Category Archives: patient story

How breast cancer affected three Central New York women

Posted on July 17, 2017 by

Surgeons work together to provide mastectomy, reconstruction Paula Malecki, 47, of Cicero Diagnosed: July 3, 2015 Concern: A red spot on her breast seemed to get brighter in the shower. A friend insisted she see a doctor, who sent her … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, drugs/medications/pharmacy, health care, medical imaging/radiology, patient story, surgery, women's health/gynecology | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pictures of cheer: Young photographers aim to brighten days of kids at Upstate Cancer Center

Posted on July 10, 2017 by

BY JIM HOWE A recent patient and his 8-year-old twin are using their love of animals to spread cheer to other youngsters being treated at the Upstate Cancer Center. Ashton Miller, a third-grader from Fayetteville, has received drug infusions at … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, community, entertainment, fundraising, health care, kidney/renal/nephrology, patient story, Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital/pediatrics | Leave a comment

Her diagnosis leads to career

Posted on June 30, 2017 by

Katherine Frega was a high school junior in Westfield, N.J., in May 2010 when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. She transferred her cancer care to Upstate when she became a student at Syracuse University in 2012. Frega graduated from … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, health care, health careers, medical education, medical student, patient story, Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital/pediatrics

A detour: Medical student learns about health care as a patient

Posted on June 28, 2017 by

BY AMBER SMITH Medical student Alex Paley was in his third year of medical school when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor on Jan. 18 and underwent emergency surgery. He has been in treatment since then. He would much … Continue reading →

Posted in brain/spine/neurosurgery, cancer, community, fundraising, health care, health careers, medical imaging/radiology, medical student, patient story | Tagged

Settling in: Newcomers to CNY found jobs, a home – and a doctor

Posted on June 19, 2017 by

BY AMBER SMITH When she moved to Syracuse two summers ago, Andrea Scheibel, 32, had a rare form of anemia that required blood transfusions, sometimes as often as every week. She got sick in 2014 when her body stopped making … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, health care, pathology, patient story, research, technology | Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Adventurer sees what’s possible

Posted on June 16, 2017 by

Tim Conners of Fulton is a blind adventurer who set out to — and did — summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak. He set out in late May, after graduating from Ithaca College, and reached the summit in early June. … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, disability, eye/vision/ophthalmology, fundraising, health care, patient story, Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital/pediatrics | Tagged , , , ,

Young brothers battle cystic fibrosis together

Posted on March 31, 2017 by

  BY AMBER SMITH The day after Trevor Delaney turned 6, his mother took him for an appointment with his pulmonologist, Zafer Soultan, MD. The division chief of pediatric pulmonary medicine at Upstate was eager for Trevor to start taking … Continue reading →

Posted in digestive/gastrointestinal, drugs/medications/pharmacy, illness, lung/pulmonary, patient story, Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital/pediatrics | Tagged , , ,

Oneida High School student learns to live with brain cancer

Posted on March 22, 2017 by

  BY JIM HOWE A run of severe headaches over a couple of weeks in 2015 led to an Oneida teen’s diagnosis of brain cancer. “I would throw up a lot and couldn’t eat. It hurt really bad,” describes Breonna … Continue reading →

Posted in adolescents, brain/spine/neurosurgery, cancer, health care, HealthLink on Air, medical imaging/radiology, patient story, surgery, Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital/pediatrics | Tagged , , , , ,

Removing a hidden cancer: Surgeon avoided nerves when he removed prostate; patient – and wife – are thankful

Posted on March 20, 2017 by

BY AMBER SMITH Prostate cancer usually grows slowly. Unfortunately, Patrick Young’s cancer was aggressive, and furtive. It hid itself around the top side of his prostate, in the back, where a biopsy needle would be unlikely to reach. Fortunately, Patrick … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, health care, men's health, patient story, sexuality, surgery, technology, urology | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Syracuse University student died at a Carrier Dome basketball game – and lived to tell about it

Posted on March 13, 2017 by

February 4 was “pretty much a typical morning” for Alex McMillan, 20, an economics major at Syracuse University. An alto sax player, McMillan would be at the noon basketball game against Virginia as part of the Sour Sitrus Society. He … Continue reading →

Posted in emergency medicine/trauma, genetics, health care, heart/cardiovascular, patient story | Tagged , , | 3 Comments