Cancer Patient Stories

At MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, our patients are the heart and soul of our efforts to improve cancer care. Read their inspiring cancer patient stories below, and learn why they chose to seek care from our team of experts.

Lung cancer survivor encourages others to follow their intuition

With a cough that wouldn't go away, Diane Juitt's intuition told her that something wasn't right, even though she was told she was in the clear. She sought out another opinion, and Hollings doctors gave her a shocking diagnosis: stage 3a lung cancer.

She has since made a remarkable recovery and is now serving as a patient advocate as part of a Stand Up 2 Cancer grant at Hollings that will help provide better access to lung cancer screenings.

Read about her journey

portrait of a young teen leaning against a wall in a hospital

Lung Cancer

Cancer Collaboration

Adult and pediatric doctors pooled their expertise to ensure a young patient would have few physical reminders of an extraordinary lung cancer surgery.

a young woman in a white coat poses in a garden

Lymphoma

Young Cancer Survivor

For Hannah Neimy, there's no better place to learn to be a doctor than the place where she was treated for Hodgkin lymphoma.

Colorectal Cancer

Symptoms Add Up

In retrospect, Adriel Nutter sees that she was sick long before her colorectal cancer diagnosis. But as a young adult, this cancer wasn't on her radar.

Colorectal Cancer

Colon Cancer

No one thought Ebony Holmes' symptoms could be cancer. Unfortunately, she's part of the trend of younger adults being diagnosed with colon cancer.

Breast Cancer

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials coordinator Alexandria Green falls in love with all her patients. But she's formed a particularly strong bond with one in particular.

a husband and wife, dual cancer survivors, share a laugh

Lung & Breast Cancer

Living with Cancer

Science and faith: The Hardys have survived two cancer diagnoses thanks to clinical trials and support from faith, family and friends.

“ My care team felt like family. I never felt like I was a bother, just being cared for in a professional way. I felt like people really loved me, and that matters a whole lot. ”

Nick Charalambous, lymphoma survivor
Nick's story

Nick Charalambous stands next to his bike holding a bike helmet

Breast Cancer

Stage 0

A breast cancer survivor found a special connection with a mammography tech who could truly say "I've been in your shoes."

Breast Cancer

Positive Attitude

Triple negative breast cancer has been a life-changing adventure for Joannah Sampson, and now she wants to give back.

Breast Cancer

Mammogram Importance

Aleasa Barry has a simple message – knowing you have cancer isn't half as scary as not knowing because you won't get screened.

a woman with nearly bald head and bright pink shirt laughs

Breast Cancer

After battling cancer twice, Danielle Lee says she's a 'walking miracle.'

Lung Cancer

Lung Cancer Screening

An annual lung scan caught cancer early for one - now former - smoker.

selfie of smiling man and woman dressed up with water behind them

Lung Cancer

Managing Cancer Pain

Proper pain management allowed Julie Jablin, who has stage 4 lung cancer, to attend a wedding overseas and enjoy everyday life.

“ I got the call that I had cancer. I was lost — initially. Nobody wants to hear that, and I wasn’t expecting to hear that so young in my life. I had to let it all process, and it got better over time. ”

Ratanya Manigault, breast cancer survivor
Ratanya's story

a woman walks alongside a man in business attire using walking supports

Sarcoma

Sarcoma Survivor

Charleston police chief Luther Reynolds believes in living with purpose – especially after losing a leg to cancer.

photo of a young woman in tee shirt and jeans posing with bike

Thyroid Cancer

Student Rider

OT student Bridget Horgan leads LOWVELO bike team after successful thyroid cancer treatment at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center.

a seated man and woman smile at the camera along with their large white fluffy dog, who sits next to the woman and appears to smile

Esthesioneuroblastoma

Cancer Survivorship

A new initiative at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center aims to improve survivorship care for cancer patients.

in an exam room, a doctor stands and looks at a computer screen while a patient stands slightly behind her also looking at the screen

Cervical Cancer

Vulnerable Moments

After a routine well-woman visit led to a diagnosis of cervical cancer, Sara Couch wondered if she would see her baby's first birthday.

a man running in a race in a tree lined park wears an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt and floppy hat and grins for the camera while gesturing to the runner next to him

Testicular Cancer

Raising Awareness

After surviving two bouts of testicular cancer, Michael Wiegand uses humor to raise awareness and money for research.

picture of pharmacist Emily Ware, who helps people quit smoking, and patient Kimberley Trump side hugging and smiling at the camera

Smoking Cessation

Help to Quit

Kimberley Trump tried to quit smoking over the years. With the help of the MUSC Tobacco Treatment Program, she thinks she's finally succeeded.

Melanoma

Immunotherapy Trial

A clinical trial gave one melanoma patient access to cutting-edge treatment before the medication came to market.

Dr. John Kaczmar (left) and Russell Breault (right) inside a Hollings examination room. Photo by Josh Birch

Head & Neck Cancer

Promising Trial

A Hollings clinical trial for HPV-related head and neck cancer is helping Russell Breault get back to fishing and spending time with family.

Multiple Myeloma

Raising Awareness

If you don’t know the signs and symptoms of multiple myeloma, you’re a part of Tiffany Williams' mission in life.

Glenn Bachman (right) credits his wife (left) for helping him throughout his cancer journey. Photo by Josh Birch

Multiple Myeloma

Successful Trial

Glenn Bachmann is helping to move the science forward by participating in a clinical trial at Hollings in the hopes of helping other patients.

Leukemia

Survivor Sings

Vance Kennedy loves to sing. Despite battling lymphoma and then undergoing a stem cell transplant for leukemia, he hasn't missed a beat.

Cervical Cancer

Survivor Inspires

After battling cervical cancer, Mikiko Dollard is inspiring others with her story – including her daughter, who wants to be an oncology nurse.

Prostate Cancer

Prostate Screenings

After battling prostate cancer twice, Friedrich Andreas is sharing his story with others in hopes of raising awareness about routine screenings.

Gladys Cano celebrates the end of treatment with family and friends.

Breast Cancer

Bell Ringing

Gladys Cano was overwhelmed with emotion as she rang the bell inside of Hollings' infusion suite to mark the end of treatment.

Lung Cancer

Fancy Pants

Most people battling cancer don’t give a second thought to the clothes they wear to treatments. Jim Nelson isn’t most people.

Pancreatic Cancer

Renewed Twice

Boosted by his success in beating alcoholism 15 years ago, Bob Hessler was determined to defeat his pancreatic cancer too.

Bruce Dales stands with his bike with water in the background

Head & Neck Cancer

Keeping Active

After a cancer diagnosis, LOWVELO rider Bruce Dales turned to running and cycling groups to become more active and healthy.

Breast Cancer

Exercise Health

Lana Kammer, an endometrial and breast cancer survivor, credits her daily walking routine for helping during cancer treatment.

Lung Cancer

Veteran Battle

This mom couldn’t have imagined her toughest battle wouldn’t be in the military. It was fighting stage 4 terminal lung cancer.

Breast Cancer

Lease on Life

Varnesta Major is celebrating the upcoming holidays with family one year after being diagnosed with stage 2A breast cancer.

Larry Ferguson stands outside his dental practice

Prostate Cancer

Screening Awareness

Hollings combines expert research and state-of-the-art treatments to offer prostate cancer patients the best possible care.