My dad was initially diagnosed with stage II kidney cancer in January 2002. But the tumor in his kidney was contained, and surgery successfully removed the cancer. He remained cancer-free for 13 years.

Things changed in July 2015, when he coughed up a teaspoon of blood. He went to the doctor and underwent an X-ray that revealed multiple spots on his lungs. Additional CT scans confirmed the spots. His doctor referred him to MD Anderson...