It is often said that cancer touches all of us. Every patient, every doctor, has a story to tell.
Through the course of the year, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center publishes dozens of stories: Doctors share with us their latest innovations and treatments that might help bring us closer to a world without cancer. Patients tell us of their struggles, the diagnosis that changed their lives, the care team that helped them fight and the new "normal" they've developed after treatment.
Stories are important because they share information and provide hope. Stories help us all feel connected and, sometimes, a little less alone.
We are pleased to present to you, as we look back on the year, a handful of our favorite blogs from throughout 2023, highlighting some of our patients and their inspirational reflections on their cancer journeys while also shining a light on the incredible work of our doctors and researchers to find new, exciting ways to find, diagnose and treat cancer sooner and more effectively.
In 2024 we look forward to bringing our readers even more stories of strength, determination, perseverance and, above all, hope — that one day we will create a world without cancer.
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Sign up!1. Stage 4 pancreatic cancer: Jane's story
November 9, 2023
On winter days, Jane Eshbaugh of Ellicottville, NY, wakes at the crack of dawn. After a cup of coffee, she makes her way to a peak of the slopes at Holiday Valley Ski Resort where she’ll take note of the temperature and surrounding conditions to later compile and share in a detailed ski report. Then, she straps on her skis and carves her way down the slope. This routine is one of joy for Jane, and a near constant in her life for more than four decades.
2. What is a capsule endoscopy?
May 16, 2023
High-definition cameras are used to view the GI tract in a variety of ways; upper endoscopies and colonoscopies are routine procedures that help a doctor view the inside of the esophagus, stomach and colon. A laparoscopy can be performed to view the outside of the bowel with a small incision made in the abdomen.
But how would they view the area in between your stomach and colon — those 20 feet of small intestines — without an incision or even sedation? This is where a capsule endoscopy comes in.
3. Bonding through cancer treatment: Three friends bridge generations
March 14, 2023
For many people, a cancer diagnosis can be a very lonely time. Who do you turn to talk about your fears, anxieties and experiences if no one close to you has faced cancer?
4. Can you prevent skin cancer after a bad sunburn?
May 23, 2023
You didn’t expect to be outdoors all day but were caught unprepared and without sunscreen. Now you have a blistering red burn. Is there anything you can do to reverse the UV radiation damage to your skin that can potentially lead to cancer?
5. Facing cancer like a ROCKStar: Veronica's story
October 16, 2023
When a disease like breast cancer is diagnosed in multiple members of the same family, it would be easy to assume this family shares a genetic factor that is associated with a higher risk of developing the disease.
For Veronica Meadows Ray and her family, which includes five breast cancer survivors, that assumption would prove false.
6. Can early MRI scans help avoid a prostate biopsy?
April 18, 2023
Early detection is important because it finds both slow-growing and aggressive cancers. And recent research suggests there may be advantages to adding magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to early diagnostic standards, and surveillance, for prostate cancer – a change that may potentially reduce, avoid, or redirect the need for a prostate biopsy.
7. Oligodendroglioma: Josh's story
May 19, 2023
Creative people use all their senses for inspiration. Artists who work in music can be just as inspired by visual media as they are their favorite song. But it was a problem with his eyesight that made musician Josh Martin wonder what was wrong.
8. Mastitis or breast cancer? Know the difference
March 10, 2023
While managing your overall health, it’s important to know your body. By performing regular self-examinations — like that of the skin or breasts — any changes you notice should be taken seriously.
9. Meet the Team: The 11 Day Power Play Cancer Resource Center
March 21, 2023
“The Resource Center is a soft place to land after a cancer diagnosis,” says Martha Hickey, the center’s manager. “It’s a place to come and learn more about your cancer, all the support programs Roswell Park offers and to learn your way around campus. Navigating your cancer care is made easier if you come to the Resource Center early on in your journey so we can help you pave your way through your diagnosis, treatment and into survivorship.”
10. Anaplastic astrocytoma: Adam's story
May 2, 2023
“Some people would look at my life before cancer and be like, I’ve got a wonderful wife, two beautiful kids, a great job, and then this happens,” he says. “But there are some people who are perfectly healthy and they can’t have kids and that’s not fair either. I don’t want to die, but if I did, I couldn’t ask for anything more. I have an amazing life.”
Editor’s Note: Cancer patient outcomes and experiences may vary, even for those with the same type of cancer. An individual patient’s story should not be used as a prediction of how another patient will respond to treatment. Roswell Park is transparent about the survival rates of our patients as compared to national standards, and provides this information, when available, within the cancer type sections of this website.
