Chordoma survivor: 'Put your faith in the doctors'
“I was very lucky to go to MD Anderson,” says Chuck Schlesinger.
In early 2015, Chuck was playing tennis when he felt a sharp pain in his neck. Thinking it was a sports-related injury, he went to a local specialist north of Houston to get it checked out. But X-rays revealed a tumor.
The tumor sat in Chuck’s cervical spine, nestled among the bones of his neck. Given the tumor’s location in the delicate cervical vertebrae,...
Olympic swimmer with acoustic neuroma finds connection and healing at MD Anderson
Clark Burckle Jr., now 36 years old, is no stranger to adversity. Clark represented the United States in the 2012 Olympics, competing in the...
Multiple myeloma and spine cancer survivor: ‘Always think about a second opinion’
In 2022, Emily Shults, then 47, had recently moved to Magnolia, Texas, from California, to be closer to family. During the move, she remembers...
Metastatic breast and spine cancer survivor: ‘I’m living into the cure’
“I have an illness, not a terminal diagnosis,” says Lisa Ordmandy. Despite her metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, Lisa remains optimistic. Her motto is “Live into the cure.”
Lisa, now 66, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. Following treatment at another hospital, her doctors said she wouldn’t have a recurrence.
But a few years later, Lisa tripped on her stationary bicycle and fell. “I call it my bicycle accident...
Young adult astrocytoma survivor grateful for MD Anderson's expertise
“Other doctors felt they could not operate,” says Sean O’Brien, an astrocytoma survivor. But MD Anderson neurosurgeon Frederick Lang, M.D....
What is astrocytoma, and how is it different from glioblastoma?
Astrocytoma and glioblastoma are two types of brain tumors. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) changed how these tumors are classified...
What is music medicine?
You don’t have to be a music lover to benefit from music’s healing impact. Studies have found that just 30 minutes of listening to relaxing...
Brain mass survivor on MD Anderson: ‘You’re in the best hands'
“I never dreamed that I would have a mass in my skull,” says Curry Kennerly.
Today, the father and grandfather who inspects new construction...
Glioma survivor thrives after treatment at MD Anderson
“Will I be able to do Sudoku?”
That was the first question Grace Jou asked neurosurgeon Jeffrey Weinberg, M.D., who performed a craniotomy...