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Sharing Hope

Sometimes, the only people who really understand are those who have had cancer touch their lives

Sofia Merajver: Using reasoning to save lives

Dr. Sofía Merajver saved her first life when she was just five years old -- and that experience set her on the path to becoming a physician and a research scientist. en Español

The Cancer Center in Community

While you may already be familiar with the lifesaving work within the walls of the Cancer Center, you may not be aware of our active presence in the community. Through our Community Outreach Program, faculty, staff and volunteers share the latest information and answer questions about cancer and what can be done to prevent it.

The Power of Words

Marcus Calverley was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease in August 2014. He coped with this diagnosis by creating a blog to record his thoughts and experiences.

Support Systems

Heidi Woodward Sheffield looks back on the past two-and-a-half years of surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and reconstruction with relief. She is cancer-free and feels fortunate to have had a sense of rebirth throughout the process. In retrospect, she shares her best bets on coping, accepting help and support systems.

Spiritual Care for Patients and Families

Never are spiritual concerns more present or more urgent than during a serious illness or at the end of life. Michigan Medicine's Department of Spiritual Care chaplains walk that journey with patients and families all day, every day.

Sharing the Light

Yoga had been a part of Flora Migyanka’s life for years, but after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy, yoga became her go-to therapy for relieving stress and pain.

Your Genes and Future Cancer Treatment

Cancer researchers are looking for ways to understand advanced cancers in order to give patients personalized options for treatment. And, the more researchers understand individual cancerous tumors and how they change over time, the sooner new treatments can be developed.

The Right to be Hopeful

If you ask Carolyn C. about her 2005 cancer diagnosis or her recurrences since that time, there's a good chance she'll bring up the "hit by the bus theory." "Nobody is promised tomorrow," says the 51-year-old wife and mother of three sons. "People with cancer happen to be reminded of that more strongly. We can't let our fear of the bus get in the way."

When Cancer Comes Back

Jennifer Kelley was unprepared for the rare diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma at age 52, especially since it was her third experience with cancer in a mere 30 months. She had the cancerous lump under her arm surgically removed and followed up with five cycles of chemotherapy as a precaution. Because Kelley's cancer had spread into a lymph node, he explained the cancer was categorized as stage 4 and expected to return.

Facing the Unknown

Meet Laura Fliss, a successful, busy mother of two facing cancer of unknown primary, also called CUP. What makes CUP unique is that it is advanced to the point where its genetic characteristics are lost, making it impossible to identify where the cancer started. For this reason, it is almost always metastatic and difficult to treat.

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