I was first diagnosed at age 29 in 2017 with stage II colorectal cancer after undergoing my first ever colonoscopy. After a surgery in January of 2018, I was declared cancer-free and done with treatment. Then, a few months later, I began having symptoms again, and a second colonoscopy led to a second diagnosis of stage III rectal cancer in October of 2018. I underwent 25 rounds of radiation paired with oral chemotherapy. I then underwent another intense surgery that resulted in a permanent colostomy in March of 2019, and this was paired with 6 rounds of infused chemotherapy. I was declared to have “no evidence of disease” in November 2019. I had clear scans and was fine until May of 2020, when I started experiencing constant abdominal pain and swelling. It took an ambulance ride and an ER visit, which turned into a four-day hospital stay, to determine that my cancer had returned and had now metastasized to one of my ovaries. Two weeks later, I had surgery to remove the tumor and ovary, and this was eventually followed by twelve rounds of intense, infused chemotherapy. I was again considered “no evidence of disease” in February of 2021. I managed to have three cancer-free years before a positive blood test in early 2024 found trace amounts of cancer that led to multiple scans revealing that I had a new metastatic spot in my abdomen. I started chemotherapy again in August of 2024 and finished my twelfth round on February 20th of this year. An MRI showed significant shrinkage of the tumor, so I am scheduled for another surgery that will include a hysterectomy on April 11th. After that, the rest of my treatment is to be determined.

Esther’s LifeList:

1. A trip with my husband to New York City to sightsee and enjoy a few Broadway musicals
   
   
   

I am 22 years old, and I had just given birth a month before when I started experiencing flu-like symptoms for about a week. Nothing was helping me, and I eventually noticed a small lump on my neck. I then decided to go to the ER after dealing with constant pain in my head, neck, shoulder, and collarbone. When the blood work they had done showed signs of leukemia, the doctor at the ER sent me to another doctor to get an official diagnosis. The oncologist confirmed that I had leukemia, and I immediately started chemotherapy. I was too in shock after being diagnosed to react, but my reality really hit me when I had to shave my hair off and started seeing my face swell up from medication. I started to see myself and realized this is really real. After chemotherapy, I started immunotherapy, and I was able to reach complete remission. I am currently off immunotherapy and have started chemo again to keep me in remission. I’m so close to reaching the last part of my treatment plan, but I will still have to continue with chemo pills for two years.

Shantie’s LifeList:

1. A family trip to Hawaii or Disney World 

I have always been a healthy individual who gets regular checkups and exams yearly, and I pride myself on being an active mother to my two children. During a self-check, a lump was found in my left breast, and I made a quick appointment to see my primary care doctor, who referred me to get a mammogram. My first ever mammogram was followed by two biopsies, and I was officially diagnosed with breast cancer in October of 2024. The hard hit of a breast cancer diagnosis was not what I expected. I have been fighting ever since. I know it’s a long road ahead to recovery, and I am certainly up for the challenge. My children are who I do it for. I am currently undergoing chemotherapy, and am scheduled to undergo surgery soon. From there, we will see what the future holds in terms of treatment.

Brittany’s LifeList:

1. A family trip

I was diagnosed with stage IIIB anal cancer in the summer of 2023, at 26 years old. It was fast and aggressive. I had a colonoscopy for my Crohn’s less than 8 months beforehand that showed nothing, and suddenly I was at stage III. Luckily, it was local and treatable, and with intense rounds of chemotherapy and radiation until January of 2024, I was eligible for a surgery that would leave me cancer-free.

Unfortunately, thanks to months and months of delays from insurance, it spread. I now had metastatic tumors to my pelvis and lungs, I was restaged to stage IV, I was no longer eligible for the surgery, and I was told I would only have a few short years to live. 

Luckily, after changing insurance and becoming a patient at City of Hope, things have been looking up. I am responding very well to the multiple chemotherapies I am on, and soon I will be able to have a very similar surgery to what I was going to have originally. It will still leave me with a permanent colostomy bag, and this time I won’t be cancer-free. Still, my doctors have confidence that with the regimen of chemotherapy and potential radiation to the metastatic tumors, there is hope for me.

Jordan’s LifeList:

1. Meet and greet with Critical Role or Dropout.TV

My name is Ryan, and I’m 20 years old. I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on October 10, 2024, five months before my 20th birthday. The news came only a week after we laid my grandmother to rest following her battle with cervical cancer. At the time, I was a sophomore in college, playing football as a nose guard, and I was preparing to send my film to colleges in hopes of transferring as a student-athlete. A few months before my diagnosis, during the first week of practice-known as “hell week,” temperatures soared to 107 degrees. I became severely dehydrated, nearly passed out, and my parents took me to the hospital. I was admitted for three days, diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, and given 10 bags of fluids. On October 5th, I was set to play a game but felt dizzy again. My trainer immediately noticed something was wrong and wouldn’t let me play, suspecting rhabdomyolysis had returned. He insisted I get bloodwork done before stepping back on the field. Looking back, he saved my life. If I had played that day and gotten injured, who knows what could have happened? That Monday, I called my primary doctor, who ordered the tests, and I had my blood drawn on Wednesday morning. By 6 AM on Thursday, my doctor was calling, and he told us I had leukemia. I was rushed to the ER, where my platelet count was in the single digits, and my white blood cell count had skyrocketed into the 100,000s. I spent 30 hours in the ER before finally being transferred to a larger hospital where my treatment journey began. I’m currently undergoing chemotherapy, CAR-T cell therapy and waiting on a bone marrow transplant.

Ryan’s LifeList:

1. Trip to New Orleans to see the Saints play

In 2022, our world was turned upside down. At 36, I was in the best shape of my life – young, healthy, a non-smoker, when a routine lung surgery to remove a concerning nodule led to a shocking diagnosis. I had a rare form of lung cancer. I am one of the fewer than 2% of lung cancer patients with RET-positive cancer, a mutation that requires targeted treatment. The FDA only approved this treatment in 2020. Months after my surgery, we were devastated to learn that the cancer had spread. Since May 2023, I have been on daily targeted therapy. This past November, I experienced disease progression and underwent targeted radiation in January. I continue to take daily targeted medication and face this journey one day at a time.

Lorena’s LifeList:

1. A family trip to London for the holidays

I was diagnosed in May 2024 after noticing an abnormal breast mass as well as numbness and pain in my lower body. I am 36, had no family history of breast cancer, and was healthy. I was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer de novo, and a BRCA 2 carrier. I did not know I was a genetic carrier until diagnosis. After my initial appointments I learned that my diagnosis went from treatable breast cancer to stage IV metastatic breast cancer with metastases to my lymph nodes and bones (innumerable to pelvis, spine, ribs, breast bone). I had radiation on my pelvis to help with pain and numbness. Early in my diagnosis I was hospitalized three times for issues with dangerously high calcium, pain and symptom issues with treatment. I had four fractures to my spine and multiple broken ribs. I am on a variety of other medications to deal with symptoms. I was also put into medical menopause, which had caused tremendous issues to my quality of life, from joint pain, hair loss, and more. My cancer is currently stable with no new spread. I have two young children, ages 6 and 3, and I fight every day to be here for them. I am also one of the caretakers to my parents who are both disabled, one with dementia and one from a stroke. I am not able to drive due to medication and work full time, taking medical leave as needed.

Kristin’s LifeList:

1. A family trip

After feeling some pain in my knee and going to urgent care, I was told that I had a bone tumor, and was referred to a knee specialist to get an MRI. After getting an MRI, I found out that the tumor was a lot larger than expected and I was told I needed to get a biopsy done to see if the tumor was benign or cancerous. I left that day of the biopsy knowing that it was benign and I was pretty happy, to say the least. I then proceeded with a knee surgery a few weeks later to remove the tumor completely and in place put a bone graft with a plate and six screws holding it in place. After the surgery I was told everything went well and that I had a check up with the surgeon about a month and a half later. I met with the surgeon, was told everything looked great, but a few days later, I got a phone call from the surgeon’s office telling me that my tumor results came back as cancerous from the final pathology check. I was completely heart broken. I was referred to a pathologist and immediately started treatment. I am currently through my second cycle of my chemotherapy. Times have been rough here and there, but I’m fighting pretty hard and know that I’ll be okay as long as I keep listening to the doctors.

Damion’s LifeList:

1. King-sized mattress

On January 6, 2025, I visited my primary care physician due to persistent lower back pain. My doctor ordered an MRI of my sacrum and lumbar spine. A few days later, I underwent the MRI and was urgently called back to my doctor’s office. The MRI revealed several tumors on and inside my spinal cord, prompting an immediate referral to a neurologist.

In the interim, I had additional MRIs of my brain, cervical spine, and thoracic spine. While the brain MRI was clear, several more tumors were found in my central nervous system from my thoracic spine down to my sacrum. My neurosurgeon confirmed the severity of the situation and scheduled me for surgery on January 24, 2025. The only way to obtain a biopsy was through a major and invasive spinal surgery. I underwent the surgery but faced complications, resulting in an extended hospital stay. The pathology results from the tumor confirmed that I have myxopapillary ependymoma of the central nervous system, an extremely rare and cancerous tumor due to its location and spread.

I am currently undergoing treatment and while I’ve been experiencing nausea and fatigue, I’m doing my best to stay positive. I’m looking forward to the final day of this round of treatment, which ends just in time for my son’s birthday.

Lee’s LifeList:

1. Family theme park trip to Orlando

Everything started when I was 21, back in November of 2019. I was working as a server at the time and I was saving for my first apartment with my girlfriend. I went to the doctor to see what they would say about some issues I had been having. I was feeling nauseous and weak, getting chills, and my skin was yellow. It got to the point where I could not do anything by myself, but I was told I had pneumonia. I was given some antibiotics which made my symptoms worse, so I went to the ER and was told then that I had leukemia. My world came down in pieces. I thought I was going to die.

At first, my care team told me that I would need chemotherapy for three years. However, after six months of treatment, I became a candidate for a bone marrow transplant. My transplant took place on September 27, 2020. After that transplant, I spent two years trying to regain my strength and rebuild my life. Unfortunately, the cancer returned. I was devastated because I didn’t want to go through all of that again, but something inside me said that I could handle anything and that every challenge is a lesson to become a better version of myself. I accepted the challenge again and became cancer free again after a second transplant in November of 2023. I feel that God has always been here, giving me the strength to keep going and learn from every obstacle.

About a year after my second transplant, my spleen started hurting a lot. I waited a few days, but it didn’t get better. It just kept getting worse and worse until I had to return to the hospital, only to find out that the leukemia had come back a third time. The treatments have been a very tough and long process. I am in severe pain, but I am always grateful to God because I have a team of doctors who help me and because I know that everything happens for a greater purpose.

Andres’ LifeList:

1. A DJ Mixing Board