Patient Stories

Spotlight: Claudia Tatum, Patient & Caregiver Advisory Council

KCA, Patient Stories

Claudia Tatum joined the KCA's Patient & Caregiver Advisory Council in 2023. She is based in Oklahoma. What motivated you to get involved with the KCA’s PCAC? From the time I was diagnosed in Jan 2023, I began thinking about what the lesson learned would be from my Cancer Adventure. Then, how can I can best use the lesson to…

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Spotlight: Annamaria Scaccia, Patient & Caregiver Advisory Council

KCA, Patient Stories

Annamaria Scaccia joined the KCA’s Patient & Caregiver Advisory Council (PCAC) in 2023. She is a frequent blog contributor for the KCA and collaborator on a number of special edition KCA newsletters. What motivated you to get involved with the KCA’s PCAC? https://www.kidneycancer.org/stories/bodybuilder/ I was motivated to get involved with the KCA’s PCAC because joining the council felt like a…

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Spotlight: Matt McClain, Patient & Caregiver Advisory Council

KCA, Patient Stories

Matt McClain joined the KCA's Patient & Caregiver Advisory Council (PCAC) in 2023. What motivated you to get involved with the KCA’s PCAC? https://www.kidneycancer.org/stories/learned-how-to-be-his-own-advocate/ When I was newly diagnosed, I reached out to a few people who I knew had kidney cancer. Unlike me, none of them were stage IV, so while they were sympathetic, they were not able to…

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Michael Whitley Pivots to New 4th Line Therapy

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Michael Whitley, 46, who was diagnosed with stage 4 clear cell renal cell carcinoma in 2019. He is an engineer and lives in Huntsville, Alabama. Michael Whitley, left, driving home from Vanderbilt with his boyfriend, Michael Mueller, in July. Since my scan in November of 2022, I have had 3 more CT scans. The…

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Advocate Peggy Zuckerman on the cover of Cancer Today magazine

KCA, Patient Stories

Peggy Zuckerman, a long-time kidney cancer patient, advocate, and member of the KCA's Patient & Caregiver Advisory Council, was the featured cover story for Cancer Today magazine's Summer 2023 issue. She was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2003. Photo by Morgan Shidler. “It was the start of a race, and I did not know it,” remembers Zuckerman, then 54, who…

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Mike Domingo plans on (at least!) 50 "Bay to Breakers" races

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Mike Domingo. My name is Mike Domingo and this is my journey.  It started one night in February 2021. I woke up to go to the bathroom and fortunately turned on the light. The bowl was full of blood though I had no pain or any other symptoms. I took a picture of the blood. My doctor…

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Cody’s rare kidney cancer made him the only kid in a clinical trial

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Nicole Bass, whose 18-year-old son Cody was diagnosed with ALK-positive rearranged renal cell carcinoma in 2022. Cody’s biggest concern through this whole journey was bowling. He’s on the bowling team for his high school and this year he was inducted into his school’s hall of fame for bowling. The kids are calling him a…

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Cytoreductive nephrectomy helped control Paul Laudadio’s metastatic kidney cancer 

Patient Stories

By D’Ann George, PhD, Medical Writer For ten years, Dr. Jose Karam, a urologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, looked forward to receiving Paul Laudadio’s Christmas card. Though many expressions of gratitude decorated his office – letters, drawings, watercolors, and even a purple kidney-shaped stuffie – Laudadio’s card stood out. The multi-fold design featured all 35 members of his former…

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You can’t be a bodybuilder with one kidney… can you?

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Annamarya Scaccia, a KCA Ambassador. Annamarya was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2020. She is a certified fitness and nutrition coach who helps kidney cancer survivors optimize their performance without sacrificing their health. Header photo courtesy of Carlos J. Gallegos. I didn’t know it at the time, but when I was diagnosed with kidney…

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Eating for Kidney Health: Q&A with Kate Zalewski, RDN, CSR, LDN

Patient Stories

Annamarya Scaccia, photo courtesy Carlos J Gallegos. Kate Zalewski, RDN, CSR, LDN is an experienced renal dietitian who owns a virtual private practice primarily helping people with chronic kidney disease delay or avoid dialysis. KCA Ambassador Annamarya Scaccia spoke with her about misconceptions around nutrition and kidney health, eating to build muscle, and how to protect your kidneys while pursuing…

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