Patient Stories

Stories of Hope: Regina Haimer

It all started with my yearly routine visit to my OB/GYN in May of 2012. After my check-up, which was just fine, my doctor came back into the room and mentioned that there was a microscopic trace of blood in my urine. I then visited a urologist, who performed tests that found a 12 cm mass in my abdominal wall.

Stories of Hope: Karla Scherne-Hugerth

Karla's story began in April 2002, when she began experiencing severe backaches that continued to worsen. After learning on June 5, 2002 that she had cancer, she arranged an appointment at Columbia University Medical Center with Dr. John Chabot, Director of the Pancreas Center. Dr. Chabot felt that her only option was the Whipple surgery. After a successful surgery she was informed she had 4/5 lymph node involvement and thus needed to undergo both radiation and chemotherapy. Karla was prescribed Gemzar and Taxotere. Since then, none of her scans or blood work has shown any visible signs of active disease.

Reflections of a Living Liver Donor

By Susanne Mullman — In July 2009, I was a liver donor to my 21 year old daughter, Jen, whose liver failed due to autoimmune hepatitis. I first wrote about the experience in December 2009. Though I accurately captured the emotion and the gratitude I felt at the time, I glossed over many aspects of the journey. Our lives had not yet gotten back to normal, and although Jen would return to school in a few weeks, part of me was still holding my breath, overwhelmed by all we had been through and a little fearful of the future. Now, with the passage of time and watching Jen resume her life in continued good health, it is easier to write the story.

From the City of Brotherly Love, A Brother’s Liver Saves Sister

When 46-year-old Sharon Lupo started having stomach pains before Christmas, she brushed it off as a case of too much pre-holiday indulgence. But the pain persisted even after the holidays ended, landing her in the local emergency room. Many tests, scans, and biopsies later, she was shocked to learn the source of her pain: malignant epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, an extremely rare type of liver cancer. This type of cancer affects the lining of the blood vessels within the liver and strikes only 200 to 300 Americans each year.