Cancer patients are "United by Unique"

Debra Piver Victory Bell - August 2020

Being diagnosed with cancer means joining a club in which no one wants to be a member. It also means joining a community of people who understand exactly how cancer changes your life in innumerable ways.

Every patient is different, and each course of treatment is different, but every patient shares the knowledge of the endurance needed to persevere. In recognition of World Cancer Day, and the theme of "United by Unique," we're pleased to share a selection of stories from patients at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center as they tell, in their own words, what it means to live with cancer.

Catching up with Chasity, the miracle baby

June 4, 2024

5-year-old Chasity

If you want to match a face to the future of cancer treatment, look no further than the beautiful smile of five-year-old Chasity Mayfield. In 2019, at five months old, Chasity was perhaps the youngest person ever to receive a CAR T-cell immunotherapy that allowed her to beat a rare, aggressive and often fatal form of infantile leukemia.

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Genetic testing led to early cancer detection for father, daughter

April 29, 2024

Emily Pacer and her father, Gary, stand in front of a waterfall.

Emily Pacer knew cancer was a risk in her family: Her paternal grandmother had cancer four times and her aunt tested positive for carrying the BRCA mutation associated with a higher risk of developing breast cancer. But Emily’s insurance company would not pay for her to have genetic testing unless her father tested positive.

“I talked to my doctor a couple of times about if it is worth getting this test,” her father, Gary Pacer, says. “He wasn’t committal one way or the other. He would do annual checkups; if something comes up we’d catch it that way. I was kind of on the fence.”

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Stem cell transplant for multiple myeloma: Paul's story

August 5, 2024

Paul Leo, left, and Dr. Jens Hillengass ride together during the Ride for Roswell.

Paul Leo had a rough start to his 59th year, receiving a dual diagnosis of multiple myeloma and invasive basal cell carcinoma in quick succession. “It was the result of an annual physical,” says Paul, a Syracuse resident. “I went to my doctor at the end of October and there was a higher level of proteins in my blood.”

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Lung and pancreatic cancer at 83: Nathaniel's story

November 20, 2024

A patient sits on a blue bench lifting orange hand weights as part of his physical therapy.

Nathaniel Fountain knew something was wrong when he couldn’t stop hiccupping for months. “He had them for quite a while, from around the third week of July, and we knew it wasn’t normal,” says his wife, Gwen Fountain. In a roundabout way, those hiccups saved his life, she says.

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Roswell Park on the cutting edge of CAR T-cell therapy

May 6, 2024

Chris Vogelsang and his wife, Karen.

Since 2008, Christopher Vogelsang has been a patient of Roswell Park, living with lymphoma. He navigated his first battle with lymphoma at the same time as his wife, Charlotte, was fighting metastatic breast cancer. After a successful stem cell transplant Christopher went into remission, but Charlotte sadly lost her battle in 2010. “One of us has to make it,” she told him. And he did. Life carried on for Christopher and his family. He was “lucky enough to love twice,” and married Karen, combining two beautiful families and taking “a shortcut to grandchildren!”

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Stage 4 breast cancer at 26: Cameron's story

December 12, 2024

Photo of Cameron Colan

As both a nurse at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and a stage 4 breast cancer patient being treated here, Cameron Colan is redefining toughness. “I’ve always loved getting to know my patients and being there for them. And now, working as a cancer nurse while I go through my own cancer treatment has made me even more confident, courageous and determined to provide the best care for myself and our patients. I want my patients to know that I’m fighting this battle with them.”

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Prostate cancer: Rochester’s story

August 3, 2022

Rochester Davis, a prostate cancer survivor, stands next to the Victory Bell in the lobby of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

For 30 years, Rochester Davis served his community as a member of the Buffalo Fire Department. Prior to that, he served his nation during the Vietnam War. He is a man of valor who understands the great responsibility he has had when it comes to saving lives.

Now he wants to help save others from another experience he has endured: He’s a prostate cancer survivor.

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Stage 4 pancreatic cancer: Jane's story

November 9, 2023

Photo of Jane Eshbaugh

Jane Eshbaugh was training to ride her bike across the U.S. with her friend and fellow ESR rider, Bonnie. But Jane felt off during training. She made an appointment with her doctor and went through an ultrasound and other testing to pinpoint the issue. Then she received devastating news: She has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. “When you first hear those words that someone you love has cancer, there is a numbness that overcomes you. There's a disconnect and potential for despair,” Dennis says. “But very quickly, you make a decision that there's a job to be done. And I think it is remarkable what we've been able to do as a family.”

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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.