Patient Stories
When a Hoag ER Nurse Became a Patient: How a cancer diagnosis saved her life and her family
When Amy Rudder first noticed a lump in her right breast, she wasn’t concerned. At just 27, the Hoag ER nurse thought she was too young to have breast cancer. Her perspective shifted dramatically, however, after she met with Hoag OB-GYN Brooke Hargrove, M.D., who ordered an ultrasound. “I made the mistake of looking over … Read More
Diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer, patient finds path to healing at Hoag
In the summer of 2024, Janice Munemitsu, an Orange County native, found herself among a growing number of Asian women with a rare form of lung cancer. “As someone who doesn’t smoke and has been healthy all my life, it was a shock,” she said. What began as a sudden onset of a rare eye … Read More
Navigating the cancer gene at Hoag: One family’s story
Since the discovery of genetic mutations BRCA1 and BRCA2 in the 1990s, testing for the genes has become a common course of action among patients and families with a history of certain cancers. According to the National Cancer Institute, the lifetime risk of breast cancer for a woman with a BRCA mutation is as high … Read More
Hoag patient receives newly FDA-approved cancer treatment
Shahin Shelechi, 72, is incredibly optimistic–so much so that it’s difficult to comprehend the magnitude of what she has endured throughout her 30-year cancer journey. “You have to have hope,” she said. “And whatever I can do to help even one person, I will do it.” First diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994, the disease … Read More
Male breast cancer patient revitalizes life on the road thanks to care at Hoag
For Larry Arvin, a routine physical in 2013 ended with a unique and troubling diagnosis: He had breast cancer. “Initially, I was pretty shocked,” he said. “The fact that nobody really knows what’s going on with men’s breast cancer, that’s the challenge. The serious aspect is the effects of breast cancer when it metastasizes into … Read More
Hoag’s #1 Priority Is You: Tricia Takasugi’s Breast Cancer Journey
When Tricia Takasugi first discovered a lump in her breast, she knew she had to act quickly. A close friend, a breast cancer survivor who was treated at Hoag, urged her to seek care without delay. “She said, ‘You cannot wait two months or three months to see a doctor.’” Following that advice, Tricia called … Read More
One Woman’s Positivity Finds a Home in Hoag’s Comprehensive, Compassionate and Innovative Care
We have a choice about how to react to the heartaches of life. We can wallow in the dark places. Or we can, as Christine Lucas has, place the hummingbird feeder in the sunniest part of the garden, find a comfortable chair and enjoy the gift of being human. After losing two partners to cancer, … Read More
Finding Strength and Resilience: Jennifer’s Journey Through Breast Cancer at Hoag
Fall 2023, Jennifer Drinkwater scheduled an appointment with the Hoag Breast Center to get a second opinion on her small, non-invasive breast cancer diagnosis. Upon further screening, board certified fellowship-trained breast surgeon Dr. Elizabeth Kraft, discovered Jennifer had been misdiagnosed. Jennifer was diagnosed with HER2-positive invasive breast cancer, which had spread to her lymph node. … Read More
Idaho Brain Tumor Patient Finds Home She Needed at Hoag
Pictured: Paul and Tricia Dietzler take a selfie together the morning before her second surgery at Hoag. What was an Idaho woman with a brain tumor doing driving almost 1,000 miles across two state lines to get to Orange County, California? Tricia Dietzler was in too much pain to contemplate that question as her husband, … Read More
Hoag Treats First Patient with Aquablation, A New Procedure for Benign Prostate Enlargement
Diagnosed with an oversized prostate and 200 bladder stones, Andrew experienced symptoms of uncontrolled urination. A blood test confirmed that he also had an increased risk for prostate cancer. So, when doctors asked Andrew if he would be willing to wait for treatment, it was not a given that his answer would be, “yes.” But … Read More