Jane’s Story

I had already been through menopause and wasn’t getting annual Pap smears, but when I went for one in 2015 it was irregular. So I got another, and another, and then an ultrasound. Eventually I learned I had cervical cancer. It was stage 1B1—not very advanced—and my doctor recommended a modified radical hysterectomy. It would be done laparoscopically so I was unprepared for the serious side effects I experienced. Read more about how Jane faced the challenges of her cancer treatment.

https://thebigordeal.com/2019/02/09/jane-3-2/

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Learn more here:

https://www.ccalliance.org/about/awareness-month

Lung-Cancer Screening Saves Heavy Smokers’ Lives, Study Finds

https://www.wsj.com/articles/lung-cancer-screening-saves-heavy-smokers-lives-study-finds-11580335200

Steve’s Story

First during his bout in the 1990’s with testicular cancer and then more recently with stage 4 colon cancer, Steve has endured a significantly challenging treatment experience…both physically and emotionally. He even considers his first cancer occurrence to be the cause of his failed marriage. Yet despite all of this he has recovered, has opened his heart to folks and has learned to appreciate the little things like hugs.

Learn more about Steve here…https://thebigordeal.com/2019/02/09/steve-2/

Kevin’s Story (Caregiver)

There could be no reprieve. This illness was a death sentence and the inevitable was coming, came, and has passed.The hardest part was the sequential giving up of various hopes—that it’s not cancer, that surgery and long-term remission is possible, that she’ll have a lot of good days that she won’t suffer too much. It was a war of sequential compromise, bargains made, lost, remade and, ultimately, the recognition that reprieve is impossible. Learn more about how Kevin supported his beloved wife Donna through lung cancer and its outcome. https://thebigordeal.com/2019/05/06/kevin/

“Why me?”

We all want to know what caused our cancers, but the short answer is scientists don’t know. How, why, where and even when our cancers develop is a combination of genetics, environment, timing, and overall health. Some say luck plays a role too. Learn more here

https://thebigordeal.com/2019/06/17/why-me/