Patient Stories

For Vietnam vet, kidney cancer is one of life’s hurdles

Patient Stories

Richard Tullier was driving on a road outside Da Nang, Vietnam when his jeep hit an explosive device that injured him badly. Tullier was a US Marine serving in the Vietnam War at the time and that day he had been called to help some fellow Marines elsewhere. He spent 5 months in hospitals recovering after the accident and several…

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Community rallied orange after kidney cancer diagnosis

Patient Stories

After Michelle Picolo’s kidney cancer diagnosis last fall, her family and friends turned her world orange at every opportunity to show their support. At her office, where she works for the state of Louisiana, her colleagues had an ‘orange day’ and threw an orange party complete with an orange-iced cake. Her daughters distributed orange rubber wrist bands to their school…

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Training for a half marathon and facing kidney cancer

Patient Stories

 Brian Moran’s kidney cancer diagnosis came as a complete surprise a few weeks before his 50th birthday last year.  He’d had no symptoms. A physical therapist, who was treating him for an exercise-related lower back injury, ordered an MRI to see the extent of the injury.  “I thought the Orthopedic doctor was going to talk about a pulled muscle or…

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“Get up and do what you can.”

Patient Stories

Nothing in Salima Witt’s history would have suggested kidney cancer. Salima was healthy and active, did not smoke or drink alcohol, was diligent with yearly checkups, blood work, and wellness tests, and she had none of the common symptoms of kidney cancer such as side pain, fatigue, or blood in the urine. But after an otherwise ordinary ER visit in…

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Kidney cancer changed how Tracie saw her world

Patient Stories

As a wedding photographer, Tracie Taylor observed unique, intimate moments and captured them through her lens. But a kidney cancer diagnosis about four years ago changed that for her. Photo courtesy of Tracie Taylor. “For a photographer, vision is a huge thing,” said Taylor, who is 49 and lives in California. “With every surgery, through treatment, from coming off meds…

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On his motorcycle, Stewy rides for kidney cancer

Patient Stories

Photo courtesy of Stewy It had been six years since Stewy was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer – four years longer than the life expectancy his doctors initially gave him. So, it seemed like a good time for an epic solo motorcycle ride. “Cancer wasn’t going to stop me,” Stewy, 57, said. “And it was the opportune time.” On…

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A clinical trial and a positive attitude helped Bill Brown ring the bell

Patient Stories

October 30, 2019 was an emotional day for Bill Brown. After 32 immunotherapy infusions to treat kidney cancer over two years, Bill was about to head into his final treatment. Video courtesy of Bill Brown. But first, a quick stop. “It’s been quite a journey,” he told the family and staff from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas who…

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Dawne Gee worked hard to get answers about her kidney cancer

Patient Stories

In her community, Dawne Gee is known as the person with answers. As a news anchor in Louisville, Kentucky, Gee, 56, is a smiling face to many on and off camera who often contact her with their concerns, especially when it comes to health because Gee has been so open about her own health struggles. Dawne Gee, anchor at WAVE3…

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“I have a whole new lease on life”

Patient Stories

Four years ago, John Floyd didn’t think he’d be where he is today. At the time, wracked with a cough that had persisted for a year, he was diagnosed with stage IV renal cell carcinoma. But following surgery to remove his right kidney and three types of chemotherapies that yielded no positive results for over a year, Floyd, 76, responded…

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Students “Go Orange” for beloved football coach Frank Matrise Jr.

Donor Story, Patient Stories

When students in Kenosha, Wisconsin wanted to celebrate a beloved local football coach, they did it in a blaze of color, turning the stands orange during a Friday night game. Frank Matrise Jr. died of kidney cancer on July 11, 2019, age 53. He coached football at St. Joseph Catholic Academy and later at Tremper High School for a combined…

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