Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Nicole Albor, 34. Nicole's husband Todd Allebach, 38, was diagnosed with a rare hereditary type of kidney cancer. They live with their two children near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Todd Allebach and Nicole Albor. Kidney cancer wasn’t something we ever thought about, until we had no other choice. My name is Nicole Albor, and my husband,…

This is a guest post by Dick Cardew, 51, who was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer. He lives in Arizona. Jennifer and Dick Cardew I was diagnosed with kidney cancer at 48 years old after doctors discovered a 10-centimeter tumor incidentally on my kidney. Like many patients, I had no warning signs that suggested something so serious was happening.…

In a recent episode of the Cancer Interviews podcast, Joshua Silva of Houston, Texas, shared his journey as a survivor of clear cell renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer. Josh, 33, first noticed gastrointestinal issues and lower back discomfort but initially dismissed the symptoms. It wasn’t until a night of severe abdominal pain that he went to the ER, where a CT scan revealed…

Ritchie Johnson, MBA, BSN, RN, founder and president of the Chris ‘CJ’ Johnson Foundation (CJF) and member of the KCA's Patient & Caregiver Advisory Council, was recently featured in Bold Journey magazine. CJF, a KCA Affiliate Partner, supports patients and families impacted by renal medullary carcinoma, a rare and aggressive type of kidney cancer often affecting adolescent and young adult…

This is a guest post by Julia Stevens, PharmD, BCOP at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts and a member of the Kidney Cancer Association's Clinical Advisory Board. Julia Stevens, PharmD, BCOP Case Study: Jan's Angelic Voice Got Lost in Kidney Cancer Treatment My patient Jan was a vibrant 60-something year old woman diagnosed with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The first time I…

This is a guest post by Kevin O'Hanlon, 49, from New York, married to Jane, and together they have four sons. Kevin O'Hanlon and his family. Life has a way of shifting in an instant—often when we least expect it. My journey with kidney cancer began not with pain or alarming symptoms, but with something far more routine: my annual…

This is a guest post by Catherine Yutmeyer, a patient advocate diagnosed with stage 4 chromophobe renal cell carcinoma. Catherine attended the Kidney Cancer Association's 2025 International Kidney Cancer Symposium (IKCS): North America, held in Denver, Colorado on November 13-15. She shared her insights, takeaways, and overall experience at the meeting. Five years ago, I was diagnosed with stage IV…

This is a guest post by Tom Green, 60, who was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer in 2015. He is currently a business owner, a new student at McDaniel College in Maryland, and a member of the McDaniel Green Terror football team. He lives with his family in Pennsylvania. Read a story about him at the Baltimore Sun. Up…

The Kidney Cancer Association partnered with Moffitt Cancer Center to highlight stories of resilience and hope in the face of kidney cancer. Supported by the compassionate care and leading research innovation at Moffitt, people diagnosed with kidney cancer describe their journeys through diagnosis, treatment, and beyond. Moffitt is a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center where top research and care…

This is a guest post by Peter Croes, a 78-year-old two-time renal cancer survivor who was initially diagnosed with kidney cancer in 1993. Peter is a patient at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida and lived in Lakeland, FL before moving to Dillard in the northeast mountains of Georgia in 2022. He returns to Moffitt, with Jeanie, his wife, for…