“You have cancer.” It’s a phrase we hope to never hear in our lifetime. If we do, we assume we’ll hear it when we’re middle aged or older, right? I was only 29. Nine months before my diagnosis, I began noticing I was putting on some weight, specifically in my abdomen. I credited those extra …
Beating cancer before 30: My shocking 17-pound tumor discovery Read More »
According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death—more than breast, prostate, colon and pancreatic cancers combined. Fortunately, there is a screening test available for people at the highest risk of developing lung cancer. Let’s dive into what causes lung cancer in the first place and how to know …
A simple lung cancer screening could save your life. Here’s how. Read More »
Telling those closest to you that you have been diagnosed with cancer is a hard conversation to start, especially when you’re still reeling from the diagnosis. Sometimes it’s tough to know what to do or say in that situation to ensure that you’re sharing the facts while being open and honest with your feelings. Here …
When you are young, you feel invincible. You feel that no matter what your parents say to you—like advising you to wear sunscreen and stay out of the sun—you know better. Afterall, it is your body and you tell yourself, “oh, it’ll never happen to me.” Until it did. On April 17, 2021, I received …
My melanoma survival story: What it’s like to be diagnosed with skin cancer Read More »
Our bodies can often overcome serious health challenges—sometimes, they just need a little help. That’s what non-Hodgkin lymphoma survivor Tana Davis learned when her doctors from Texas Oncology and Baylor University Medical Center suggested a stem cell transplant that would ultimately help her own healthy cells combat the aggressive cancer cells in her body. Today, …
How Tana’s own body helped her beat non-Hodgkin lymphoma Read More »
We’ve known for a long time that mammograms are an important screening tool for all women to keep up with as they age. But now, we have even more proof. In a recent study, women who completed consecutive regularly scheduled appointments for mammograms had a far lower risk of mortality from breast cancer post-diagnosis. So, what …
The idea of “working in research” likely conjures up images of sitting in a lab all day or spending countless hours assessing data. While those responsibilities are often involved, they by no means reflect the full scale of what a career in medical research can encompass — or the passion many researchers bring to the …
If you or a loved one is facing a blood cancer diagnosis, you’ve likely heard the term “bone marrow transplant.” Since the first successful bone marrow transplant in 1956, this curative therapy has been the gold standard for treating blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Unlike solid organ transplants, a bone marrow transplant …
The idea that a patient’s own immune system could be harnessed to fight cancer was once a radical notion, but today, it’s reality. Over the past several years, immunotherapy has revolutionized how cancer is treated as a number of immunotherapies have been approved to treat many forms of cancer. Now, a new initiative from Baylor …
My mom was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma, or LMS — a rare type of cancer in the smooth muscle that starts in the uterine area — around December of 2017. At the time, the tumor was small and when testing was done, it came back negative for cancer. Though surgery was still scheduled to remove it, it …
Our hospital room wedding: Bringing the ceremony to my mom’s bedside Read More »