Patient Story
Lymphoma Survivor Gives BackRuth Shechter still remembers the many emotions – fear, anxiety, anger, hope – she went through in 2003 after she was diagnosed with lymphoma, a form of cancer in which tumors attack lymph nodes. “Whenever you’re faced with any diagnosis of a potent...
Patient Story
Lymphoma Survivor Pays It ForwardLeave it to an energetic, high-spirited college student to make chemotherapy fun. That’s what Nicole Cummings did when she was diagnosed with lymphoma in September 2018. Her deliberate, upbeat attitude and optimistic outlook turned her treatment int...
Patient Story
Prostate Cancer Survivor Gets an EncoreMichael Spicer embodies the theatrical credo that the show must go on. After having surgery for prostate cancer at The University of Kansas Hospital, he had no plans to appear on stage. He was focused on walking and recuperating as his urologic onco...
Patient Story
Metastatic Colon Cancer Patient Saved by Aggressive TreatmentLaura Perez, 20, is a gentle soul with a special connection to animals. This spring, she found an injured fawn on the side of the road near her home in Kansas City, Kansas. She nursed it back to health, and now the young doe, named Petunia, frolics...
Patient Story
Peace Crane Symbolizes a Turning Point for Breast Cancer SurvivorAccording to Japanese lore, cranes signify good health and longevity by living 1,000 years. The legend is that anyone who folds 1,000 paper cranes will be granted one wish. This tradition is what first led architect-turned-artist Denise DiPiazzo to...
Patient Story
Breast Cancer Survivor Has Steadfast Spirit“Cancer was a gift to me,” said 62-year-old Pam Morris, of Leawood, Kansas. “It was an experience that profoundly changed my life. I had no idea that people could be so kind and loving. Would I have wished to have been diagnosed with breast cancer?...
Patient Story
Leukemia-Free After Stem Cell TransplantRebecca Hertzog Burns is a competitor. Growing up, her 2 big brothers pushed her to play sports and be physically strong. "They wanted to make sure I was tough and knew how to fight for things," she says. "I've always been a fighter and someone who...
Patient Story
Parkinson's Patient Gets Off the Pills and On the PumpDuopa infusion pump gives Sue Gudde better symptom control and quality of life Sue Gudde worked 19 years as a cook at a senior living community in Lee's Summit, Missouri. She relied on her hands to chop, flip, scoop and serve. At age 50, she began to...
Patient Story
Planting Seeds of Hope for People with Liver CancerIn 2016, Jason Runnalls was just 42. An energetic guy, he had everything to live for – a wonderful wife and family, a home in Rose Hill, Kansas, southeast of Wichita, and a great job with Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters. Then, on September 21, Jason...
Patient Story
Saving a Life without a Blood TransfusionTrauma team saves severely injured man without using blood transfusion