by Shannon Mayerl | Nov 24, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
It was the middle of March 2020 and I was having stomach pains and felt a hernia growing. The pains increased causing me to have very bad pains. I went to the ER and had to be alone while my brother waited outside in his car. COVID-19 has just got bad so no visitors....
by Shannon Mayerl | Nov 17, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
At the start of my junior year in high school, I faced an obstacle that changed my life forever. I was diagnosed with Stage IV CIC-DUX4, “Ewing’s Like” Sarcoma. I had a 12cm tumor in my calf and nodules in my lungs. My world came down on me. I...
by Shannon Mayerl | Nov 11, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
I am a resident of Dehradun in India, a Geophysicist by profession, I have worked in several Oil & Gas Exploration projects in Asia and Southern Africa. I was posted for an oil and gas exploration project in difficult terrain conditions of Assam (India) in July...
by Shannon Mayerl | Oct 27, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
I pulled a muscle playing soccer and brushed it off. The next day I was limping so bad I had to find an orthopedic doctor. They did an X-ray and found a mass on the outside of my femur and referred me to a surgeon, it ended up being cancer. This all started in 2016. I...
by Shannon Mayerl | Oct 14, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
In 2014 I was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer. Had a complete removal. Then in 2016 I went in for a dnc and the doctor found cancer in my uterus and it started to spread. Had a complete hysterectomy and found out it was stage 3 endometrial cancer. Tried chemo and was...
by Shannon Mayerl | Oct 6, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
June 2010 I was diagnosed with GBM Brain Cancer. Local doctors gave me 6 months at most to live. My family would not accept that! They got me to MD Anderson in Orlando, Florida. The specialist there immediately looked at my scans and said it was not GBM that It was...
by Shannon Mayerl | Sep 23, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
I was diagnosed with stage 4 left lung cancer going on 3 years, I’m going strong just had my 43rd treatment and very blessed!
by Shannon Mayerl | Sep 15, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
On November 8, 2017 I was diagnosed with breast cancer stage 2 grade 3. After finding out it was genetic braca 2 we found it had spread to my lymph nodes and I had 17 lymph nodes removed. In January 2018 I started chemo and in August 2018 I did radiation. In April...
by Shannon Mayerl | Sep 8, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
November 2018, while in the shower, I found a lump in my right breast. I went for a mammogram and they did an ultrasound and said it was a cyst. They sent me home said women later in life get these and they go away. I was relieved and didn’t really think about...
by Shannon Mayerl | Sep 1, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
My story began when I was 15. I went to the doctor with a fever and they found my blood pressure was three digits over three digits. After rechecking several times, it was obvious something was wrong. I ended up at Vanderbilt. I had tumors in and around my adrenal...
by Shannon Mayerl | Aug 25, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
As with all cancers my diagnosis was unexpected, sudden and without warning. I was healthy, at least I thought I was, and living a full and happy life. No symptoms at all until one night I had a massive bleed when passing water. I didn’t panic or even expect the worst...
by Shannon Mayerl | Aug 18, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
About 6 months after I had my son I had appendicitis. It was treated with antibiotics and I was told I had a 75% chance of never getting sick again. I was part of that 25% that got sick again and found myself in and out of the hospital the next 10 months. Finally, I...
by Shannon Mayerl | Aug 11, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
In July of 2017 on a long (8hr) flight home from North Africa (where we spend a lot of our summers), I began to experience a different and painful cramp, almost like a contraction. I began bleeding heavily and felt ill. I felt bewildered because I had my mensural...
by Shannon Mayerl | Aug 4, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
I was diagnosed with stage 4 left lung cancer. At one point my oxygen level was 60, I was rushed to the hospital where they put in a drain and put me on oxygen. 2 months later the drain removed and off oxygen, I was able to mow my grass, do laundry, grocery shop...
by Shannon Mayerl | Jul 29, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
In June 2019, I was playing with my grandson on my lap. He stepped on my lap, when he did I felt a knot move. I went to my primary doctor who then sent me to a surgeon. I had surgery in the groin area in October 4, 2019. Within 72 hours my surgeon called me and said...
by Shannon Mayerl | Jul 20, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
In May, 2015, my daughter suggested I see a dermatologist about a spot on my forehead. It was diagnosed as pleomorphic t-cell lymphoma. My dermatologist sent me to a lymphoma oncologist at The University of Kansas Cancer Center because this was a rare cancer. My...
by Shannon Mayerl | Jul 7, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
Three years ago, on November 18th, 2016 I was diagnosed with stage 4B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. On November 23, 2016, I would be starting chemo for the very first time. They said we needed to start right away, there was no time to wait. I had only weeks to live....
by Shannon Mayerl | Jun 30, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
Around 1990 I went in for an MRI and they found my tumor by mistake. After seeing a Neurologist, I was put on watch and wait because the tumor was considered a slow growing tumor and wasn’t causing issues. This tumor was located between my brainstem and...
by Shannon Mayerl | Jun 23, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
Let me start by saying I have never smoked a day in my life, so when I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer I was floored. My original diagnosis was in 2006. Battled with chemotherapy and radiation for 14 months. My second diagnosis was in 2012. 24 chemotherapy...
by Shannon Mayerl | Jun 15, 2020 | Survivor of the Week
For about two years I was having these symptoms: pelvic/abdominal pain, bloating, very fatigued, low back pain, feeling full quickly and indigestion. I did not know at the time that these were ovarian cancer symptoms. I went to my gynecologist, he did so many...
