Survivor Series

Originally from Steger, Ill., but now a resident of Dyer, Ind., Carrie Gallegos’ life took a complete turn back in 2009 that sparked what has now been her craziest but most beautiful life journey. At the age of 24, Gallegos found herself driving from one …

When Don Kirschner was serving in the Vietnam War with the United States Air Force, he caught hepatitis C. It wasn’t discovered in his body until the ‘90s, and hepatitis C can turn into cancer when left untreated. His cancer …

In July of 2004, Susan Green Culler discovered a lump in her breast. She was young, just 33, and decided to get advice from her mother. Together, they decided Culler should wait until her upcoming physical in September rather than making a new appointment and …

In November of 2015, Ekaterina Hatzikostantis and her family faced something that no family expects, but everyone dreads all the same. “I kept throwing up at the same time every day. The doctor said, ‘it’s just stress,’” said …

Marsha Henson documents important dates, notes from doctor’s visits, and notes from her cancer treatments in various notebooks and calendars she has kept since her diagnosis in 2017. She recently flipped through them for the first time in a couple years …

Craig Buzea did not know what he was feeling one day following a playoff football game he coached at Homewood-Flossmoor High School in 2019. While he was unsure of what was going on, he knew it was serious and had been going on for a couple of weeks. After …

While the natural response to a cancer diagnosis usually consists of shock or panic, Jodi Dawson was not surprised. When Dawson found a lump on the side of her throat, she knew something was wrong. She said she had a few weeks to come to terms with it before …

Life throws curveballs at many of us. Sometimes, a quick response to those curveballs can be the difference between life and death. Through the quick reaction from David Harness and his doctors, Harness is still here today. “I had …

Six years ago, when Cedar Lake resident Molly Bernotus went to get her wisdom teeth removed, the oral surgeon found something in her jaw during an X-Ray. Thinking that it was some kind of cyst, the oral surgeon sent a biopsy to a lab to be examined. Turns …

Once she got it back, Kelley Weisenbacher decided to use her voice to compel people to actively attend to their physical health through regular checkups with a doctor. After being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2017, Weisenbacher realized how crucial it is …