Stories

Bladder cancer can be a sneaky disease. Sometimes you have very few symptoms until things hit a critical mass.  For me, that happened in the form of a suspected urinary tract infection (UTI). I’ve had UTI’s my whole adult life, so the latest one in summer of 2012 didn’t seem… Read More

2016 was the scariest year of my life. I urinated blood around Christmas in 2015, and a CAT scan in February 2016 found a tumor.  I had a cystectomy on April 1 and the results were determined to be an aggressive cancer. Next, was another cystectomy which saved me from… Read More

In December 2001, my life changed when I was diagnosed with bladder cancer.  In the summer of 2001, I noticed urinary changes that I attributed to turning 48 years old.  Continency and frequency became issues and my urine turned cloudy with a tinge of darkish red from time to time. … Read More

BCAN asked Dr. Andrea Apolo, Chief of the Bladder Cancer Section of the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch of the National Cancer Institute, what researchers learn from bladder cancer patients who do not survive in a clinical trial. This is what she shared with us: Mr. Read More

For Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, BCAN and actress Marilu Henner have partnered with Genentech, a member of the Roche group, to share her personal story and help people navigate challenging – but necessary – conversations about bladder cancer. Marilu knows firsthand the importance of these discussions. Read More

We thought my husband Ahmad’s bladder cancer was well under control after the original diagnosis of low grade Stage Ta, in 2011. He had several TURBTs, a partial cystectomy, and cystoscopies every three months. Dealing with the Stage Ta diagnosis, was… Read More

I am a non-smoking prostate cancer survivor who was treated with radiation and hormones. In 2015, I passed some blood tinged urine. This sent me to my urologist who did a urineanalysis and cystoscopy along with a CT urogram.  It… Read More

My husband Bill was diagnosed with bladder cancer in May 2010, just before the Memorial Day holiday. He was experiencing blood in his urine and immediately reached out to his doctor in New York City. We didn’t have a thought that it could be something serious. Read More

Like others, I had symptoms without a bladder cancer diagnosis for some time – urgency and frequency for eighteen months.  I had discussed both with my physician after about nine months. He said that I was getting old (I was only 48!) and my father had prostate cancer.  Knowing that I… Read More