Last fall, Threasa McWilliams thought she might have pneumonia. She was having difficulty breathing and her condition was not improving. In September, she decided to go to the emergency room.

That’s where McWilliams, 47, received the news that floored her. She said doctors informed her that she had Stage IV lung cancer. She was also told her cancer had spread to her breasts, abdomen and spine, among other areas in her body. Even though she is undergoing chemotherapy, those treatments are only meant to give McWilliams a better quality of life in the near term. She said her cancer is terminal, and it’s unknown how much time she has left.

After being diagnosed with mouth cancer earlier this winter, Dale Blosser was in a real bind. In order for his radiation and infusion treatments to begin, he needed to find a new dentist to remove many of his teeth. The problem, he said, was that most were not accepting new patients due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lauren Lenhert-Geyer said she was an emotional wreck last summer when she learned that she had breast cancer. The news arrived for the 34-year-old York County woman after what was initially believed to be a cyst was detected during an annual visit to the doctor. She decided to go for further testing, including a biopsy, that confirmed the news that shook her.

“I could tell I was in shock. I didn’t expect to hear that news. I called my mom right away and as soon as she answered, I balled,” Lauren said.

It was about seven years ago that Jim and Yvonne Richter learned that their daughter, Michelle, was diagnosed with lung cancer. The news arrived after Michelle was admitted to the hospital for what she thought was a strong case of the flu. It also came roughly three years after she had a cancerous kidney removed in an earlier trip to the hospital.

The cancer returned, spread to other parts of her body and eventually took Michelle’s life. She was 47 years old when she died in November 2013.

It’s been nearly five years since Greg Bortner was faced with one of the hardest decisions of his life. After doctors found a cancerous tumor on his trachea, the tube commonly known as the windpipe, he was presented with options for treatment.

His doctors told him he could pursue a surgery that would only remove part of his trachea, leaving intact the larynx, which holds the vocal cords. But that option left a greater possibility that cancer could still be present after the surgery. Recognizing that reality, Greg chose a more invasive operation that has made it very difficult for him to speak.