When Heidi Zeich was diagnosed with metastatic kidney cancer in March 2021, a dear friend—a 15-year cancer survivor—sent her a copy of Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds by Kelly Turner. The book offered Heidi a grounding framework centered on personal support, faith, physical movement, nutrition, and above all, hope. Today, past the five-year mark from her diagnosis, Heidi serves as the Executive Director of Residential Education at Georgetown University. She hopes that by sharing her story she may offer comfort and encouragement to others navigating their own cancer journeys.
Heidi’s path began after years of persistent back and side pain were initially categorized as routine musculoskeletal issues. When she was referred to a urologist at MedStar Georgetown, a CT scan revealed a massive tumor on her kidney. Within ten days, under the care of Dr. Kowalczyk, she underwent a radical nephrectomy. Because her surgery took place during the height of COVID-19 safety protocols, no visitors were allowed. Dropped off at the hospital doors and picked up five days later, Heidi leaned heavily on the warm, reassuring spirit of her surgical team to get through those lonely days.
Following surgery, Heidi met her oncologist, Dr. Michael Atkins, at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. He explained that while her cancer was aggressive and had already metastasized to her lungs, her relative youth and overall health made her a candidate for dual-infusion immunotherapy to pursue a cure-like response.
Her experience with immunotherapy was definitely a rollercoaster. Just two weeks after her first infusion, Heidi landed in the emergency room with a severe thyroid storm with aphasia that temporarily left her unable to speak or write. Six months later, routine blood work revealed dangerously high blood sugar, leading to a diagnosis of immunotherapy-induced Type 1 Diabetes—a rare side effect affecting less than 1% of patients.
Yet through every setback, her body was fighting back. By February 2023, her scans were clear – they showed No Evidence of Disease (NED). After a successful thyroidectomy in October 2023 to remove suspicious nodules, Heidi’s scans have remained clear ever since, now needing scans only once a year.
Throughout her care at Lombardi, Heidi focused on being an active partner in her health, making informed decisions alongside her care team rather than focusing on statistics. As she reasoned, if she could be in the 1% of people to develop treatment-induced diabetes, she could just as easily be in the small percentage of survivors. She also chose to frame her diagnosis thoughtfully: she doesn’t view cancer as a “battle” to be fought, but as something she lives with—a perspective that helps her honor her feelings without being consumed by them.
That mindset of resiliency became her anchor during the toughest days. She was deeply inspired by a line from Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning: “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” While a shift in perspective couldn’t make the physical pain or exhaustion disappear, it allowed Heidi to move through the lowest moments with grace and resilience. To stay grounded, she added yoga to her regular swimming routine, joined a peer support group through Healing Circles Global, and connected with others through Smartpatients, an online community where survivors can learn from people who live with their condition every day.
Heidi’s connection to BellRinger grew directly out of her deep gratitude for her care team at Lombardi. Dr. Atkins inspired her to get involved. Wanting to give back to the community that saved her life, Heidi signed up to volunteer as a member of Team Immunotherapy, and it quickly became one of the highlights of her year.
Every year during BellRinger Weekend, Heidi volunteers both at Friday night’s Opening Ceremony and early Saturday morning on Ride Day. Wearing her survivor pin, she loves connecting with participants, hearing why they ride, and ringing her cowbell with everything she’s got to send Riders off with energy and joy. One of her favorite moments happens every Ride when Dr. Atkins seeks her out in the crowd at her volunteer post just to check in.
For Heidi, BellRinger isn’t just an event; it brings together survivors, researchers, doctors, and loved ones in a way that feels uniquely powerful. As Heidi describes it, BellRinger acts as “the center of the wheel that brings us all together”—a community built on hope, resiliency, and shared purpose.
