164: Joshua Silva survived clear cell renal cell carcinoma | partial nephrectomy | appendectomy | kidney cancer
Release Date: 01/23/2026
172: Cindy Koerner survived breast cancer | epirubicin | zoladex | cyclophosphamide | estradiol
Cancer Interviews
In 2018, for Cindy Koerner, pain in her right breast led to a diagnosis of Stage 3A breast cancer. She was put on a three-pronged, high-dosage chemotherapy regimen of epirubicin, nab-paclitataxel and cyclophosphamide. The cyclophosphamide compromised her immune system, resulting in fatigue and fever. The chemo regimen shut down her ovaries, but when they became active about a year later, Cindy was told if they remained active, the possibility of a relapse would increase, so she opted to have them removed. These days, Cindy believes her health is at approximately 80...
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171: Hope Nightingale survived osteosarcoma | neoadjuvant chemotherapy | cisplatin | doxorubicin
Cancer Interviews
At age four, Hope Nightingale complained of severe pain in her legs. At first, her parents thought she was just being a hypochondriac. That changed when she fell off her scooter and broke the distal femur in her left leg. The following year, 2011, this led to a diagnosis of Stage II osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. After a regimen of neoadjuvant chemotherapy featuring cisplatin and doxorubicin, Hope underwent a surgical procedure, a vascularized fibula transplant. Her left femur was removed, and her right fibula was inserted in its place. Confined to a...
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170: Jess survived myxopapillary ependymoma | pregabalin | duloxetine | spinal cord stimulator | lower lumbar
Cancer Interviews
When Jess began to feel pain in her right leg in 2020, she thought it was sciatica. When extreme pain radiated to her lower back, a physical therapist thought she had a bulging disc. However, her condition worsened, she went in for an MRI, and it revealed a tumor originally thought to be on her spinal cord. Further tests indicated the tumor was inside her spinal cord and a diagnosis of myxopapillary ependymoma, a rare cancer. The tumor was surgically removed, but her post-treatment life was very difficult. There were prolonged instances in which she could not move...
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169: Adam Deans survived osteosarcoma | bone cancer | distal femur | prosthetic leg
Cancer Interviews
Adam Deans was an athletic teenager and had aspirations of becoming a professional athlete. However, all that changed when he fell down a flight of stairs at school. At first, doctors thought Adam had dislocated his left knee, but upon getting further medical attention, tests showed he had cancer, known as osteosarcoma in his distal femur. Doctors recommended chemotherapy, but when that was ineffective, the leg was amputated in 2005. In 2008, a friend introduced Adam to wheelchair basketball. Still with his athletic prowess, he learned the sport quickly and became...
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168: Kevin Donaghy twice survived skin cancer | immunotherapy | pembroluzimab | metastatic melanoma
Cancer Interviews
What began as a harmless looking spot on Kevin Donaghy’s forearm turned into a pair of diagnoses of skin cancer. The first was Stage II in 2018, but 18 months later, it returned and was diagnosed Stage IV metastatic melanoma BRAF+. The urologist said Kevin, an IT specialist from Melrose, Scotland, may have six months to live unless he underwent a newly-approved immunotherapy known as pembroluzimab. That was in 2020, and Kevin is still with us. The immunotherapy triggered a bout of ulcerative colitis, which left him bedridden for six months, but Kevin says his health...
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167: Bob Schreiber survived bladder cancer | Cystoscopy | BCG | Ileal Conduit | Replacement Bladder | Neobladder
Cancer Interviews
Blood detected in Bob Schreiber’s urine led to a diagnosis of Stage IV bladder cancer. This came after a cystoscopy, in which a tube is inserted into his urethra, taking a picture of the bladder. Twice without success, Bob hoped BCG treatment would address the cancer by instilling a set of chemicals inside the bladder to strengthen the immune system. As a result, he had to get his bladder removed. It was replaced with a neobladder, which was made from his small intestine. His recovery took close to a year, he has to deal with incontinence at night, but would his...
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166: Beth Lehman survived liver cancer | cirrhosis | heptacellular carcinoma | y-90 | hepatic encephalopathy | ascites
Cancer Interviews
Beth Lehman went through a tumultuous year in 2020. Thanks to heavy drinking, she was diagnosed with cirrhosis, then basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, followed by hepatocellular carcinoma, a form of liver cancer. She underwent radioactive embolization in order to get a liver transplant. Beth said the two-hour operation wasn’t so tough, but the after-effects were difficult, including nausea and vomiting. Then she experienced a procedure to get rid of the skin cancer on her right temple. She says between her physical and emotional recovery, she...
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165: Athena Porter survived cervical cancer | radical hysterectomy | endocervical adenocarcinoma | HPV+
Cancer Interviews
After close to a decade of abnormal pap smears, a Cone Biopsy indicated Athena Porter had cervical cancer. To make sure her diagnosis of endocervical adenocarcinoma didn’t spread, she opted for a radical hysterectomy. With the procedure, her cervix was not the only vital organ removed. A wife and mother to two daughters, Athena feels blessed that she can return to work on her Iowa farm. In 2012, she went in for an annual wellness exam. A pap smear indicated she was HPV+. Her doctor told Athena a worst-case scenario was cancer, but the virus would...
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164: Joshua Silva survived clear cell renal cell carcinoma | partial nephrectomy | appendectomy | kidney cancer
Cancer Interviews
Joshua Silva did not take lower back pains and gastrointestinal issues seriously until they worsened, forcing him to visit an emergency room. A CT scan revealed inflammation of his appendix, necessitating an appendectomy. A urologist said the scan also showed a problem in his left kidney, later diagnosed as clear cell renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer. Joshua underwent a partial nephrectomy knowing before the procedure he may lose the kidney. When he regained consciousness after the procedure, a nurse told him the kidney was spared. Post-treatment...
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163: Tessa Parry-Wingfield survived Ocular Melanoma | Eye Enucleation | Uveal Melanoma | Monocular Vision
Cancer Interviews
While jogging in 2023, Tessa Parry-Wingfield felt an unusual sensation in her left eye. It wasn’t painful but merited medical attention. She was seen by three doctors before learning she had ocular melanoma, a form of eye cancer. Because of the particulars of her diagnosis, she had to undergo an enucleation, the removal of her cancerous eye. With an acrylic implant taking the place of the cancerous eye, Tessa had an enormous amount of learning ahead of her, most notably what is known as monocular vision. Amazingly, Tessa has adjusted to...
info_outlineJoshua Silva did not take lower back pains and gastrointestinal issues seriously until they worsened, forcing him to visit an emergency room. A CT scan revealed inflammation of his appendix, necessitating an appendectomy. A urologist said the scan also showed a problem in his left kidney, later diagnosed as clear cell renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer. Joshua underwent a partial nephrectomy knowing before the procedure he may lose the kidney. When he regained consciousness after the procedure, a nurse told him the kidney was spared. Post-treatment medication and weekly visits to a therapist enabled him to get very close to his pre-diagnosis health. Among other positive developments, Joshua Silva has resumed one of his major passions, that of playing golf.
Lots of people experience gastrointestinal problems and lower back pain, so when this happened to Joshua Silva of Houston, Texas, a man in his early thirties, he thought with time the problems would go away. But that didn’t happen. One night the pain became so bad that he couldn’t sleep, and he decided to go to the emergency room.
He underwent a CT scan which indicated an inflamed appendix but also showed problems with his left kidney. What Joshua knew was that he would have to undergo an appendectomy. What he didn’t know with certainty was just what was wrong with his kidney. Some doctors said the problem might by a cyst or might be cancer. Joshua prepared himself for the worst and began to think what life would be like if he was diagnosed with cancer and had to go forth with one kidney.
His appendix was removed, but he had to wait an excruciating four weeks to see a urologist, who said he didn’t need a biopsy to determine Joshua had clear cell renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer.
Because the diagnosis came shortly before the holidays, the urologist accelerated the timetable for a partial nephrectomy, seeking to form a care team before its members left for vacation. The urologist said the margins around the tumor would determine whether he could spare the left kidney or have to remove it.
Even though he was under anesthesia for the procedure, as soon as he regained consciousness, he wanted to know the status of his kidney. A nurse told him the urologist was able to remove the cancer without removing the kidney.
Just when it seemed like Joshua was on his way toward survivorship, he received some bad news. The incision point for the partial nephrectomy was very close to the incision point for the appendectomy. The appendectomy incision had not fully healed, resulting in an infection. His abdomen area began to swell and turn red. Antibiotics prescribed after the partial nephrectomy did nothing to address the pain. It was a very difficult three weeks, as Joshua dealt with the pain and sudden uncertainty as to whether he could keep his left kidney.
He was put on a different medication regimen and after three more weeks, the pain and swelling went away. A subsequent scan showed that he was cancer free.
Joshua Silva says his health is now about 98 percent of what it was prior to his back pains and GI issues, and back out on the links with a single-digit handicap.
Additional Resources:
Support Group:
The Kidney Cancer Association https://www.kidneycancer.org