Patient Stories

Voice of Kidney Cancer – Ted Engel’s story

Ted Engel shares his five year kidney cancer journey, and how participating in a clinical trial has left him free of disease. On the morning of January 10th, 2014 I entered the exam room expecting to get an ultrasound to confirm an issue with my gall bladder.  I had been feeling nauseous for a few weeks and my family doctor had ordered this test. I chatted with the tech as she went about her exam and everything seemed normal enough. Suddenly, she left the room and returned with the radiologist. He showed me a large mass on my left kidney and other tumors throughout my liver. He looked at me and said, “You’ve got stage IV cancer.”   He immediately ordered a CT scan that confirmed I had a 12.6 cm mass on my left kidney and extensive metastatic disease to my liver. We were suddenly thrust int...

Voice of Kidney Cancer – Ralph & Anne Groves’ Story

Thanking Ralph and Anne Groves for sharing their kidney cancer journey! In November 2011 Ralph’s routine physical turned into a quick removal of a football size tumor from his kidney. The doctor came out to the waiting room and said it was a difficult removal, they tried their  best to get clean margins, but there may be “TRACE CELLS” left   I asked if he was still unconscious and the surgeon replied yes… at which I stated firmly, “then go back in there and get those trace cells”. He was not amused, neither was I. He looked at me quietly and left the waiting room. This became the beginning of our learning curve of “ doctor language” and “ patient comprehension “. The next two years he was monitored with scans. In October 2013, we walked in to an appointment and the doctor...

Voice of Kidney Cancer – Brianna’s Story

Now I feel called to spread awareness and learn as much as I can about this disease, and to spend everyday really living because of what I went through. My name is Brianna Rose and I’m 25 years old. I went to the hospital in January of 2018 for pneumonia. I had just married the love of my life in December. My husband Jacob, and I had been together for six years and finally decided it was time to tie the knot. Shortly after we were married we decided to go on our honeymoon in February but I had fallen sick and was coughing so I went to the hospital. They gave me a CT scan for my pneumonia and noticed a 3.5 cm mass on top of my left kidney. I was told to follow up with my doctor in six weeks and that it was likely a kidney infection. So In 6 weeks my husband and I went to the doctors office ...

Voice of Kidney Cancer – Lane’s Story

Taking Time to be Grateful during the Struggle  Lane has Stage 4 Papillary RCC (PRCC) and recently completed immunotherapy with Opdivo and Yervoy. His daughter Stephanie share’s his story.Lane and his wife, Lu, have three kids, four grandkids and a great grandson. My dad, Lane, says that this is not like the other times. First time there were pretty clearly presented options for treatment and actually a course to a cure.He knows that the next time wasn’t good either, but had some assurance that there was a pretty good chance after the storm. It was his diagnosis of his “rare” Papillary Kidney Cancer that turned our focus to be grateful for many things… even the oddest things. There was the scan that he needed to have to see how he was doing with his prostate cancer after just finishi...

Voice of Kidney Cancer – JR’s Story

JR is a stage 4 kidney cancer patient.  He shares the story of his diagnosis and how a positive attitude and faith has helped him stay hopeful for the future. Stay positive and trust in god, it will help more than you can imagine. November 2017 is the start of my story. Treated for bronchitis and checked for the flu. Still just didn’t feel right. Steroids would help for a few days then right back to cough, low grade fever, shortness of breath and poor appetite. December was much the same but getting worse. Feeling weaker, I again went to my family doctor. Still no good answers. Finally January 2018 I convinced my doctor that she had to do something. By this time I had lost over 10 lbs and was really feeling crummy. I finally saw a specialist in infectious disease. On January 10th he ordere...

Voice of Kidney Cancer – Qing Zhang Lab

Qing Zhang, PhD is an Associate Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and Pharmacology at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.  He and Xianming Tan, PhD are the recipients of KCCure’s 2018 Innovation Award. On March 1st, KCCure had the opportunity to tour the Qing Zhang Lab at UNC, meet the entire research team and talk directly with Dr. Zhang about his research in kidney cancer. Your lab has a specific focus on hypoxic tumors that are resistant to standard therapy, including kidney cancer. What is hypoxia and why does it matter so much in kidney cancer tumors?  Hypoxia is a deficiency of oxygen. 85 percent of kidney cancer patients have a loss of the VHL tumor suppression gene. Loss of VHL leads to an increase in Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF). Imagine ...

Kidney Cancer Awareness Month

During Kidney Cancer Awareness Month, visit us at KCCure each day, where we’ll share a new story from someone whose life has been touched by kidney cancer. We share Kidney Cancer Patient Stories to let others know that they’re not alone. One day, after talking to a kidney cancer patient on the phone, my daughter Josie asked me what we had been talking about. I said, “He has cancer, and he’s afraid.”  Josie responded, “I hope you told him not to be scared! That he’s going to be OK!” I asked her to tell me something that scares her, to which she said, “rollercoasters.”  Then I asked, “If you were riding a rollercoaster, and I told you ‘don’t be afraid,’ do you think it would work?” Thinking about it, Josie concluded that it would no...

Voice of Kidney Cancer – Words from Forrest

Forrest is a stage 3 kidney cancer survivor.  He recently shared these thoughts in our clear cell kidney cancer patient community.  His words not only showcase how many patients feel on a daily basis – they also explain why we believe that connecting with other patients and caregivers is such a crucial part of survivorship for kidney cancer patients. Thank you Forrest for inspiring others! We hope today is a good day. But good or bad, we are all here to support you. My wife and I were talking last night, about how, in my career in the military and law enforcement, I faced many difficult, life altering, events. She asked me how I handled those things.  Well the true answer is not so well… that’s why now I struggle with severe PTSD. With Anxiety and Depression. I have pseudo-seiz...

Voice of Kidney Cancer – Amanda’s Story

Amanda Handcock shares the story of her dad’s brave fight with kidney cancer. Today, Amanda is an active advocate for other kidney cancer patients.  Thank you Amanda for sharing your story. Your dad is still inspiring others through your amazing voice. I can only hope he knew he was my hero. The man who I would compare all other men in my life. My father, Gary Wilfred Handcock, was a force to be reckoned with. An innate business sense from an early age and an old school work ethic that would tire an Olympic athlete. Through blood, sweat and tears he built a million-dollar company from the ground up and also fathered a family of three, the reason for whom he worked so hard. He thrived on beating the odds and being successful. His motivation and confidence grew over the years from over...

Kidney Cancer Patient Communities Matter

If you or someone you care for has been diagnosed with kidney cancer, we encourage you to seek out help from others from any one of the amazing kidney cancer patient communities that exist.  Whether you have stage 1 disease or stage 4 disease, there is a place of comfort for you. You are not alone!

Voice of Kidney Cancer – Michael Robson

Today, the combination of Yervoy and Opdivo is approved in the U.S., Canada and Australia for treatment of first line metastatic kidney cancer, thanks in part to pioneers like kidney cancer patient Michael Robson who bravely participated in clinical trials. Most recently, Dr. Jim Allison was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his discovery of the mechanism that led to the development of these therapies.

Voice of Kidney Cancer – Viola’s Story

Hello, my friends. Like you, I am at war with Stage Four RCC. I’ve learned so much from everyone of you. This week marks the fifth anniversary of my diagnosis. Like many of you, it just seemed like it was one excruciating event after another. Since the worst of it seemed to be the decimation of my left femur, I endured many operations, learning to walk four times. Finally a wonderful surgery implanted an artificial femur. It works for me. I have always been goal driven and I love Scotland, so last year, I got an all terrain walker, returned to Scotland to celebrate my 70th birthday by climbing Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano in Edinburgh. I climbed the rock face on my 40th Birthday, but could I do it again? I did, short leg, Stage Four Cancer, and all! What do I plan for this year? I’m g...

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