Stories

Rick was diagnosed with bladder cancer on June 24, 2022, at age 55.  Here is his first-person account of his journey. For the majority of my life, I maintained a healthy and active lifestyle. One Saturday morning, I woke up to use the restroom and discovered blood in my urine. Read More

My journey with bladder cancer began in October 2017 at the age of 70. Being a Vietnam War veteran exposed to Agent Orange, I cannot help but think that may have played a role in my diagnosis. Before finding out that I had bladder cancer, I had mild symptoms. There… Read More

It was nine years ago when I was diagnosed with bladder cancer. The first symptom I noticed was shocking, surprising, and disturbing: blood – in my urine. I contacted a urologist at my hospital, Morristown (NJ) Medical Center. At our first meeting, he performed a TURBT (trans urethral resection… Read More

For the majority of my life, I have always been fit. As I got older, I adjusted my diet and my approach to continue being active in sports and fitness. I even started competing in Masters Track and Field in my 50s, winning a number of national championships. I was… Read More

John is a 74-year-old bladder cancer survivor who was diagnosed in 2005. Over the years, John had quite a journey and now shares his story. Hard to wrap my head around the news Being diagnosed with cancer is a hard pill to swallow and can catch you off guard. Before… Read More

Before my diagnosis in July 2021, I was not experiencing any symptoms. It was not until I went in for my routine check-up with my cardiologist that we discovered blood in my urine. Just as concerned as I, she referred me to a urologist to follow up. Soon after, I… Read More

Karen is Spencer’s wife and she reached out to BCAN eager to share her husband’s journey with small cell bladder cancer. She described this phase of their lives like a “bad Netflix series.” Unrehearsed: Our Journey with Small Cell Bladder Cancer My husband, Spencer, was diagnosed with small cell… Read More

“Cancer was the last thing on my mind” Cancer was the last thing on my mind when I started noticing blood in my urine and having abdominal pain. I underwent extensive fertility treatments in 2021 to have my baby and was 16 weeks pregnant when I first saw the bleeding. Read More

Andrew tells his bladder cancer story of facing the disease without his beloved wife by his side during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More