Powered by Positivity in the Fight Against Kidney Cancer
Parton finds strength in her faith and support system.
When Wendy Parton talks about stage 4 kidney cancer, she begins with determination.
“I’m a survivor. I’m a fighter,” Parton said. “I’m not going to lie down, I’m not going to allow this to rule my life.”
Parton, now 45, was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma in 2022 after a gastrointestinal bleed sent her to the hospital for eight days. Doctors were focused on stopping the bleeding when a CT scan revealed something worse.
“Because of the difficulty of getting the bleed to stop, I had a CT scan done of my abdomen, and that was how I learned that I had a large tumor on my right kidney,” she said.
‘A Family Affair’
Within a month, she was under the care of Brandon Manley, MD, a surgeon in the Genitourinary Oncology Department at Moffitt Cancer Center. She remembers how quickly he moved from meeting her to scheduling surgery.
“He wasted no time getting me in and getting me a surgical day,” Parton explained. “It wasn’t even one month since my diagnosis that I was in to have my radical nephrectomy done, and he just was very passionate and caring. All the nurses were amazing.”
At Moffitt, Parton said the care feels personal. “It’s just a family affair.”
That connection has helped shape how she lives with the disease. “When coming to Moffitt, you don’t realize how many people are affected by this disease. And it’s just been very eye-opening for me. It’s a very humbling experience.”
Finding Strength in Faith, Positive Attitude
Parton believes her strength comes from faith, relationships and a constant positive attitude. She shared her experience at Moffitt’s recent Kidney Cancer Education Event. The conference brought together patients, caregivers and physicians to discuss advances in cancer research and care.
“Looking around the room and hearing people’s stories, it just goes to show that anything is possible,” Parton said.
Manley admires her determination and believes it’s what sets her apart as a patient. “She came with the right attitude. She took it all on and has a great support network,” he said. “Cancer doesn’t always do what we expect it to, and so to her credit, she has continued with that attitude and is continuing to fight. That’s the kind of inspiration that keeps me getting up in the morning.”
Parton shared her story at the Kidney Cancer Education Event on Aug. 15, 2025.
Be Your Own Advocate
For Manley, the first appointment with any new patient is about finding common ground. “The first job for me is to figure out what the patient knows or doesn’t know, so that we’re all starting at the same point.”
He urges patients to take an active role in their care, even when that means challenging initial recommendations. “Never should you take the first initial answer. When you’re dealing with something as serious as cancer, I think it’s worthwhile to do due diligence, and it’s also important to set up a support network,” he said.
Accelerating Pace of Progress
The symposium also spotlighted promising advances in treatment, including immunotherapy, targeted drugs and CAR T-cell therapy. Manley said the pace of progress is far different from what he saw early in his career.
“It’s changing rapidly now, and it’s good,” he said. “Like much in our world with AI and other technologies coming forward, we’re leveraging all those to advance kidney cancer at a pace that seemed impossible decades ago.”
For Parton, her focus remains on what she can control: her attitude and her faith. “There’s nothing easy about this journey,” she said. “It’s an emotional rollercoaster. Keep the faith and hope. That’s the most important part.”
