Patient Stories

From Diagnosis to Determination: My Ongoing Cancer Journey

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Jeffrey Ellin, 45, who has a rare genetic BAP1 mutation that puts him at high risk for developing multiple cancers, including kidney cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2023. Jeff is based in Baltimore, Maryland. Discovering I Was at Risk Jeff Ellin after completing the 2024 Marine Corp Marathon on October 27, 2024.…

Read More

Ultramarathon Running Helps Mark Support His Wife Through Rare Kidney Cancer

Donor Story, Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Mark Dyson, 39, whose wife Dawn is diagnosed with translocation renal cell carcinoma. Mark, who lives with his family in England, is preparing to run an ultramarathon on September 14-15, 2024, to raise funds for kidney cancer research. Mark Dyson embraced running and nature to cope with the stress of his partner's cancer diagnosis.…

Read More

What Cancer Has Taught Me

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Teri Wight, 51, a teacher and a chromophobe renal cell carcinoma survivor based in Arizona. Read her other blog post “Just Shy of a Decade and Still Learning.” At the age of 51, I am a nine-and-a-half-year survivor of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, a rare type of kidney cancer that affects about 5% of…

Read More

Spotlight: Sean Healy, Patient & Caregiver Advisory Council

KCA, Patient Stories

Sean Healy joined the KCA’s Patient & Caregiver Advisory Council in 2024. Sean was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney cancer in 2018. He lives in Richmond, Virginia. What motivated you to get involved with the KCA? Sean with his family, left to right: Ryan, Paige, Patrick, Sean. When I was diagnosed with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in 2018,…

Read More

Just Shy of a Decade and Still Learning

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Teri Wight, 51, who was diagnosed with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma in 2014. She is a teacher based in Arizona. Read her other blog post, "What Cancer Has Taught Me". At the age of 51, I am a nine and a half year survivor of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC), a rare type of…

Read More

Brandy Verdin's Kidney Cancer Story

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Brandy Verdin, who was diagnosed with stage 4 renal cell carcinoma on May 1, 2023. She is based in Gray, Louisiana. I did everything I was supposed to do to live disease-free. Or at least I thought I had. My name is Brandy Verdin and I am a retired personal trainer and fitness nutrition…

Read More

Carie Gort's Kidney Cancer Story

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Carie Gort, 55, a patient advocate and stage 4 kidney cancer survivor/thriver. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I had been feeling generally unwell for several years leading up to my 50th birthday. Often tired and continuing to lack energy, it was something I had just grown used to. A few months following this…

Read More

SilvaStrong: Unveiling the Unexpected

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Joshua Silva, a fitness enthusiast and creator (@joshsilva7 on Instagram) who was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma in 2023 at age 31. He is based in Houston, Texas. Life has a way of catching us off guard when we least expect it. For me, it all started with severe stomach pains that led to…

Read More

Maritza Job Giordano’s Kidney Cancer Story

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Maritza Job Giordano, 37. Maritza was diagnosed with stage 2 renal cell carcinoma in 2023. She lives in Colorado with her husband and two children. On the evening of August 30, 2023, my life changed drastically. I picked up a stomach bug and quickly became ill. Ultimately, I became so dehydrated that I ended…

Read More

Maritza Job Giordano’s Kidney Cancer Story

Patient Stories

This is a guest post by Maritza Job Giordano, 37. Maritza was diagnosed with stage 2 renal cell carcinoma in 2023. She lives in Colorado with her husband and two children. On the evening of August 30, 2023, my life changed drastically. I caught a stomach bug and quickly became ill. Ultimately, I became so dehydrated that I ended up going to the…

Read More