Patient Stories

Mary's Clinical Trial Decision

Patient Stories

By D’Ann George, PhD, Medical Writer https://www.kidneycancer.org/stories/clinical-trials-irb/ Mary Ferrara Naimo remembers the day when her oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. Chung-Han Lee, talked to her and her husband, Al, about a clinical trial for a novel therapy in kidney cancer. After their discussion, Dr. Lee left the couple alone to decide whether or not Naimo should enroll.…

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With their first fundraiser, Familia Viclera focuses on kidney cancer

Donor Story, Patient Stories

Richard “Rick Rock” Rodriguez spent years keeping the mass on his kidney a secret. A motorcycle accident uncovered the mass through a CT scan. Over the next two years, the mass grew significantly and Rodriguez had surgery in 2022 to remove the kidney. https://www.kidneycancer.org/just-diagnosed/ “I didn’t even know I had kidney cancer until after they removed my kidney,” he said.…

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Scott and Sherri’s Kidney Cancer Journey

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Scott LeVeck. My name is Scott, I’m 54. My wife, Sherri, passed on July 25, 2022. She was also 54. And this is our journey. Scott and Sherri in their first grade class photo. Sherri and I have known each other since we were kids in school. In fact, Sherri is standing directly in…

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Don Hoff, the “Happy Man in a Village”

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Susan Hoff-Angelin. https://www.kidneycancer.org/kidney-cancer-types/ My late husband, Don Hoff, was larger than life. He loved life and lived it to its full extent, so when we found out he had stage IV kidney cancer in 2009, he was determined to not let it change the person he was. He never asked, "why me" and never…

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Brain Metastasis: Recognizing Symptoms Early Can Help

Patient Stories, Research

By D’Ann George, PhD, Medical Writer Standing on the bank of a waterway that winds through French Cajun Country in Louisiana, Keith Thibodeaux felt such intense vertigo, he feared he might fall into the water. His first impulse was to deny what he was experiencing. Since his clear cell, renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) diagnosis and nephrectomy in 2020, Thibodeaux had…

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Bone Metastases: How Bone Pain Helps In Kidney Cancer Treatment

Patient Stories, Research

By D’Ann George, PhD, Medical Writer Marie Langhorne, center, with her daughters. When Marie Langhorne first felt pain in her right leg, in the fall of 2018, she was sitting in her office at Catawba College, in Salisbury, NC, where she has taught French since moving to North Carolina from New Orleans. Growing up in Normandy, France, Langhorne says she…

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Mike Greene’s kidney cancer journey

Patient Stories

Mike Greene, 70, has been working in construction since he was 20 years old. As an industry veteran with his own North Carolina-based business since 1972, he has a practical approach towards problem solving. Mike Greene on the way home after his initial surgery in 2020. He was released on the Greene's anniversary - May 6th. “I usually don’t fix…

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Caregiving Tips From the Kidney Cancer Community

KCA, Patient Stories

Caregiving is a complex, challenging, sometimes heartbreaking, often rewarding responsibility. In honor of National Family Caregivers Month, we asked several people for their insights and best tips on caregiving. Read what they shared below. Sign up for monthly newsletters and read the special edition on caregiving now. Melissa Helmick, patient What is the most meaningful thing a caregiver can do…

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I’m Still Surprisingly Content Despite Having Stage IV RCC (And this time I really mean it!)

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Joel Stern, who was diagnosed with stage IV renal cell carcinoma in 2020. https://www.kidneycancer.org/stories/i-have-stage-iv-renal-cell-carcinoma/ It’s been a year since I wrote about my journey with Stage IV renal cell carcinoma where I tried (emphasis on “tried”) to convince all of you (as well as me) that despite my dire diagnosis with this disease, I…

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Processing My New Life Is A Work In Progress

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Kelly Hudak. Kelly is a wife, mom, and medical device rep based in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Spring of 2022 was an exciting time in our family – we celebrated my daughters 1st birthday, my 33rd birthday, I had just started a new job, and my husband Matt and I were discussing expanding our family.…

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