Cancer Survivor Stories

Breast Cancer in Young Women

CDC’s Bring Your Brave campaign shares stories from women whose lives have been deeply affected by breast cancer. These stories help other young women understand their risk for breast cancer.

Gynecologic Cancer Survivor Stories

Women from across the country have shared their personal survivor stories for CDC’s Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts About Gynecologic Cancer campaign. Their firsthand accounts offer important lessons for other women.

Colorectal Cancer Personal Screening Stories

Several people who had screening tests for colorectal cancer describe why they did it and what the experience was like for them. Some were diagnosed with cancer.

CDC’s Stories of Survivorship

Cancer has touched the lives of many CDC employees. Some of them share their stories and words of wisdom.

Blogs

• Lewis’ Story: Throat Cancer Changed His World: After Lewis was diagnosed with throat cancer, he and his wife Amy started a support group for people with head and neck cancers.
• I Have Liver Cancer, But You Don’t Have To: An illness caught Gary, 61, off guard in 2013. When doctors suggested he go for more tests, he knew his condition was more severe than he first guessed.
• My Personal Prescription for Surviving Cancer: George Hilliard explains that he had already survived two kinds of cancer when his doctor gave him the shocking news that he had prostate cancer.
• Being a Cancer Survivor Reminds Me Life Is Precious: Traci Ramirez shares what happened after she found a lump in her left breast.
• A Tan Is Not a Sign of Health: Sharon McKenna has had three melanomas surgically removed. Now, she teaches sun safety to kids.
• Knowing BRCA Changed My Life: Just months after a clean mammogram, in late 2007, Debbie Wasserman Schultz heard those terrible words, “You have breast cancer.”
• Melanoma: A Surgeon and Survivor’s Perspective: “I began using indoor tanning beds in my early teens to acquire that ‘healthy’ base tan before heading to the beach for summer vacations. At the time I did not realize that the healthy glow I was so desperately seeking was actually caused by DNA damage from the UV radiation.”