After her breast cancer surgery, Tia struggled with mobility in her left shoulder. It felt as though the joint was frozen, and she could feel some swelling in her chest. After several dead ends, she learned that this feeling may be caused by early-stage lymphedema. This condition is a common side effect of breast cancer … Read more
In the midst of a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation for breast cancer, Dianne Austin thought finding a wig to cover her balding head would be easy. She quickly learned otherwise. As a Black woman, Austin desired a wig that resembled her tightly coiled, kinky and curly hair. This was 2015, and although several hospitals near … Read more
Dana-Farber strongly encourages patients to get vaccinated for COVID-19 to protect themselves from serious infection of the virus. Family members, caregivers, and frequent household contacts also should also stay up to date with vaccinations to protect those around them. COVID-19 vaccines have been given to millions of people and have proven safe and effective at … Read more
Kathy Giusti was driving in rush hour traffic one January day in 1996 when her doctor called and requested they meet the next morning about her recent blood tests. Alarmed, Giusti insisted on more details, and the doctor eventually shared his concerns that she may have multiple myeloma. Giusti’s response to this news was quick … Read more
Andrea Baxter remembers talking with girlfriends prior to her first mammogram in February 2023, just four months after her 40th birthday. “We joked about how these routine scans were a sign of getting older,” she recalls. “Nobody thought anything bad would come from them.” From working in the insurance field, Baxter knew that mammograms — … Read more
In Catherine Argyrople’s “Growing Pains,” a scene set on a sunny day at a high school pool party becomes a way to explore how pediatric cancer can affect teenagers in survivorship. The protagonist, a curly-haired highschooler named Zoe wears a bikini for the first time in her life, revealing a scar on her stomach. A … Read more
Patricia Smith’s experience with cancer will stay with her for the rest of her life. “Walking through deep waters changes you,” she says. “You’re still the same person, but you’re different.” In 2009, Smith was diagnosed with B-cell diffuse lymphoma after she experienced weeks of fatigue and found a lump under her right arm. She … Read more
Runners call it Heartbreak Hill, but for Michelle O’Brien the long, rising stretch of pavement that crosses the 20-mile point of the Boston Marathon® route represents the top of the mountain. Just over three years after being diagnosed in back-to-back months with two unrelated cancers — invasive breast cancer in December 2020, and then stage … Read more
When Meghan MacDonald visited her primary care provider in the fall of 2022 to get a lump in her breast examined, they confirmed her suspicion that it was just an inflamed cyst. Relieved, MacDonald began a course of antibiotics, but when the lump didn’t go away, her doctor ordered a mammogram, and when the results … Read more
As Chen Wen Ye nears five years of being cancer-free, Chen has committed herself to helping others facing such issues.
After treatment at Dana-Farber, Dena Ofengeim was able to get on her bike, train with her friends, and complete the Pan-Mass Challenge.
Sally Johnston cannot be slowed down. She just recently returned from a month-long trip to South Africa for a safari, and Namibia to visit a longtime friend, and is already planning her next excursion. The 74-year-old survivor has always been active, and she says it’s time to achieve her goal of visiting all seven continents. … Read more
Arliene T. Penn entered the Mrs. Globe pageant in 2023 not to win a title, but rather to spread a very important message on a very large stage. In the end, she did both. Competing as Mrs. British Virgin Islands, Penn reached the semifinals of the international event. Far more important to her, however, was … Read more
In the fall of 2019, John Brazeau’s back pain got so bad that it interfered with his ability to engage in the two hobbies he loved most in his retirement on Cape Cod: golfing and clamming. Despite keeping up with physical therapy exercises meant to relieve the pain, it wasn’t diminishing. Then in 2020, Brazeau … Read more
David Trueblood’s long career in journalism was shaped by new technology, including the rise of digital photography and the impact of online media. So, upon learning in early 2023 that he would need a stem cell transplant due to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a rare blood disorder impacting his bone marrow, Trueblood appreciated the role innovation … Read more
During a long career in the food industry, Susan Greelish, 64, has prided herself on forming strong, familial-like bonds with her colleagues and customers. When it came to her treatment for breast cancer and kidney cancer, however, these feelings of kinship and trust were missing — until she found her newest family just a few … Read more
Cari Carpenter is a pioneer. Coming of age athletically in the 1970s, when competitive sports were just opening up for young women, she paved the way for the next generation — including a daughter who played and now coaches college field hockey. It’s the same in her professional life, where Carpenter runs an innovative program … Read more
Stephan Bunker has learned to be prepared for anything during a half-century protecting others as a soldier, volunteer firefighter, law enforcement official, and director of 911 dispatchers for the state of Maine. So when Bunker was the one facing an emergency — a diagnosis of a brain cancer known as primary central nervous system (CNS) … Read more
Asked how he has dealt with three bouts of bone cancer and a partial right leg amputation in less than four years, 14-year-old Jack Berry says that he takes things “one step at a time.” That is, when he’s not surfing, riding his mountain bike, sprinting across tennis courts, or winning ski races. An osteosarcoma … Read more
Brian Regan knows how overwhelming it can be to hear the words “you have cancer” as a teenager. That is why, nearly a decade after his own diagnosis, he feels compelled to help young patients and families currently grappling with the physical and emotional challenges of treatment. Regan, 27, is a member of the Pediatric … Read more