This is a guest post by Amanda Reitz, a mother of three children who were 13, 9, and 5 years old when she was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Amanda is also a newly graduated nurse and wife. My cancer journey started in December 2021 when I went to my primary care physician (PCP) for a regular checkup and medication refills. Previous to this, I was relatively healthy, only having generalized anxiety and being overweight. I was feeling tired, but I attributed that to being a single mom, working full-time as a medical assistant, and going to nursing school full time. I wasn’t having any other symp ..read more

This is a guest post by Christopher Wood, Jr, son of the KCA’s late Board Chair and friend, Dr. Christopher G. Wood, a world-renown urology surgeon at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Follow Chris’s “Journey to 30” as he aims to raise $30,000 by his 30th birthday on September 14th for the KCA’s Dr. Christopher G. Wood Endowment. As I approach my 30th birthday, I can’t help but reflect on the impact my father, Christopher G Wood MD, has had on my life. He was not only a dedicated physician who gave his all to his patients, but also a loving father who supported me in everything I di ..read more

This is a guest post by Kieran Smith, 55, a musician based in northern California. Late last year, a gallstone blocked a duct in my gallbladder, and I went to the ER. After an hour or two, with the help of an IV, the stone dislodged itself and I felt better. The ER staff was going to release me, but I insisted on a CT scan to confirm the diagnosis. Kieran with his son Brendan, wife Sue, and daughters Megan and Allison. I am very glad I did. The scan incidentally (meaning by chance) found a mass on my right kidney. A follow up MRI confirmed that I had clear cell renal carcinoma – kidney cancer ..read more

This story an excerpt from a blog post at City of Hope Orange County in California. Read Marcelo Vine’s full story at City of Hope. Photo courtesy of Marcelo Vine. When you hear Marcelo Vine talk about his passions — flying the experimental plane he built himself, winning national car races in his Porsche 944 — it’s hard to imagine anything could keep him down. That spark to make the most of every day continued during his treatment for kidney cancer at City of Hope Orange County. “I’m living life to the fullest as a way of expressing gratitude and because it’s important to make the most of eve ..read more

This is a guest post by Amy Homnick whose husband Brian Travalja has stage 3 renal cell carcinoma. This story originally appeared on Amy’s Instagram page in celebration of Brian being 1-year cancer-free. I still get goosebumps thinking back to September 20th, 2022. It is the day our lives changed forever. My husband Brian called me at 4:42pm to tell me the doctor found a 10.4 cm mass on his right kidney. My knuckles turned white as I gripped my phone, heart racing and my body was trembling. Then denial took over, “it can’t be real, they have the wrong patient, they meant mm not cm ..read more

This is a guest post by Reagan Inglee, 20, whose father, Clinton Griffin Inglee, died of kidney cancer in 2019. Growing up, I had a bond with my dad like no other. I was the definition of a “daddy’s girl”, and I was proud to hold that title. I was my dad’s only daughter, so I was always termed his #1 daughter. It was something I proudly told my friends about, and it made me feel special. Cancer was something I didn’t have much exposure to. I lost my mom mom to ovarian cancer, but I was far too young to understand grief. However, in 2017, a received a FaceTime call that would alter my life fore ..read more

The 2024 International Kidney Cancer Symposium (IKCS): Europe, taking place in Sitges, Spain on April 18-20 will feature three special awards – including the keynote lecture – for prominent experts in kidney cancer. Register now. Dr. Bernard Escudier Dr. Bernard Escudier is the former chair of the genitourinary group of the Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, France. He will receive the Nicholas J. Vogelzang Humanitarian Award for his service to kidney cancer patients and deliver the 2024 IKCS: Europe Keynote Lecture. Dr. Manuela Schmidinger Dr. Manuela Schmidinger is a Professor of Me ..read more

This is a guest post by Teri Brown-Walker, a KCA Ambassador and a renal cell carcinoma survivor. In 2021 I was diagnosed with two cysts on my left kidney and was told it was filled with fluid. I was told back then that the cyst was so small and not to be too concerned. However, I was given options to have them removed but all I heard back then was “not to be too concerned”. Fast forward to 2023, those cysts turned into real life cancerous tumors that had begun to spread and I ended up having a partial nephrectomy in January 2024. After surgery, the pathology report in fact confirmed that the t ..read more

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in Boston, Massachusetts recently recognized the Kidney Cancer Association (KCA) for supporting researchers at the institution with over $1 million in funding. KCA’s name was placed on the DFCI’s Benefactors Wall, located on the third floor of the DFCI’s Yawkey Center for Cancer Care. “We are so pleased to honor KCA’s tremendous support of kidney cancer research in this way,” said Karen Ossen, Director of Foundation Relations for DFCI and The Jimmy Fund. The KCA has been supporting innovative kidney cancer research since 1995 when they awarded their fir ..read more

This is a guest post by Nicole Scott, whose husband Keith is diagnosed with kidney cancer. Together, they organize “Keith’s Cause” to raise awareness about kidney cancer where they live in Ohio. Keith Scott My name is Nicole Scott and my husband’s name is Keith Scott. We live in a small rural town just south of Columbus, Ohio called Circleville. Our small town is known for the Pumpkin Show which brings in visitors from all over the world and shuts our town completely down for a whole week! Keith has worked at the local hospital for 11 years this coming April. He is known for going out of his w ..read more