U.S. Olympic skater, Maia Shiboutani, was regaining her strength after her December 2019 kidney cancer surgery when quarantine orders descended. Although “beyond thankful” the cancer was detected early, recovery has forced the once-vibrant Olympian to dig deep: “I've realized to an even greater extent that it's ok to be vulnerable and accept help."
Read More“We believe that healthcare workers need our help so that they can keep themselves, their families, and their patients safe,” Shiboutani announced on Instagram They each chipped in $1000 and launched GetUsPPE on Go Fund Me. One day later, the campaign reached $10,000 and now tops $36,000.
Emergency Surgery: Kidney Cancer
Shiboutani was visiting New York in December 2019 when a “stomach virus” sent her to the emergency room where the tumor was discovered. She returned home to LA where she underwent surgery before Christmas, according to her Instagram page. The diagnosis was (SDH)-deficient renal cell carcinoma.
By early March she was back in the gym, but said, “cancer changed who I am.” Like many in the cancer community, she's found herself “re-defining what recovery means after a cancer diagnosis.”
"I can't change that I had cancer and needed surgery, or that healing is taking longer than I expected,” she posted on Instagram in March. “I can't go back, and I've realized that I don't want to."
"There have been really sad and scary times," she adds, "and I haven't spent the past few months like I originally planned.”
“Working On Healing and Processing”
As Maia has discovered, the healing process is emotional as well as physical. “What would you do if you found out you had cancer?” she asked on National Kidney Cancer Day in June. “For the past six months, I've been figuring that out every day – one day at a time.”
“I'm still working on healing and processing. Some moments are really hard,” she admits. “Acceptance is my daily battle. It's tough, but I believe in the fight.”
Lauren Chiarello was 23 when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Searching for her “new stride” after treatment, she began competing in marathons.
“If you're struggling with something now and feel broken, be kind and patient with yourself,” she says, sharing words that have sustained her: “This quote helps me. Maybe it'll help you, too,” said Shiboutani. “There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." – Leonard Cohen
Treatment Options for Kidney Cancer
Kidney and renal cell pelvic cancers can develop in adults or children, and represent about 4.2 percent of all new cancer cases per year in the U.S. about 73,820 new cases last year. The five-year survival rate for kidney and renal pelvis cancer is about 74.5 percent.
These cancers account for about 2.4 percent of cancer deaths in the U.S. There are two main types of kidney cancer that occur in adults: renal cell cancer and transitional cell cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Renal cell cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in tubules of the kidney. Smoking and misuse of certain pain medicines can affect the risk of renal cell cancer although this isn't the case with an Olympic athlete like Shiboutani.
Signs of renal cell cancer include blood in the urine and a lump in the abdomen. Other signs of the disease may include pain in the side that doesn't go away, loss of appetite, weight loss for no known reason, and anemia.
Treatment for renal cell kidney cancer usually includes some combination surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy.
For renal cell cancer, surgery is a common treatment practice. Types of surgery include:
- Partial nephrectomy, a procedure to remove the cancer within the kidney and some of the tissue around it. A partial nephrectomy may be done to prevent loss of kidney function when the other kidney is damaged or has already been removed
- Simple nephrectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the kidney only
- Radical nephrectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the kidney, the adrenal gland, surrounding tissue, and, usually, nearby lymph nodes
Transitional cell cancer of the renal pelvis and ureter is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the renal pelvis and ureter.
A personal history of bladder cancer and smoking can affect the risk of transitional cell cancer of the renal pelvis and ureter. Signs and symptoms of transitional cell cancer of the renal pelvis and ureter include blood in the urine and back pain.
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