Kidney Cancer Patient Stories

My experience at Fox Chase Cancer Center began during my retirement, a time when most people look forward to relaxing and pursuing hobbies.

I wasn’t expecting the doctors to tell me I had cancer. It all started in December of 2020 when I had back surgery. Afterward, I started to feel a numbness in my legs. I’d go horseback riding and couldn’t tell if my feet were secure in the stirrups or dangling uselessly in the open air. Horseback riding is a big part of my life, so I had to figure out what was wrong.

The fact that we caught my kidney cancer so early is amazing. It was the day before my regular medical exam in 2021, and I was going through some old medical records. I just happened to have them with me because I had changed doctors.

My journey with kidney cancer actually started when I fell in my driveway and injured my eye. I had to go to the hospital for treatment, and they gave me anesthesia before stitching up the eye. After they sent me home, I had trouble urinating.

My name is Norm Faus III. I live in Lititz, Pennsylvania, which is about 80 miles west of Philadelphia. My wife and I have been married for 53 years. We have two grown children and several grandchildren. That makes me an old man of 73.

Generally, I’ve been very healthy over the years. The only thing I did develop, about 20 years ago, is peripheral neuropathy. It was what the doctors call idiopathic, meaning I didn’t have diabetes or cancer or anything that would have caused it to develop. Otherwise, I haven’t had any serious health issues.