174: John Walker Pattison survived hodgkin lymphoma and bladder cancer | vincristine | prednisolone | mitomycin | cystoscopy
Release Date: 05/12/2026
193: Cortney Stevens survived Hodgkin’s lymphoma | adriamycin | bleomycin | vinblastine | dacarbazine | lupron
Cancer Interviews
In 2018, an avid runner, Cortney Stevens suddenly started feeling unusually tired and unusually itchy. Seeking medical attention, the first doctor she went to said she had a six-inch mediastinal mass that went from her left lung to her clavicle, but that it wasn’t cancer. However, Cortney sought a second opinion, and after further testing, she was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She was put on a chemotherapy regimen of adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine, plus external beam radiation. Cortney cycles because she can no...
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192: Susie Sanchez survived anal cancer | Mitomycin-C | Xarelto | fissure | anal pap smear | anascope
Cancer Interviews
For anyone battling cancer, having to deal with radiation therapy or chemotherapy is tough enough. However, upon learning in 2021 that she had anal cancer, Susie Sanchez was simultaneously prescribed both over a grueling six-week period. Amazingly, she completed the regimen of Mitomycin-C and Xarelto and was told there was no evidence of disease. Because of the radiation’s burning in the pelvic region, she had to relearn how to walk, and reduced control of her bladder and intestine forces her to closely monitor what she eats and drinks and when, combined with always needing...
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191: Jameel Haiat survived throat cancer | gastric tube | cisplatin | tracheotomy | radiation therapy
Cancer Interviews
In 2023, Jameel Haiat began to experience pain in his throat so severe he couldn’t swallow. This led to a diagnosis of throat cancer. The tumor was extremely close to his vocal cords. Jameel was given the option of a tracheotomy or a combined regimen of cisplatin chemotherapy and 33 rounds of radiation therapy. The former raised the possibility that Jameel could lose his ability to speak, which is why he went with the chemo and radiation. The treatment was needed as Jameel said he felt as he had “razor blades” in his mouth and throat. He now consumes...
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190: John Morrissey survived Stage One colon cancer | colorectal cancer | cancerous polyp
Cancer Interviews
Not long after going in for a colonoscopy in 2015, John Morrissey was told he had Stage One colon cancer. A Denver-based radio traffic reporter, John learned of his diagnosis with a telephone call from his oncologist two minutes before he was scheduled to deliver a live report! He composed himself, delivered a flawless update, then immediately decided he had to take action. In three weeks, he underwent a surgical procedure that successfully removed a cancerous polyp. After three weeks of rest, John returned to work. He goes in for colonoscopies every...
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189: Steve Harrision survived lung cancer | carboplatin | pleural fusion | pemetrexed | bronchoscopy
Cancer Interviews
When Steve Harrison experienced fatigue, back soreness and shoulder pain in 2024, he attributed it to his “getting old.” He was in his early fifties. But when he began to have difficulty breathing, he sought medical attention. Because Steve also had asthma, his doctor had COPD, she prescribed an inhaler. That did little to no good. He saw another doctor who ran a variety of tests, which found pleural fusion. After a bronchoscopy and a biopsy, he was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. In addition to chemotherapy, the oncologist prescribed a TKI...
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188: Stuart Hopgood survived prostate cancer | needle-point biopsy |Trelstar | Erieada | TURP Surgery
Cancer Interviews
Prior to his 2025 prostate cancer diagnosis, Stuart Hopgood experienced no symptoms. But a visit to his general practitioner included blood work, which revealed a PSA of 74.2! Stuart was referred to a urologist, who called for a needle-point biopsy. The biopsy not only showed Stuart that he had Stage IV prostate cancer, but that it had metastasized to his pelvic area, a rib and his clavicle. He put on Trelstar, a form of hormonal therapy, six weeks of radiation therapy and Erieada, a form of oral chemotherapy. While Stuart will never be cured, this regimen...
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187: Andrew Allers survived kidney cancer | yervoy | opdivo | IVIG | prednisone | nephrectomy | vena cava
Cancer Interviews
In 2015, Andrew Allers was hit and fell while competing in a soccer match. He immediately sought medical attention. and a CT scan revealed a baseball-sized tumor on one of his kidneys, which led to a diagnosis of Stage III renal cell carcinoma, or, kidney cancer. A radical open-assisted nephrectomy removed the entire cancerous kidney. Andrew thought he was in the clear, but in 2019, he was diagnosed with Stage IV kidney cancer. Not only that, but the cancer had spread to his bones and his brain. However, all of the above was successfully treated with an...
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186: Dominique Bieger survived breast cancer | letrozole | aromatase inhibitor | sentinel node | necrosis
Cancer Interviews
In 2024, Dominique Bieger knew something was wrong when she felt a tickling, biting sensation in her left breast. After a series of mammograms, an echogram, an ultrasound and a vacuum assisted biopsy, she learned she had invasive ductal carcinoma, or breast cancer. She would have to get a quadrant of the cancerous breast surgically removed. Dominique was happy to learn she could avoid chemotherapy, instead for hormonal treatment, featuring letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor. The letrozole left her hands, her feet and joints in severe pain. She went off the...
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185: David Peters survived prostate cancer | rezum procedure | sacrum | colonics | cachexia | metformin
Cancer Interviews
For David Peters, what began as medical attention to address an enlarged prostate in 2022 became a diagnosis of Stage 4B prostate cancer. Prior to his undergoing a Rezum procedure, a pre-op workup a PSA level of 19. However, nobody at the hospital bothered to check the PSA level before performing the procedure, which placed David at great risk. Not long after that came his diagnosis. David’s care team recommended lifelong androgen deprivation therapy. He checked out the side effects and didn’t want to go that route. David instead opted for a three-week...
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184: Tina Calderone-Roth survived ovarian cancer | bilateral oophorectomy | avastin | ascites | lynparza
Cancer Interviews
In May 2022, Tina Calderone-Roth felt terrible. She was experiencing fatigue, shortness of breath and nausea. She also gained close to 15 pounds in three days. Nurses she knew suggested she go to the emergency department. Two paracentesis procedures resulted in the removal of 6.5 liters of fluid. Doctors initially noticed a large abdominal mass, but further tests indicated ovarian masses of 7cm and 10cm. Tests also showed Tina had the BRCA-2 gene mutation. She opted to, all at once, undergo a hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy. A week after the...
info_outlineJohn Walker Pattison is still with us despite two protracted battles with cancer. He was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma in 1975 and relapsed three times. Then in 2018, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, a diagnosis after which he relapsed once. After his lymphoma diagnosis, treatment included an aggressive chemotherapy regimen, which included nitrogen mustard, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisolone. John said effects from the chemo hampered his fight with bladder cancer and still affect him today, although his urinary function is just fine.
John was in his late teens when he began to experience fatigue, night sweats, recurring cough and weight loss, among other symptoms. He was doing heavy lifting in the shipbuilding business, had difficulty at work and one day on the job he collapsed. Realizing he needed medical attention, he underwent scans and biopsies, and they led to a diagnosis of Stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma. He was told his chances of recovery were slim.
In May 1975, his care team prescribed a chemotherapy cocktail of nitrogen mustard, prednisolone, procarbazine and vincristine, which only added to a high degree of fear he had for his future.
Things went from bad to worse when he was informed that the chemo regimen didn’t work and he relapsed. In April 1976, he was put on a different regimen with cyclophosphamide taking the place of nitrogen mustard. That, too, was ineffective, resulting in another relapse. In December of that year, his care team tried radiotherapy, again with no success.
In April 1977, John went on a regimen of palliative chemotherapy, with single agent vinblastine. On a subsequent visit, his oncologist raised his arms in triumph and shocked John by telling him he was cancer free.
John Walker Pattison thought cancer was in his rear-view mirror, but in 2018, while traveling by air, he discovered blood in his urine. He was a health care professional and immediately knew something was wrong. Again seeking medical attention, he was diagnosed with Grade II Transitional Cell Bladder Carcinoma. He underwent surgery, followed by bladder installation of mitomycin chemotherapy. That was followed by transurethral laser ablation in 2020. Not long after that procedure, again, John was told he was cancer free.
John Walker Pattison enjoys normal urinary function, but says he will be dealing with the side effects of the chemotherapy and radiotherapy he underwent in the seventies.
That said, John wants to help others diagnosed with cancer. He has written a book, “Shadow of a Survivor,” which he hopes will be a source of hope and inspiration.
Additional Resources:
John’s Book, “Shadow of a Survivor,” available on Amazon
John's Website, https://www.johnpattison.co.uk