure, each lasted about two hours, but the toughest part was post-treatment, as she had a great amount of radiation in her body, so much that upon returning home, she had to be sequestered from her husband and her pet cats.

Once she recovered from her liver transplant, she had her skin cancer treated. She said her doctors had to go seven layers deep to get all the cancer, but they did such an outstanding job that her incision is not visible.

Beth Lehman once had a lucrative IT position, but these days she works as an advocate for cancer patients, especially liver cancer patients and says she is happier than ever.

Additional Resources:

Support Groups:

The American Liver Foundation https://www.liverfoundation.org

Beth's Nonprofit, The Liver Circle https://www.thelivercircle.org

Beth's Personal Page with Her Story: https://www.bethlehmanliver.com

After close to a decade of abnormal pap smears, a Cone Biopsy indicated Athena Porter had cervical cancer. To make sure her diagnosis of endocervical adenocarcinoma didn't spread, she opted for a radical hysterectomy. With the procedure, her cervix was not the only vital organ removed. A wife and mother to two daughters, Athena feels blessed that she can return to work on her Iowa farm.

In 2012, she went in for an annual wellness exam. A pap smear indicated she was HPV+. Her doctor told Athena a worst-case scenario was cancer, but the virus would likely go away on its own. She was asked to return in a year. When she came back, she was still HPV+, so she underwent a colposcopy, an attempt to get a better look at cells on her cervix.

This led to a LEEP procedure in which cells on her cervix were removed. The virus was still there, but the procedure showed clean margins. After more years of being HPV+, in late 2022, Athena underwent a Cone Biopsy, in which a device resembling an ice cream scoop removed cells on her cervix, cells that were sent to the Mayo Clinic. In early 2023, results came back. Athena received a phone call at work telling her she had cervical cancer.

Her doctor said by way of treatment, Athena could have only her cervix removed, but she opted for a radical hysterectomy, which would come close to guaranteeing the cancer wouldn't spread. The hysterectomy removed her cervix, her uterus, the top part of her vagina and her fallopian tubes. This move came after she and her husband decided their family, including two young daughters, was complete, and that they were okay with having no more children.

Athena was in the hospital for four or five days, then after she was discharged, even with medication, she experienced severe pain when she would stretch or twist.

Athena reached survivorship, and though she would admit her health is not what it was prior to her diagnosis, she feels blessed to be able to return to her office job and work on her Iowa farm. She also feels blessed that her cancer journey was not as severe as that of others who have also been diagnosed with cervical cancer.

By way of advice, she strongly advises women to get screened for cervical cancer and to get the HPV vaccine.

Additional Resources:

Support Group: Cervivor https://www.cervivor.org

Joshua Silva did not take lower back pains and gastrointestinal issues seriously until they worsened, forcing him to visit an emergency room. A CT scan revealed inflammation of his appendix, necessitating an appendectomy. A urologist said the scan also showed a problem in his left kidney, later diagnosed as clear cell renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer. Joshua underwent a partial nephrectomy knowing before the procedure he may lose the kidney. When he regained consciousness after the procedure, a nurse told him the kidney was spared. Post-treatment medication and weekly visits to a therapist enabled him to get very close to his pre-diagnosis health. Among other positive developments, Joshua Silva has resumed one of his major passions, that of playing golf.

Lots of people experience gastrointestinal problems and lower back pain, so when this happened to Joshua Silva of Houston, Texas, a man in his early thirties, he thought with time the problems would go away. But that didn't happen. One night the pain became so bad that he couldn't sleep, and he decided to go to the emergency room.

He underwent a CT scan which indicated an inflamed appendix but also showed problems with his left kidney. What Joshua knew was that he would have to undergo an appendectomy. What he didn't know with certainty was just what was wrong with his kidney. Some doctors said the problem might by a cyst or might be cancer. Joshua prepared himself for the worst and began to think what life would be like if he was diagnosed with cancer and had to go forth with one kidney.

His appendix was removed, but he had to wait an excruciating four weeks to see a urologist, who said he didn't need a biopsy to determine Joshua had clear cell renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer.

Because the diagnosis came shortly before the holidays, the urologist accelerated the timetable for a partial nephrectomy, seeking to form a care team before its members left for vacation. The urologist said the margins around the tumor would determine whether he could spare the left kidney or have to remove it.

Even though he was under anesthesia for the procedure, as soon as he regained consciousness, he wanted to know the status of his kidney. A nurse told him the urologist was able to remove the cancer without removing the kidney.

Just when it seemed like Joshua was on his way toward survivorship, he received some bad news. The incision point for the partial nephrectomy was very close to the incision point for the appendectomy. The appendectomy incision had not fully healed, resulting in an infection. His abdomen area began to swell and turn red. Antibiotics prescribed after the partial nephrectomy did nothing to address the pain. It was a very difficult three weeks, as Joshua dealt with the pain and sudden uncertainty as to whether he could keep his left kidney.

He was put on a different medication regimen and after three more weeks, the pain and swelling went away. A subsequent scan showed that he was cancer free.

Joshua Silva says his health is now about 98 percent of what it was prior to his back pains and GI issues, and back out on the links with a single-digit handicap.

Additional Resources:

Support Group:

The Kidney Cancer Association https://www.kidneycancer.org

While jogging in 2023, Tessa Parry-Wingfield felt an unusual sensation in her left eye. It wasn't painful but merited medical attention. She was seen by three doctors before learning she had ocular melanoma, a form of eye cancer. Because of the particulars of her diagnosis, she had to undergo an enucleation, the removal of her cancerous eye. With an acrylic implant taking the place of the cancerous eye, Tessa had an enormous amount of learning ahead of her, most notably what is known as monocular vision. Amazingly, Tessa has adjusted to her limited vision. She has resumed running and hiking and driving a car. Her future includes writing a book and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Tessa was jogging along the River Thames in London when she felt something was wrong with her left eye. She went to see an optician thinking she needed to change her prescription regarding her contact lenses. However, upon checking out Tessa's eyes, the optician could see something was wrong, perhaps an astigmatism.

Lacking the necessary equipment for more in-depth scrutiny, the optician sent Tessa to an eye hospital, where they performed various x-rays and scans. When one of the x-rays of her left eye was held up for observation, half of it was black. Her care team thought Tessa had a form of eye cancer known as ocular melanoma, or, uveal melanoma, a tumor in the eye. She was next sent to see an ocular oncologist, who swiftly confirmed the diagnosis.

Many patients diagnosed with ocular melanoma have more than one treatment option, but in Tessa Parry-Wingfield's case, the oncologist performed more scans and tests and immediately told her she would need to undergo an enucleation, the removal of her left eye.

Tessa was under anesthesia for the 90-minute procedure. It resulted in her getting a temporary prosthetic eye, eventually replaced by an acrylic implant, which she has to this day.

She had to do a great deal of learning to go through daily life with one functioning eye, but that is exactly what Tessa has done. She has resumed running, hiking and skiing. She thought it would be a year or so of adjustments before she could drive a car, but her vision tests went so well that, three months after the procedure, her oncologist urged her to get behind the wheel. Without a left eye, she says she has to look a little farther to the left than she was used to before her diagnosis, but she is now quite comfortable driving a car.

Through her cancer experience, Tessa Parry-Wingfield says she has surprised herself by learning how tough and resilient she can be.

Additional Resources:

Tessa on Instagram: @seeing_life_clearly

Tessa's website: https://www.tessa.parry-wingfield.com

For Bhavika Taunk, life took a radical turn in 2017 when her four-year-old son, Kabir, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. After a bone marrow transplant, he went on an aggressive chemotherapy regimen for two years. Kabir relapsed twice, but has been in remission since 2020. Bhavika tells the story of how she cared for her son and how she reaches out to other parents of children diagnosed with cancer.

Bhavika, her husband and two young sons returned from a Disney cruise in April 2017, and both sons felt sick. While her two-year-old son soon got well, things went from bad to worse for four-year-old Kabir. He complained of bone pain, first in his wrists, then his ankles, to the extent that he could not walk. Then he suffered from intermittent fevers and appetite loss.

Kabir was taken to a hospital, where after blood tests, Bhavika was told that a bad virus had settled into her son's bone marrow and that he had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She called her husband with the awful, collapsed on the floor and cried. Bhavika said this was the most life-changing event of her life.

She went on to say the degree of helplessness accompanying such a diagnosis is overwhelming. Up until Kabir's diagnosis, she thought she could fix anything in his life that presented a challenge. Bhavika says the biggest lesson with a child's cancer diagnosis is the total lack of control and it is the worst imaginable feeling.

Bhavika says when caring for a child with cancer that words are very important. She stresses that she doesn't believe in "hollow encouragement because it is very invalidating to the patient." She says a parent cannot tell their cancer-stricken child that everything is going to be okay.

Kabir has been in remission since 2020, but still requires a great deal of attention and medical care.

Bhavika Taunk wants very much to come to the aid of parents of a child diagnosed with cancer. She advocates for parents of Facebook and Instagram, while strenuously calling for increased funding for pediatric cancer patients.

Additional Resources:

Bhavika on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bhavika.v.taunk

Bhavika on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btaunk/

Bhavika's small business supporting pediatric cancer: Birdsong Tea – Tea With A Purpose

In 2021, Brian Vesall noticed some pain in one of his testicles when getting in his car. He sought medical attention, which led to his getting an ultrasound. After briefly looking at the scan, a urologist confirmed to Brian that he had Stage 2A testicular cancer. He underwent an orchiectomy to remove the cancerous testicle, followed by an aggressive chemotherapy regimen of bleomycin, etopiside and cisplatin. But he wasn't done. Brian also underwent an additional surgical procedure to remove approximately 30 lymph nodes. As daunting as his treatment was, Brian chose to address it with a sense of humor, which he still has after achieving survivorship and advocating for other men diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Brian's cancer journey began when he felt pain in a testicle as he was getting in his car. Upon further inspection, he noticed a "hard spot on one side." He immediately went to see his primary physician, who sent him to a urologist. The urologist called for an ultrasound and only minutes after seeing its results told Brian he had Stage 2A testicular cancer. The diagnosis was confirmed with Alpha-Fetaprotein and BHCG, or, Human Chorionic Gonadotropin tests, whose results were far above the normal range.

Addressing his cancerous testicle meant just one remedy, an orchiectomy, surgery that would remove the testicle. Diagnosed on September 27, 2021, Brian had the procedure done just three days later. He was told to avoid any lifting and really, just about any type of strenuous physical activity.

In November 2021, the surgery was followed by three rounds of BEP chemotherapy, which stood for bleomycin, etopiside and cisplatin. Brian said he suffered the usual side effects, including cognitive issues, fatigue and hair loss.

In addition, Brian Vesall had to undergo an additional surgical procedure known as RPLND, or Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection in June 2022, to remove approximately 30 lymph nodes

Brian's health is pretty much back to normal, but a byproduct of his treatment regimen is that he suffers from retrograde ejaculation, meaning that semen travels backward into the bladder during orgasm instead of exiting the penis.

By way of advice, Brian Vesall says if you experience the symptoms of testicular cancer, you should act right away, and at all times, be your own advocate

Additional Resources:

Support Groups:

Man Up To Cancer: https://www.manuptocancer.org

The Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation: https://www.testicularcancerawarenessfoundation.org

Brian's Speech at TCAF's San Diego Conference:

https://www.testicularcancerawarenessfoundation.org/blog/tcc-2024-vesall

Brian's Appearance on the TCAF "It Takes Balls" podcast:

https://www.testicularcancerawarenessfoundation.org/blog/brian-vesall-it-takes-balls-podcast-guest