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In all her research, Julie Lykins, 43, found that reading stories from other kidney cancer patients was one of the most comforting ways to understand this new experience she and her husband Chris, 44, had been thrust into. Chris and Julie Lykins But where were all the stories of people like Chris who were diagnosed with papillary renal cell carcinoma…

Kidney Cancer Association President and CEO Gretchen E. Vaughan nominated Laura Wood, M.S.N., RN, OCN, founder and chair of the KCA's Clinical Advisory Board and member of the KCA's Board of Directors, for a CURE® Extraordinary Healer® award. Cure Today recognized Laura among the nominees and shared the nomination essay on their website. Read the nomination essay at Cure Today. Read…

The KCA's 2022 International Kidney Cancer Symposium (IKCS): Europe was held from April 22-24 in Antwerp, Belgium. This symposium brought together top clinicians and researchers to share updates and discuss trends in kidney cancer. Read the coverage from a variety of publications. Uromigos Podcast 2022 IKCS: Europe Highlights with hosts Dr. Brian Rini and Dr. Tom Powles and guest Dr.…

This is a guest post by Maggie Valdes, 26, a New Orleans native living in Houston, Texas. After living in Dallas for four years, I made the decision last May to move down to Houston to be closer to my boyfriend, Brandon Butera. What weird timing this was. A few months after I moved, Brandon started experiencing severe pain in…

As communications intern for the Kidney Cancer Association, I’ve gotten to practice some really important skills, but the best thing I’ll take away is the relationships I’ve built. A remote internship doesn’t always offer a lot of opportunities for engagement, but the wonderful women of the Kidney Cancer Association have made me feel like a real part of the team…

This is a guest post by Susan Hill, a member of the KCA’s Patient & Caregiver Advisory Council and wife and caregiver of Bruce Hill. She documents their adventures on Instagram. When we found out Bruce had an “ugly” tumor on his right kidney and needed a radical nephrectomy, my head was spinning. Leaving the hospital, I knew I needed…

The Kidney Cancer Association (KCA) is pleased to launch a Patient Assistance Fund (PAF) to support people with kidney cancer and relieve some of the financial burdens that accompany a diagnosis. “This program is a huge step forward in our ability to support people with kidney cancer through the tremendous financial burden a diagnosis places on families,” said Gretchen E.…

“I’m done watching.” Patricia Rutter with her grandchildren. Sharon Rorie, on the phone with her sister and brother, waited for the litany of questions that would normally follow an announcement like that. Instead, both were in immediate agreement. The siblings spent the last two years watching the nodule on their mother’s kidney as she went through a series of kidney…

Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, Heather Colby, a fitness instructor, took her POUND exercise classes outside, starting with about 10 people in a local park where she lives in Long Island, New York. It was a welcome break for her class to get moving and do something social safely. From left, Elyn, Heather, and Meagan with their son Caleb. “Some…

Leah Christoforidis was 32 weeks pregnant when she started feeling the symptoms of kidney cancer.  She pushed back against the suggestion that it might just be muscle pain – Leah is something of a fitness buff, and this didn’t feel like any pulled muscle or strain she’d ever dealt with before. An ultrasound confirmed a mass on her kidney. She…