Science Serving People < Back to Main 1

At NCI, we recognize that people with cancer are not just "patients." They are fathers, mothers, children, and friends. They have dreams and lives that are dramatically affected by their diagnoses. Cancer patients are a cornerstone of cancer research. We are grateful to those people who, by participating in research studies, give so generously of themselves to make life better for others. Some of these patients agreed to share their stories here.
 
Up Close with a CCOP Patient ²
Sue Duyser was leading a busy life in Grand Rapids, Mich., running a pharmacy with her husband. Then she found a lump in her breast. Her doctors initially thought the lump was a cyst. "I was so busy, I let it go," says Ms. Duyser.

Offering Hope ³
"Well, here goes. I hope this works." The 28-year-old woman gingerly stepped out of her car and looked up into the kind face of the attendant helping her. A once vibrant mother of two small children who enjoyed an active and fulfilling life, Alice was now a different person.

For the Sake of Jeanne and Her Family ⁴
Jeanne had no symptoms of kidney cancer. In fact, at age 34, she had given birth to her third child a year earlier. Except for faint back pain, something many new mothers experience, Jeanne felt fine.

"You Were Saving My Life" ⁵
Kimberly McAllister knows the importance of a correct diagnosis. She was told she had non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in January 2001 - three months after the birth of her second son. The accepted therapy for NHL was not doing the job.