Cancer Horizons

A 17-year survivor shares her experience getting diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare and deadly cancer, at 36, when people with this cancer are typically diagnosed at a much older age and given months to live. 

For Tara Rolle, the treatment was the easy part of her cancer experience.  Diagnosed with small-cell neuroendocrine cervical cancer, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, at 37, Rolle was initially shocked but then jumped into planning mode. She rallied her family for support, figured out the most appropriate way to explain the situation to her teenage daughter and even managed to continue her job...

Kelly Thomas wasn’t expecting to be on this side of the breast cancer experience.  Thomas worked in finance and the company she was employed at regularly partnered with the American Cancer Society . Throughout the years, she routinely volunteered to collect donations for the American Cancer Society during breast cancer walks.      Despite not having a family history of breast cancer, she remained...

Has anyone ever thought that reading the fine print of a document would save their life?  When David Sturges, an attorney from New Ulm, Minnesota, went to the doctor for a CT scan to assess his risk for heart disease, he wasn’t expecting a lung cancer diagnosis. After all, he had quit smoking almost 20 years ago and was only 53 years old.  However, when the scan came back with a footnote noting th...

Jeffery Battles, a 53-year-old with stage 4 lung cancer, says that he feels lucky for having a rare genetic mutation. The father of three from Connie Lake, Pennsylvania, wasn’t expecting lung cancer to become part of his life. Even when he started experiencing chest pains in February 2021, Battles originally dismissed the pains as lingering symptoms from an earlier case of COVID-19. Once he finall...

What do you do when your professional training tells you that something might be off with your body, but your doctors disagree? That’s the position Kate Laseter found herself in last August. As a histology technician — someone who is trained to turn tissue samples into microscopic slides for a pathologist to read for research or diagnostic purposes — Laseter was very diligent with her health. And...

A patient with metastatic breast cancer shares how she learned that her disease was recently reclassified as HER-2 low, and what it was like to first learn about the FDA-approved drug years before she would be prescribed the treatment.

On the final day of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, CURE® revisited Micah Bernstein, an 11-year-old, three-time survivor of neuroblastoma, whom we last interviewed in 2018 .  In this episode of “Cancer Horizons”, Micah and Jeff provide an update on their lives since 2018, discuss how the childhood cancer space has changed over the past 10 years, their ongoing advocacy efforts and partnering with...

When Angelia Carpenter was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma in 2009, she thought she knew what to expect. After all, her mother was diagnosed with the same cancer just four years ago. She went to the doctor and followed the recommended steps.   But everything changed seven years later, when she noticed what she thought was just a pimple on her breast.       In this episode of “Cancer Horiz...

Christine Whelchel wasn’t going to let breast cancer slow her down. The Tennessee native and piano teacher was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2021 and less than a year later, she was a “Jeopardy!” champion.  Whelchel made headlines in March when she appeared in the Feb. 28, 2022, episode of “Jeopardy!” without her wig to normalize what cancer recovery looks like . This decision was applaude...

After being diagnosed with kidney cancer — which was a possible result of exposure to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City – Steven Edwards realized that he had to be his own advocate. Pivotal to his advocacy was asking questions and getting as many professional opinions as possible.  “I probably would consider whether it was the right doctor for me in the first place if a doctor was upset...

Sara Montiel was 36 when she received a diagnosis of breast cancer. She recalls that genetic tests to identify any targetable mutations came back negative. And so, Montiel, a wife and mother of a daughter, made the decision to undergo a double mastectomy. Montiel described her choice as wanting to only pass through this journey once, which she says is ultimately why she went with a double mastecto...

In this episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, the founder of Jack’s Caregiver Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting men throughout the caregiving experience, explores the layered sociological factors which can affect men in unique ways when they are supporting a loved one with cancer.

On this episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, former NFL linebacker Chris Draft discusses his wife’s experience with cancer, which led to her untimely death, and describes why advocacy is so important in the cancer world, especially with Cancer Moonshot bringing disparities to the forefront.

On this episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, a cancer nurse explains how her son’s leukemia diagnosis transformed her work, her research and her outlook on life.

In this episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, a woman living with colorectal cancer who was diagnosed 14 years ago at age 29 discusses what it was like to be the youngest person in the treatment room, and how she found another community of young survivors.

In this episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, a cervical cancer survivor and advocate explains how she navigated being given six to 24 months to live as a single mother of three children and no health insurance.

In this episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, a physician assistant recalls his experience as a frontline health care worker during the COVID-19 pandemic and what it was like to get diagnosed with multiple myeloma during such a chaotic time.

In this episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, an expert unpacks cancer risks for individuals with Down syndrome and analyzes the results of a recent study about mortality risks for childhood survivors later in life.

On this episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, a colorectal cancer survivor explains how she was the last patient to receive a colonoscopy leading to her stage 3 diagnosis as her doctor’s office shut down because of COVID-19 in March 2020.

On this episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, LeVar Burton sits down with CURE® to talk about the importance of MPN awareness and the power of storytelling in advocacy.

On this episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, a woman with multiple myeloma shares how she made the best of her cancer treatment process by channeling her emotions through fashion expression.

On this episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, a man explains how his late wife’s breast cancer diagnosis changed his life and his understanding of the disease.

On this episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, an expert from the Huntsman Cancer Institute explains how physical exercise can help patients with cancer and potentially reduce side effects.

On this episode of the “Cancer Horizons” podcast, actress and comedian Jessica St. Clair and writer Dan O’Brien share their cancer stories and how they channeled their emotions through creativity.