Survivor Stories

Per-Odd Keul
Per-Odd Keul has spent most of his life visiting various points on the globe. At 70, he still visits far-flung places up to six times annually, in addition to dividing his time between addresses in Shoreline, Wash., and Bergen, Norway, his homeland.
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Kathy Culver
Kathy Culver's cancer journey cost her a breast, but it also gave her a passion and purpose.
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Kathy Johnson
When Kathy Johnson was just shy of her eighth birthday, her legs became covered in bruises. She began bleeding randomly. Inexplicably tired, she took three-hour daily naps. Kathy’s concerned mother brought her to their Lewiston, Idaho, doctor, who delivered a frightening diagnosis: acute myeloid leukemia.
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Frankie White
Frankie White, 45, wouldn’t wish cancer on anybody. But she believes even a cancer diagnosis has a silver lining: It forced her to work on her emotional well-being and a chance to be on the receiving end of help.
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Dori McInnis
Four weeks prior to learning she had breast cancer in 2011, Dori McInnis ran her first half-marathon. One month and a frightening diagnosis later, Dori’s next race became the fight against her cancer. Today, a cancer-free Dori is feeling victorious as she nears the finish line of her cancer saga.
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Dianne Julian
Dianne Julian calls getting breast cancer "the best worst experience" she’s had. But before she could reap these benefits, Dianne had to survive a long and arduous recovery.
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Seth Nuckolls
Seth Nuckolls is 28 years old, which marks a halfway point in his life: He’s spent an equal number of years oblivious to cancer and as a cancer survivor. Diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma at 14, Seth sees the positives and negatives of dealing with a life-altering diagnosis as a young man.
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Paul Hildebrandt
As a commercial airline pilot, Paul Hildebrandt announces turbulent weather ahead for his passengers. But life offered no such warning when his world was turned upside down by cancer.
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Julia Canas
In the nearly two decades since she first experienced cancer at 36, Julia found it shaped her life positively. It propelled her to get a master’s degree in health education so she could advocate for others facing cancer. It motivated her to become a triathlete. It made carpe diem a lifestyle.
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Deirdre Lund
Surviving cancer is rarely an easy journey, but for Deirdre Lund, it’s been a particularly complicated road of both setbacks and hope.
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Kim Rutledge
Kim Rutledge had always been an active person, running, skiing and playing soccer. So when she found herself still sidelined from the fitness-filled life she loved 11 years after her non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis, she sought advice from the Survivorship Program.
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Justine Freeman
Justine Freeman has recently been awarded a tuition scholarship at South Seattle Community College to pursue a career in nursing. She survived a cancer diagnosis of Ewing’s sarcoma at age nine.
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Beverly Moyers
Beverly Moyers, a 59-year old breast cancer survivor, was able to return to work after cancer in part because of a referral made by the Survivorship Program to vocational rehabilitation.
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Gerald Jensen
Gerald Jensen is a survivor of prostate cancer who was diagnosed at the age of 55. During his annual survivorship visit, Gerald asks questions and discusses any concerns  regarding his overall health - not just his cancer. Each year Gerald leaves his appointment armed with new ways to maintain his active, healthy lifestyle.
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Ed Orlosky
Ed Orlosky is a survivor of esophageal cancer, which forms in tissues lining the esophagus (the muscular tube through which food passes from the throat to the stomach). The National Cancer Institute estimated more than  16,000 new cases of esophageal cancer in the United States in 2008.
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Johanna Flynn
Johanna Flynn is a breast-cancer survivor; she was diagnosed in 1998 at the age of 46. Her treatment included chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. This year marks Johanna's 10 years as a cancer survivor and she is now focused on wellness and quality of life.
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Karen Beamish
Karen Beamish, a 64-year old lung cancer survivor, came to the Survivorship Program with one of the most commonly reported cancer treatment late effects — that of ongoing fatigue.
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Jayne Collins
Jayne Collins, 46-year old breast cancer survivor, has the tools to help her adjust to her new life as a cancer survivor after her appointment with the Survivorship Program providers
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Anita Mitchell
Anita Mitchell, a 44-year old colon-cancer survivor, left her clinic appointment excited about Exercise and Thrive, the exercise program being offered by the Survivorship Program to encourage and promote exercise for cancer survivors.
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Melissa Vanloo
Melissa Vanloo, a 25-year-old survivor of Hodgkin's lymphoma, has peace of mind after her appointment with the Survivorship Program providers.
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Richard Van Hollebeke
Richard Van Hollebeke, a 10-year colorectal cancer survivor, was one of the first cancer survivors seen in the Survivorship Program.
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Matthew Wuerffel
Matthew Wuerffel, a 24-year old testicular cancer survivor, sought referrels from the Survivorship Program to help address his concerns about cancer treatment late effects.
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