Life after a glioblastoma diagnosis
In 2007, shortly after my 38th birthday, I noticed some numbness in three fingers on my left hand. I didn’t think too much about it. My husband, two daughters and I lived in Alaska, and numb fingers are not unusual. But when the numbness spread to the left side of my face, I made a doctor’s appointment.
Our lives were thrown into chaos when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which turned out to be glioblastoma. My husband, Todd...
Inflammatory breast cancer patient empowers herself with research
When Valerie Fraser began experiencing swelling and noticed a rash on her left breast on New Year’s Day 2007, she knew something wasn’t right...
Life with a benign brain tumor
My first brain surgery was in 1988. I had been diagnosed with a meningioma, a benign brain tumor, in my occipital lobe. Because it’s also...
Sunscreen: What SPF should you choose?
According to a new study from Consumer Reports, nearly half of sunscreens have a lower sun protection factor (SPF) than they claim on their bottles.
So, should you start buying sunscreen with a higher SPF to protect your skin from sun damage and lower your skin cancer risk?
Not necessarily, says Saira George, M.D., a dermatologist at MD Anderson in Sugar Land. But it’s a good reminder to use more sunscreen more often.
Nutrition Facts label changes may help lower cancer risk
Changes are coming to your nutrition labels. Over the next three years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will make changes to the Nutrition...
Stressed out? Advice for coping
We all face situations that can be demanding or harmful, or lead to fear and worry. That’s especially true if you or a loved one is undergoing...
Coping with a brain tumor
Coping with a brain tumor can be difficult. Brain tumor symptoms and side effects from treatment can include headaches, seizures, and changes...
How to support a friend through hair loss
When a friend faces cancer, she will probably endure many experiences that are unique to cancer patients. The uniqueness of these experiences...
Nivolumab gives renal cancer survivor a second chance
Tennessee resident Philip Prichard hadn’t even heard of immunotherapy or Nivolumab when he was first diagnosed with kidney cancer in the summer...
Surviving a total pelvic exenteration
I was diagnosed with cervical cancer first in 2009, and immediately sought treatment at MD Anderson. After six brutal weeks of radiation and...
Cancer, I beat you
Before my doctor ever said your name, Cancer, the stress at home was weakening my immune system and quietly giving you energy, fueling your...
5-time adrenal gland tumor survivor beats weight gain
Charlotte Strecker has overcome adrenal carcinoma five times. She’s had several surgeries, taken oral chemotherapy and steroids for years...
Gratitude for my sons after breast cancer
I am lucky to be the mother of two amazing sons. I’ve always known this, but it became especially clear after my two breast cancer diagnoses...
Medulloblastoma patient marks a decade cancer-free
A lot has changed since Ana-Kate Partridge was the MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center’s first pediatric patient 10 years ago. In the past decade...
My male breast cancer story continues: The recurrence
Last year, well into my third year of recovery from male breast cancer, I discovered a small lump where a lump should not have been. Once...
Living with oligodendroglioma
When Cristy Hardy started dating her now-husband, Kyle, he had a “crazy scar” from brain tumor surgery a year earlier. The benign tumor had...