When Elizabeth Rogers became a mother to two foster daughters, she was ecstatic. She intended to adopt one of the girls and was ready to jump into the adventure of motherhood with both feet. Then, cancer stopped her in her tracks.
Rogers was 29 years old and had been experiencing blood in her urine off and on for about two years. She saw a series of specialists, including a hematologist, gynecologist and nephrologist, but none could find the reason for her bleeding. Rogers was eventually referred to a urologist who completed a cystoscopy to examine the inside of her bladder and urethra. Her worst fear was realized when she was told she had bladder cancer.
“The urologist walked in, did the procedure, told me I had cancer and walked out,” Rogers said. “I was told I would be scheduled for surgery, and we would go from there. I was terrified. I was a single mom, and I wasn't sure how I was going to do it.”
The news was shocking. Bladder cancer is more common in men than women and approximately 9 in 10 people diagnosed with bladder cancer are over 55. For a woman under 30 to receive this diagnosis is rare.
On top of her fears about fighting cancer while raising two children, Rogers also had concerns about her care team based on the cold manner in which she received her diagnosis.
Still, Rogers went ahead with surgery to remove her bladder tumor.
“I had my surgery, and everything was OK as far as I knew, but I went home that evening and ended up in a lot of pain. I was bleeding and vomiting blood. I ended up in the emergency room with a five-inch blood clot and was told my surgery was not done correctly,” Rogers said.
“This caused weeks of problems, where I was in and out of hospitals becoming weaker and weaker.”
A Second Chance at City of Hope
Rogers knew that her best chance of survival was to begin treatment elsewhere. Her best friend called City of Hope® Phoenix, and they immediately got in to see Farshid Sadeghi, M.D., director of its Genitourinary Cancer Center.
“When she came to City of Hope, Elizabeth had a known complication from resection of her bladder tumor, namely bleeding into the bladder. Unfortunately, she had a large blood clot and, in addition, she had a fairly sensitive bladder, which made her symptoms quite a bit worse,” Dr. Sadeghi said.
“Finally, she had endometriosis, which was also causing pelvic pain and exacerbating the situation. After the bladder clot resolved and her endometriosis was treated with hysterectomy, her pelvic pain improved dramatically.”
Next, Rogers underwent chemotherapy and leaned on her City of Hope community for support.
“My experience at City of Hope was amazing. Everyone was very welcoming and very helpful. I never felt alone. Being a single mom meant I went to appointments alone, but I quickly made friends with the staff. I also met Arpi and Mackenzie from City of Hope’s Cancer Fighters team. They were a huge support and helped me get through it. Everyone from the nurses to the check-in staff to the doctors were always supportive and cared about me as a person,” she said.
After years of suffering, Rogers was finally on the mend.
Life After Bladder Cancer
Now cancer free, Rogers is busy focusing on what she loves most: being a mother.
“My girls inspired me to get through the tough times. I have now been able to adopt three beautiful girls despite not being able to have kids, and I currently have a foster baby as well,” Rogers said.
Having beat cancer and built the family she always wanted, Rogers is making the most of every moment.
One new memory Rogers will soon create is riding on City of Hope’s float in the 2025 Rose Parade. Each year, several City of Hope patients are selected to participate in the parade, accompanied by a member of their care team. Rogers will be joined by Dr. Sadeghi.
“I am so gratified to know that Elizabeth has recovered from her surgery and currently has no evidence of cancer recurrence,” said Dr. Sadeghi. “I look forward to seeing her and celebrating at the Rose Parade.”
For cancer patients facing a similar path to the one she had to walk, Rogers has one important message: No one should ever fight alone.
"My advice to other cancer patients is to keep fighting and to find someone else going through treatment to vent to — they just get it. Also, reach out to your support systems and accept their help, even when you don't want to. Cancer is a hard journey, but you will get through it and overcome it. One day, you will look back and say, ‘I did it. It was hard, but I did it.’”