I was first diagnosed with cancer on August 4th 2022. I thought I had kidney stones and went to the urgent care clinic. The doctors also thought I had kidney stones, but after doing blood work I was told I had acute pancreatitis and to go to the ER. After a CT scan the ER doctor told me they found a 5 cm mass on my pancreas. He said it looked malignant. I live in a small rural town and there is no treatment available here for me, so we travel out of state from Oregon to Minnesota to see the best surgeons and oncologists. Once the testing came back from my biopsy I was told I have Ewing’s sarcoma on my pancreas. Ewing’s sarcoma is very rare, with only 25 cases in the world.

Luckily I am able to get treatment in my home state, but we do have to travel 5 hours each way for every treatment. Since the beginning of October I have been getting 5 different types of chemo almost every 2 weeks. Currently I am getting ready for my surgery!

Laura’s LifeList:

1. A Family Trip to Great Wolf Lodge

At 33 years old, I was diagnosed withStage 1 breast cancer.After taking a shower one day, I felt a pretty noticeable bump within my breast tissue. I was a relatively healthy adult with no major health issues. I was getting ready for a flight on a friend’s trip to Mexico and decided to try my best to relax and make an appointment upon my return. After an ultrasound, an MRI and a biopsy, we found out it was cancer. I’m the first in my family diagnosed with breast cancer. We moved quickly and scheduled more biopsies for the left breast and more for the right to rule out any other cancer spots. Luckily, those came back clear. I then had lumpectomy surgery in February of 2023. Now, I am awaiting approval for fertility preservation and chemotherapy, which will be followed by radiation treatments. 

One thing I’ve embraced after accepting my diagnosis is the amazing people I’ve met. I’ve been in local support groups and met the most amazing women that went through what I’m going through. It gives me so much hope that I can live a full life post cancer.

Janet’s LifeList:

1. Family trip to Sedona, Arizona

2. A weekend stay at Disneyland

3. A trip to Hawaii

I was diagnosed with stage 2B Hodgkin’s lymphoma in June 2022 at the age of 26. After undergoing 6 months of chemotherapy, I found out that I still had a stubborn spot left in my lymph node. I started immunotherapy soon thereafter. I’m writing from the hospital now where I am doing an autologous stem cell transplant. After this, I’ve got a year of maintenance chemotherapy ahead of me. Hopefully that will kick this cancer’s butt!

Robbie’s LifeList:

1. Games for the Nintendo Switch

2. Yarn, needles, and fabric for punch needle crafts