Vincent P. Pace
Cancer Foundation
Fighters Stories
If you would like to share yours or a loved ones story please reach out to us.
01
Nicholas Mosca
"My name is Nicholas Mosca, I'm 22 and I am currently studying for my entrance to medical school. My main goal in life is to become a doctor to help those who are suffering and bring them a sense of comfort during their most difficult times. I have been in their shoes and I know what it is like to feel at your lowest when you have given up hope and feel like you have lost.”
In October 2022, Nicholas's dreams were put on hold as he was diagnosed with testicular cancer after he found a small lump the size of a pea in his left testicle through self examination and professional testing.
“At the age of 22, I never expected to get cancer, especially testicular cancer, as such my world turned upside down.”
Nicholas was a patient at MSKCC and performed a needed surgery to remove the testicle. Nicholas then had to go through a series of more tests due to elevated lymph node levels where he was recommended by his oncologist that the removal of lymph nodes in his chest should be removed and analyzed for cancer.
“I cried knowing that my dreams of becoming a doctor were going to be held off for another year as I had to win the war against cancer.”
Nicholas underwent surgery in November, taking out 27 Lymph nodes which after testing the pathology reported that the lymph nodes were not cancerous.
“All I could do at that moment was cry tears of joy. Despite having a very visible scar that goes from my chest to my groin, I am lucky to say that I have won the war against cancer and I am back on my path towards becoming a doctor.
Nicholas has been in remission since and goes for precautionary necessary testing as required. Doctors have given him the okay to resume normal life gradually again.
“I have been feeling pretty much back to normal, I see my scar as a badge of honor, to show people that I was in a war against cancer and I was very lucky to beat that war. I learned that cancer can spike you at any time, anywhere. I was the epitome of health, I always ate right, exercised, and looked after my body. However, cancer doesn't care if you are a triathlon runner or a kindergarten student, it will strike and it will strike at you fast. What I want people to take away from my story is to please get yourself checked. If you are a man, take five minutes of your day to check your testicles. If you are a woman, check your breasts and go for a mammogram. A simple check up will be the difference between life or death.”
02
Ashley Amorin
"My name is Ashley. I am 27 years old. I was diagnosed with cervical cancer in December. I went for my routine Pap smear a month beforehand. A week later I got a phone call saying my cells came back abnormal. I had no idea what that meant. My Gynecologist told me I would need a colposcopy which meant a procedure to have a piece of my cervix removed and biopsied to test for cancer. I got a call about a week later from my doctor and she told me to come in, At that point I knew it wasn't good news. I went in walked into the office and heard the three words no one wants to hear "you have cancer". I was in complete shock and never thought this could happen to me. I felt like the world went silent and I became numb. I was referred to an oncologist."
"The next morning I met with him he did a brief physical exam and said most likely all I needed was surgery & that this was a stage 1 cancer."
After the procedure was done in which 8 lymph nodes were removed, further testing showed one lymph node was cancerous. This put Ashley at stage 3 cancer which meant treatment was needed.
"My treatments consisted of 25 external radiations, 6 rounds of chemo, and 5 internal radiations.
Treatment was rough. I felt very fatigued, I had no energy to do anything. I felt nauseous on chemo days. I didn't have much of an appetite. It was physically and mentally very hard but I pushed through because as dark as it was I did see a light at the end of the tunnel."
"I've learned so much about life and myself during this journey. I learned that life can change in a blink of an eye, I learned that life is way too short and we all should live everyday like it's our last. I learned that the small things that used to matter don't matter anymore. I learned to cherish every single moment and person in your life. Most importantly I learned that I am stronger than I ever imagined. I also grew my faith closer to god and asked him to carry me throughout this time."
"This journey has led me to a new passion & that's to help people. I want to help people like all e my nurses and doctors helped me. I have my first 3 month scan in June to see if I am officially in remission."
"I was very private with my journey because I had a hard time accepting that it was my reality but I am finally able to share my story. If my story can help at least one woman go book her Pap smear to avoid this happening, I'll be happy. Don't be afraid of a Pap smear, don't put it off for a later date, go yearly, it's a 5 minute doctor's visit to save yourself from this horrible disease."
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Coming Soon . . .
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