Dick Cardew's Kidney Cancer Story

This is a guest post by Dick Cardew, 51, who was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer. He lives in Arizona.

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. I underwent surgery to remove my kidney and was grateful when my scans came back clear. For nearly a year, I believed I had beaten cancer.

Then I learned it had returned.

The cancer had spread to a lymph node in my chest, and I was reclassified as stage IV metastatic kidney cancer. Hearing those words was devastating. Everything changed in an instant. I went home and did what so many patients do—I searched the internet. What I found was terrifying. Much of the survival data I encountered was based on outcomes from before the Kidney Cancer Research Program and before many modern therapies existed. Statistically, I was being told I might have about a year and a half to live.

In March of 2025, I flew to Washington, DC to advocate for federal funding for the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP). I met fellow kidney cancer patients and survivors—people from all walks of life, all united by the same goal: pushing for better treatments, better outcomes, and more hope.

Not long after, I underwent targeted radiation and systemic therapy. Today, I’m incredibly grateful to say that my scans are clear.

These outcomes are not accidents. They are the result of years of federally funded research—much of it supported through programs like the CDMRP. Breakthroughs made possible by this research have given patients like me options that simply did not exist not long ago.

Because of these advances, I have been able to continue running my small business. I have been able to show up for my family. I have never missed a birthday, a holiday, or an important life moment because of treatment.

That is what research delivers: time, normalcy, and dignity.

I am committed to advocating for a dedicated Senate line item for the Kidney Cancer Research Program (KCRP) within the CDMRP for the rest of my life. No one should have to rely on luck to survive cancer. Every patient deserves access to better science, better treatments, and a real chance at a future.

My story is only one of many—but it is living proof that research and advocacy saves lives.