Cancer Stories from
St. Elizabeth Healthcare Patients

Kelly Garrett

For Kelly Garrett, a diagnosis of breast cancer was frightening enough. Just when she thought she was beating it, she learned that she was experiencing heart failure as a result of her treatment. Then a heart specialist helped her beat that, too.

Amanda Laws

Perfect pearly whites. Dazzling brown eyes. Curly blond hair. Sometimes it’s easy to spot the things we’ve inherited from our relatives. Family ties to cancer aren’t always so obvious. Learn how genetic counseling helped Amanda Laws discover her cancer risk and may well have been lifesaving.

Cathy Reising

Cathy Reising is no stranger to cancer. As the Cancer Registry Manager and Survey Consultant for the Commission on Cancer at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, she is familiar with cancer patients and their stories from diagnosis through treatment and beyond. Despite her position and knowledge of the importance of cancer screenings, Cathy had never had a colonoscopy until this year at age 56. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of her life.

April Troxel

When 37-year-old April Troxel found a lump in her breast in January 2021, her first thought was disbelief — and her second thought was, “how are we going to pay for this?”

Melissa Davis

“When you hear you have cancer, the first thing you think is, ‘How could this happen to me?’”

A stage 4 ovarian cancer diagnosis hadn’t even crossed Melissa’s mind until that moment. Nine months later, she was declared cancer free.

Linda Lawrence

Linda Lawrence, a 5-year cancer survivor, shares her cancer journey.

Mari Torgerson

Mari Torgerson was by her husband’s side during his cancer journey until the very end. She said that the entire time she and her family felt that St. Elizabeth was right there every step of the way.

Stacey Wills

Stacey Wills honors her mother’s brave battle with cancer and shares about the excellent care she received at St. Elizabeth.