When someone is diagnosed with cancer, it can be an overwhelming experience. The experienced team of physicians and nurses at Memorial Hermann Cancer Centers take pride in assisting patients in the transition from diagnosis to treatment and beyond. As advocates for the patient and their ultimate recovery and healing, see how Memorial Hermann Cancer Centers have made a difference in these cancer patient's lives.
At just 13 years old, Arlene Ricardo experienced a loss that would shape her entire future: her mother died from breast cancer at the age of 47. While the loss was devastating, it had a profound impact on Ricardo’s life, inspiring her to become a breast surgeon.
Alongside her faith, Patsy emphasized that she couldn’t have endured the tough and exhausting treatments without the support of Memorial Hermann’s Virtual Breast Cancer Support Group.
When Sawleha Khanzada was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer at 52 years old, her life changed overnight. With a strong family history, including her own mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, Sawleha was diligent about self-exams. In December 2022, she noticed something unusual, and she foll...
On the first and third Tuesday of every month, a small group of cancer survivors come together to write, to reflect and to create a space for healing. Leading each session with a new writing prompt is Elisa A. Garza, a poet, educator and survivor living with stage IV breast cancer.
Designed for individuals at any stage of the cancer journey, the class is open to all experience levels. Some participants are in treatment, while others are adjusting to life after surgery or managing long-term side effects. Caregivers often attend as well, taking a much-needed moment for themse...
Dana was by her father’s side throughout his entire journey, from doctors’ visits to treatments. Her unwavering support made a huge impact on his life. Now, four years later, he’s a survivor. In honor of her father and their journey, Dana has dedicated her life to supporting oth...
At 55 years old, Griselda Castillo was a picture of health who rarely got sick. But in November of 2020, a persistent cough led her to finally see a doctor. After a short examination, the doctor ordered X-rays, which she was able to get that same day. Before she even arrived home from the appoint...
In November 2020, on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, 69-year-old Thomas Paben found himself in the Emergency Center at Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital after experiencing severe nausea and lower abdominal pain. He was quickly admitted and connected to IV fluids. The emergency medicine doctor on ca...
In October 2023, Phil Russom woke up in the hospital and was told he had been found unconscious in his home—and that he had just undergone neurosurgery to remove a brain tumor he didn’t know he had. The experience left him feeling incredibly fortunate to be alive. As he began the diff...
Deanna Owens has believed in the importance of regular medical care for her entire life. The 83-year-old says she probably hasn’t missed an annual mammogram since she began yearly screening many decades ago.
According to a 2023 report published by the American Cancer Society (ACS), nearly double the number of adults under the age of 55 are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer now than a decade ago—despite a drop in the incidence of CRC in the general population.
“With nurse navigators, patients have someone they can reach out to, who can answer their questions and make sense of this whole treatment process, which can be confusing,” says Sherrill. “And if there are scheduling problems or other barriers to treatment, we can help with that...
As a firefighter in New York City during 9/11, Victor Rosario battled the ravages of terrorism to protect the lives of his fellow citizens. Now, as a seven-year FDNY retiree, he’s fighting a new battle—against prostate cancer.
One night in February 2022, Evelyn Hidalgo was awakened by a sharp pain in her left breast. “I did a breast self-exam and felt a little bump near the nipple,” she says. “I promised myself I would call my gynecologist in the morning.”
“Cancer” was not what Natalie Davis was expecting to hear. After all, she was 50 years old. She had no history of colon cancer in her family. The colonoscopy—her first—was routine. And she felt perfectly fine.
Jill Schwertner doesn’t fit the profile of the average colon cancer patient. The 42-year-old resident of The Woodlands is healthy, doesn’t smoke, eats healthfully and doesn’t have a family history of colon cancer.
“I thought cancer skipped a generation.” These are the words Vernita Eddins spoke when she received her breast cancer diagnosis.
Having a 50-year career in sales and marketing, Kriss Woodbury’s job is to get messages out to consumers. But it was a message from his physician that stopped him in his tracks—“You have prostate cancer.” Before the diagnosis, Woodbury didn’t have any symptoms. But a...
Orain Penson was proactive in this health and enjoying life. As a facility director for a housing corporation, he also managed his A/C business on the side. He spent much of his days helping others. At 57, he thought he was too young to get prostate cancer.
In the beginning, Don Pannell exhibited no obvious signs of prostate cancer. He had no issues with urination. No pain. And no family history of the disease.
In May 2019, Peggy Setliff had her first 3-D mammogram following a 4-year lapse in annual mammograms."My younger sister was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 54, and my father died of three different forms of cancer," says the 66-year-old, who works at Memorial Hermann-TMC. "I had become lackad...
When Karen Cole finally sought medical care for the tumor growing in her right breast, the tumor measured 24 centimeters and weighed nearly 10 pounds. “I called it my monster,” says the petite 58-year-old from Montgomery, Texas. “I knew it was killing me, but I was upset and pan...
During a routine physical in November 2020, 58-year-old Troy Griffin mentioned to his family doctor that he had been experiencing some minor urinary symptoms—a little stopping and starting of his urine stream and a bit of urinary urgency and frequency. His doctor performed a PSA test, which...
Natascha Odom thought she might be coming down with COVID-19 when she began having trouble finding the right words. The 49-year-old fourth grade math teacher at Hubenak Elementary School in Richmond told a colleague who took her to see the school nurse. When Odom told the nurse that the curren...
In 2017, Daniel Begnaud’s world as he knew it came crashing down when he was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer at the age of 30. A father of a 1-year-old son, he was initially told that it was unlikely he would ever have more children. On top of a cancer diagnosis, that was a hard pill to swal...
Karen Echols doesn’t mince words: “I think a lot of people don’t like to talk about their poop.” The 52-year-old Houston hairdresser and mother of three, now a rectal cancer survivor, says she knows a lot about poop. But because she kept ignoring the warning signs, she came by that knowledge the ...
“My whole life changed. Everything changed,” she says. “But it has been such a positive journey. It made me realize what’s important and what’s not. Everyone worked together. It all worked out.”
When 78-year-old Joseph Park was diagnosed with stage IB non-small cell lung cancer in December 2019, members of Memorial Hermann’s multidisciplinary tumor board met to discuss his case and treatment options. Despite being in generally good health, Park has a history of smoking—he says he quit w...
Women who get routine mammograms know the drill: Before the exam, you’re typically asked if you have experienced any changes in your breasts—including pain or changes in appearance—since your last mammogram. Those questions prompted 55-year-old Middle School Principal Andrea Deneé Cain to recall ...
Sonya Lira has a strong family history of multiple cancers, but when she was tested for genetic mutations that might be linked to her breast cancer, there were none. “We did comprehensive genetic testing involving a complete gene sequencing of her DNA, testing for all known mutations,&rdquo...
In summer of 2017, Beck had what he thought was a canker sore that was not healing. His dentist examined it and advised him to see a specialist for a biopsy if it didn’t heal in a couple of weeks. After a biopsy that fall, he learned he had stage 2 carcinoma of the tongue and was referred t...
Angel Marie Fields was out with friends when she noticed that her chest felt tight and heavy. She felt a lump but did not give it much attention. After all, she was only 26. When she checked it again later, it felt like one big lump. She made an appointment with her ob-gyn, Hany Ahmed, MD, w...
When Dr. Adan Rios was diagnosed with cancer, his physician, Dr. Karni, knew it was deeply personal. One morning, Adan woke up with the left side of his neck completely swollen and assumed he had developed a lymphoma. A biopsy revealed that it was sqaumous cell cancer. The next steps were imaging...
Robert visited Farzaneh Banki, M.D., director of the Esophageal Disease Center at Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital and professor of surgery at the McGovern Medical School, part of UTHealth in Houston.
A lifelong machinist, Robert remembers being nervous because the surgery to treat his ...
Leigh Rozelle found the lump purely by accident, just three days before Christmas. As she crossed her arms, she felt a golf ball-size knot on the outer side of her left breast. My family practitioner was able to squeeze me into her schedule the very next day,” says Rozelle, who is 38. “When she e...
Every other month, Carlos Velázquez and his wife, Mónica Costa, make the 12,500-mile round trip between their home in Asunción, Paraguay, and Houston, Texas, where Velázquez is undergoing an innovative treatment for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The Paraguayan couple and their Texas Medical Cent...
Jafri sent the slides to a specialist, who confirmed small cell lung cancer, a form that shares common neuro-endocrine features with carcinoid cancer, but tends to be extremely aggressive.
For Mike Autrey, the treatment began with 12 weeks of chemotherapy given along with radiation to the ...
In early 2010, Marquita Spell knew something wasn’t right. She was beginning to have difficulty swallowing and getting food down was becoming increasingly painful. “The discomfort was unlike anything I had ever experienced before,” Marquita explained. “I never had issues w...
Thanks to a referral to Ron Karni, MD, who routinely does surgery for oropharyngeal cancers using transoral robotic surgery with a CO2 laser, Lentola avoided the toxic treatments, the effects of which are particularly pronounced in head and neck cancer patients.
"By combining the laser and...
Mackenzie Wysong’s positive attitude and cheery outlook make the difference in how she approaches life and its challenges.
Mackenzie had only been living in Houston a little more than a year when she received a breast cancer diagnosis in 2013.
Mackenzie made up her mind to hav...