Lung Cancer Survivor Feels Connected to Hoag
“I was impressed with his expertise with robotic surgery,” she said. “I thought, ‘This is good. I can stay right here and be treated at Hoag.’”
Read Mary's StoryA Diabetes Success Story 75 Years in the Making
“It’s never too late to make a life change.”
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Higher Calling: How Hoag’s MS Program helped one patient gain control of her diagnosis and her future
In 2019, Brittany Quiroz found herself among the nearly one million people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in the United States. She recalled experiencing early warning signs of the disease while building her music career ten years prior. “Because I was so incredibly busy touring and performing, I assumed my body was just really tired,” … Read More
From Diagnosis to Cancer-Free in 14 days: How Hoag’s highly specialized interventional digestive care experts treated aggressive esophageal cancer and won
Rick Letterman’s passion for golf spans decades. Now 77, he’s been perfecting his swing since high school, when he worked as a caddy at a local country club in Kentucky. “Golf is a very self-challenging game,” he said. “You align with your target in the distance, and you take your shot. When I received the … Read More
How a unique endoscopic procedure at Hoag gave one patient her life back after a decades-long battle
For 17 years, Roz Hodgins struggled with what many of us take for granted; the ability to comfortably swallow food. “I always had to be very cognizant of what I was eating and where, and there were foods I loved that I just couldn’t eat,” she said. “Going to a restaurant was difficult because I’d … Read More
Navigating the cancer gene at Hoag: One family’s story
Since the discovery of genetic mutations BRCA1 and BRCA2 in the 1990s, testing for the genes has become a common course of action among patients and families with a history of certain cancers. According to the National Cancer Institute, the lifetime risk of breast cancer for a woman with a BRCA mutation is as high … Read More
Standing Tall Again: How Advanced Surgery Helped David Reclaim His Active Lifestyle
David Gleckman, 65, has spent much of his life doing what he loves most–playing full-contact hockey. An avid golfer who had also sustained a back injury while skiing years earlier, he was no stranger to the risks involved in playing sports. But by the time he had reached his early 60’s, the cumulative effects of … Read More
Hoag patient receives newly FDA-approved cancer treatment
Shahin Shelechi, 72, is incredibly optimistic–so much so that it’s difficult to comprehend the magnitude of what she has endured throughout her 30-year cancer journey. “You have to have hope,” she said. “And whatever I can do to help even one person, I will do it.” First diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994, the disease … Read More
Male breast cancer patient revitalizes life on the road thanks to care at Hoag
For Larry Arvin, a routine physical in 2013 ended with a unique and troubling diagnosis: He had breast cancer. “Initially, I was pretty shocked,” he said. “The fact that nobody really knows what’s going on with men’s breast cancer, that’s the challenge. The serious aspect is the effects of breast cancer when it metastasizes into … Read More
Hoag’s #1 Priority Is You: Tricia Takasugi’s Breast Cancer Journey
When Tricia Takasugi first discovered a lump in her breast, she knew she had to act quickly. A close friend, a breast cancer survivor who was treated at Hoag, urged her to seek care without delay. “She said, ‘You cannot wait two months or three months to see a doctor.’” Following that advice, Tricia called … Read More
One Woman’s Positivity Finds a Home in Hoag’s Comprehensive, Compassionate and Innovative Care
We have a choice about how to react to the heartaches of life. We can wallow in the dark places. Or we can, as Christine Lucas has, place the hummingbird feeder in the sunniest part of the garden, find a comfortable chair and enjoy the gift of being human. After losing two partners to cancer, … Read More
Finding Strength and Resilience: Jennifer’s Journey Through Breast Cancer at Hoag
Fall 2023, Jennifer Drinkwater scheduled an appointment with the Hoag Breast Center to get a second opinion on her small, non-invasive breast cancer diagnosis. Upon further screening, board certified fellowship-trained breast surgeon Dr. Elizabeth Kraft, discovered Jennifer had been misdiagnosed. Jennifer was diagnosed with HER2-positive invasive breast cancer, which had spread to her lymph node. … Read More