Morning Medical Update

For 31 years, Rachel Frank searched for answers to her joint pain, eye troubles and a host of other health challenges until she came to The University of Kansas Health System. Specialists discovered a rare genetic mutation tied to a very rare congenital condition that had gone undiagnosed since birth, finally giving Rachel answers and a new understanding of how to manage her health.

Mary Kay Sillyman thought her chronic fatigue and illness were caused by a gallbladder problem. It turned out to be leukemia. The shocking diagnosis set Mary Kay on an eight-year course of treatment that has her in remission and grateful for her family, cancer team and advances in cancer treatment.

After making one promise to herself to never miss a mammogram, Cheryl Williams was diagnosed with breast cancer. She beat it with aggressive treatments. Then the cancer came back and this grandmother faced it with help from her family, cancer team, and by taking eight pills a day.

She's a busy mom who thought her stomach problems were nothing serious. But Mandy Riemer trusted her gut and pushed for a colonoscopy that revealed a massive tumor and stage 4 colorectal cancer. Now, after aggressive treatment and a decade out, she's sharing her story about trusting yourself and your cancer team.

After more than 20 years living with a chronic autoimmune disease, Peggy Czaplewski's liver is failing. She needs a transplant. Not sick enough to qualify for the deceased donor list, her only hope is a living donor.

John Mason had faced tough challenges before. He survived typhoid fever twice and overcame polio to become a 10-time national champion and 17-time All-American athlete. But it's a second opinion and his cancer team he credits with getting him to the finish line in a race against aggressive bladder cancer.

Mike Fong loves poker and playing the odds. Doctors gave him a 60% chance of surviving lymphoma that returned after four years cancer-free. Still, Mike is hopeful after joining a new CAR T clinical trial called "Triple Threat" that targets three of the most common cancer mutations.

Mike Fong loves poker and playing the odds. Doctors gave him a 60% chance of surviving lymphoma that returned after four years cancer-free. Still, Mike is hopeful after joining a new CAR T clinical trial called "Triple Threat" that targets three of the most common cancer mutations.

A cough. A trip to the emergency room. Then an astonishing discovery: a cancerous tumor wrapped around his heart. Doctors had no easy answers for Kyle Mead until one tiny mutation opened the door to a treatment that changed everything about his treatment plan and future. Visit our website, www.kansashealthsystem.com or findadoctor.kansashealthsystem.com.

Mariah Hollingshead lost her leg to cancer as a child, spent years in foster care and never let either stop her from living life. Now, nearly 18 years cancer-free, she's sharing her story to give others, especially children, a reason to have hope when facing life's health challenges.