Older brotherCheryle Brandon, 52 years old, thought she had bloating and indigestion, but was examined for esophageal cancer – the disease with the “least chance of survival”.
“Cancer has taught me to be more humble and more grateful for life,” Cheryle said.
Cheryle Brandon started suffering from dysphagia in April 2022. Thinking she had gastric reflux, she went to her doctor and was prescribed omeprazole, a common medication that helps reduce stomach acid. Brandon said the medication worked, but the condition quickly relapsed and became more serious.
By November, she had difficulty swallowing and often choked when eating. Brandon decided to change his daily menu, ditching meat and eating only soft foods like barley crackers, ice cream and yogurt. However, the condition did not improve. She went to the doctor again and the doctor advised her to have a colonoscopy. The results showed that she had a 6 cm tumor growing on her esophagus, the tumor was inoperable, and her prognosis was a few months.
In February 2023, she had chemotherapy in the hope of being able to fight cancer. Her doctor warned her that she would have worse symptoms and would likely need palliative care. Brandon rearranges his work, possessions, and downloads the songs that will play at his funeral. She also talked about the severe effects of the treatment on her body. When she started therapy, she wore size 16 clothes. After a while, because she had to have a gastric tube, she lost weight and was only a size 10.
She continues to strive to defeat cancer every day and shares her experiences to encourage people with similar symptoms to seek medical attention early. Brandon’s story comes as esophageal cancer is ranked by researchers as one of the six “least survivable” cancers, along with brain and lung cancer.
Illustration of esophageal cancer tumor. Image: Mdanderson
In June, after a follow-up examination and CT scan, doctors suddenly announced that there were no longer any signs of cancer in her body. At first, Brandon was skeptical, even thinking the medical staff was looking at the wrong records, but they confirmed the results were accurate. Brandon must be tested every six months going forward, but she was told there was no longer any trace of the disease that nearly took her life. This made her extremely emotional. She added that the experience gave her a new perspective on life.
Each year, about 9,300 patients are diagnosed with esophageal cancer. About 50% of them will die within 12 months. The reason is that cancer is often detected late because the symptoms are unclear and easily confused. This makes treatment more difficult.
Speaking about his initial symptoms, Brandon said: “It didn’t feel like anything too serious, just like I had swallowed too much or that feeling you can get when you eat too fast.”
Potential symptoms of esophageal cancer include difficulty swallowing, nausea, heartburn or acid reflux, and excessive belching. Other possible signs include persistent cough, change in voice, loss of appetite, pain when swallowing, and rarely coughing up blood or black stools.