Cancer Patient Stories

Patient Stories about cancer

February 4, 2015

Family Thankful for Child’s Progress Over Cancer

Kelly Gardner

Lexi Rawls can’t stop smiling. She’s a happy 4-year-old, who loves her family and her toys. The only difference is that Lexi is facing a challenge that no child should ever face: cancer. Lexi, Jessica, dad Josh and baby brother Adon have been away from their Bentonville home almost continually since late October when Lexi…


February 1, 2015

Dumas Man on a Mission About Male Breast Cancer

Kelly Gardner

“You can do it in private. Nobody needs to know you’ve examined yourself. It’s a no brainer. If guys get breast cancer,” Gerry Vickers, 72, said, “why not feel once in a while?” The Dumas resident, who says he “never had any kind of tickle or an itch,” found his own acorn-sized mass one night…


November 5, 2014

Half-Century Breast Cancer Survivor Shares Perspective

Kelly Gardner

In 1961, when most of the country was focused on the first American helicopters landing in Vietnam, 27-year-old Joyce Faulkner was already engaged in a different type of battle: the battle against breast cancer. Fast forward 50 years, and the now 77-year-old Faulkner not only won her battle but serves as inspiration for other women who…


September 5, 2014

Breast Cancer Survivor Keeps Hope Alive

Kelly Gardner

Paula Rogers knows the difference that a simple act of kindness can make. As she was being wheeled into surgery for her second bout with breast cancer, Rogers’ doctor, V. Suzanne Klimberg, M.D., took her hand. “It was remarkable,” she said. “Dr. Klimberg took my hand and led the gurney to the operating room. I…


August 28, 2014

Makeovers Uplift Cancer Patients in UAMS Hospital

Spencer Watson

Aug. 28, 2014 | never had a makeover before, said Marcia Sweatt, as a specially trained cosmetologist applied blush to her cheeks. ;This was such a surprise.


August 5, 2014

Two-Time Cancer Survivor Fights Back

Kelly Gardner

Fifteen years after undergoing a mastectomy to remove a cancerous tumor from her right breast, Sherry Tuminello thought her fight was over. Unfortunately, she was wrong. In 2006, Tuminello noticed a small raised area where her mastectomy had been performed and went to her local doctor to have it examined. After a series of tests and…


Cancer Forces Runner to Make Tough Decision

Kelly Gardner

Last spring the school teacher and mother of two boys celebrated five years of being cancer free. For a year, Rhonda Ellis’ left hip popped and ached when she ran. The elementary school teacher and mother of two boys was too busy to have it looked at. Still, it nagged at her on her daily run…


July 30, 2014

U.S. Senator Mark Pryor Calls UAMS an Arkansas Treasure

Kelly Gardner

At UAMS our goal is to provide the best care for every patient every day. Our patients say it best, and their stories are really the story of UAMS. All the formal awards and accolades just can’t tell the UAMS story better than the words of our patients. UAMS patient Mark Pryor, a U.S. Senator…


July 15, 2014

UAMS Throat Cancer Patient First for Robotic Surgery

Kelly Gardner

The cancer in Pat Longinotti’s throat was in a surgical no man’s land – at the base of his tongue. Removing the small tumor the traditional way would require a risky, disfiguring operation, said Emre Vural, M.D., a head and neck cancer surgeon in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery….


July 10, 2014

Tongue Cancer Doesn’t Slow Drummer’s Beat

Kelly Gardner

The rock’n’roll lifestyle doesn’t allow a nagging sore on your tongue to slow you down, and it surely isn’t a very “punk-rock” detail to complain about. After all, Larry Massanet, 42, still had unhampered use of two thundering arms to pummel his drum kit with while keeping beat in two active bands in which he…



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