Health

For the past 12 years, 65-year-old Mitzi Soltys has been battling ovarian cancer. Soltys first moved to the Valley in 1997 from Colorado, a choice she made with her then-husband, who subsequently died of renal disease in 2001.

Robert Roberts, a successful financial banker, was experiencing stomach pains daily, leading to a diagnosis of Stage 4 stomach cancer. It had spread through his waist and up to his chin, leaving him with three months to live. That was four years ago.

Crystal Reidy, a 37-year-old community affairs worker for Maricopa County, first discovered a lump while she was breastfeeding her 6-month-old baby in early 2012. A mammogram later confirmed her fears: she had breast cancer.

The world of health is never at a loss for important, cutting-edge topics. So, we let four highly respected Valley doctors hold the writing reins, asking them to explain what they believe is a leading health care topic of the times. From e-medicine to stem cell transplants, here’s what they had to say.