Patient Stories | Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey

Patient Stories

The impact of comprehensive, compassionate care and the hope of cutting-edge cancer research at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey can be conveyed in numerous ways by numerous people – doctors, nurses, scientists – but the best champions to share these incredible stories of courage, survival and determination are the patients themselves. We invite you to learn more about their inspirational journeys.

Saving Grace
When Grace Eline was diagnosed with a brain tumor, teams at Rutgers Cancer Institute and Newark Beth Israel Medical Center joined forces on her unique care to get this fourth grader back to being just a kid again.

Read more about Grace's story

A Full Measure of Life
A rare form of appendix cancer left Allan Schwer wondering about next steps. Some research about a complex surgical procedure offered only at a handful of centers around the country led him to Rutgers Cancer Institute and a new chapter in life.

An Eye on the Future
A retired firefighter, Jim Gritschke is used to tough battles. When faced with stage 4 kidney cancer, he found an arsenal of resources at Rutgers Cancer Institute to meet this challenge head on.

Read more about Jim's story

Healing a Healer
What happens when the doctor becomes the patient? Facing a rare, aggressive blood cancer, Dr. Douglas Krohn turned to an experienced bone marrow transplant team at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey to get him back on track.

Read more about Doug's story

A Deeper Understanding
A diagnosis involving a second adrenal tumor for Hemabahen Parikh initially led to some confusion, but after consulting with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey's Endocrine/Neuroendocrine Tumor Program, things became very clear.

Read more about Hemabahen's story

Hiding from Cancer No More
An unusual presentation with a breast lump had Tina Baines seeking expert opinion as to whether she had cancer. This busy mother of five found answers at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

Read more about Tina's story

Inside A New Melanoma Immunotherapy Trial
A virus associated with the common cold might not be what one thinks of when treating melanoma. At Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, an immunotherapy clinical trial using this approach is helping Nick Vojnyk enjoy life once again.

Read more about Nick's story

Combatting Cancer on Many Fronts
Treating stage 4 cancer is challenging, often requiring multiple modalities. For Christine Hearn, it meant finding a care team with expertise in all of them. She found that care at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

Read more about Christine's story

Munson's Story
More than 20 years ago Munson McLeod underwent a successful stem cell transplant to conquer his non-Hodgkin lymphoma by a caring, dedicated team at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. He and his family reflect on their journey.

Read more about Munson's story

A Breast Cancer Warrior
Diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2014, Kriss Fierro went into ‘warrior’ mode to fight it. By her side were her family, friends and a devoted healthcare team at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey in conjunction with RWJBarnabas Health. As you’ll hear in Kriss’story, she couldn’t have beat back her disease without them – all of them.

Read more about Kriss' story

Guerrero del Cáncer de Mama
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