Patient Stories

Angela McDonald didn’t know how to tell her teenage twins, 14 at the time, she had stage 3 breast cancer and would need a double mastectomy. She waited about two weeks after her diagnosis, during which time she met with her entire team at UT Southwestern Simmons Cancer Center and felt she knew what to expect before breaking the news.

Chris Lopez had the time of his life on a two-week vacation to Southern California. But when he returned with an intense stomach pain that wouldn’t go away, even with antibiotics, he grew concerned. Eventually, a colonoscopy revealed the source of his extreme discomfort and a stunning diagnosis – a grapefruit-sized mass, stage 3 colon cancer.

Edward Wright Sr. was on his way to Jamaica in 2012 when he received a call from his doctor alerting him about a rise in Edward’s PSA count. More tests would be needed, but they would confirm what his doctor suspected: Edward had a small trace of prostate cancer.

Pamela Kessler had noticed a few small signs before – forgetting what she had gone to the refrigerator for, having difficulty opening a doorknob – but she dismissed them as insignificant. However, when she awoke one morning and couldn’t move, she and her family knew it was something serious. A trip to the emergency room and a battery of tests revealed the cause – a gigantic tumor on her frontal lobe. Brain cancer.

At age 31, Scott Burchett was a marathon runner in the best shape of his life. And after several rounds of fertility treatments, his wife, Caroline, learned she was pregnant. They were finally starting the family they’d always dreamed about. Life was good. Then it threw them a curveball.

One morning in 2012, Ralph Cousins woke up and noticed blood on his pillow. Three hard bumps on his head, which he worried might be skin cancer, turned out to be something much more rare: angiosarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer that affects the lining of blood vessels.

Terry's melanoma story started in 1999 with the discovery of a tumor on his left bicep. He is now a retired attorney and triathlete. His law partner at the time suggested he go to UT Southwestern for treatment. The doctors removed the tumor and nearby lymph nodes. He was sure he had beaten it and was good to go. And for 14 years, he was. In 2013, another tumor popped up close to the location of the original melanoma. That’s when he met Dr. Froehlich.

Chuck Dandridge, a self-described homebody, was thrust into the unknown in 2013 when routine cholesterol and blood work at his doctor’s office revealed low blood counts. He was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a form of leukemia that by 2014 had progressed to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the most common – and most deadly – form of leukemia in adults.

Ryen Esquivel is all smiles and looking forward to life thanks to UT Southwestern and a second opinion that gave her a clean bill of health following a discouraging cancer diagnosis elsewhere that proved to be wrong.

Lonnie Freeman was feeling healthy when he went in for his 2017 checkup. He’d been having yearly physicals. He had a weekly practice of running and lifting weights. Other than an occasional hamburger, he ate a healthy diet of chicken, fish, and vegetables. He had no warning signs of prostate cancer.