When Your Friends Disappear After Diagnosis: Why People Ghost Those with Chronic Illness or Cancer
Release Date: 05/08/2025
Work, Hustle Culture, and the Sick Body
More Than A Diagnosis
What happens when your body can’t keep up with a world that glorifies the grind? In this episode, Jes and Den unpack the pressure to “push through” while living with illness and how hustle culture shapes our sense of worth. Together, they explore what it means to rest without guilt, redefine success, and find peace in slower seasons. This conversation is a reminder that you are not your productivity—your value doesn’t disappear when your energy does. 💬 Join the Conversation: We’d love to hear how you’re redefining work and rest in your own life. Share your thoughts in our...
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More Than “Love Yourself”: Redefining self-love when your body, capacity, and life have changed.
More Than A Diagnosis
In this episode, we talk about self-love in its most honest form: listening to your body, grieving who you used to be, setting boundaries without apology, and redefining worth outside of productivity. We explore what it means to care for yourself when “pushing through” is no longer an option—and why rest, community, and compassion matter just as much as resilience. This conversation is for anyone navigating illness, loss, or a season of life that requires more tenderness than motivation. If you’re looking for a space to continue these conversations, you’re always welcome in our free...
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When You Realize This Isn’t Temporary - Living with Chronic Illness
More Than A Diagnosis
There’s a moment that comes after diagnosis — and sometimes after survival — when you realize this might not be temporary. In this episode, Jes and Den talk about what it means to live with chronic illness from two perspectives: navigating long-term illness, and learning to live in a changed body after cancer. They explore the quiet grief no one prepares you for, the pressure to “stay positive,” and the slow, honest work of acceptance that doesn’t mean giving up. This conversation isn’t about fixing or forcing hope. It’s about gentleness, honesty, and learning how to build a...
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A Gentle Reset: Rethinking The New Year
More Than A Diagnosis
January comes with a lot of pressure to reset, restart, and reinvent yourself. But winter isn’t built for urgency, and not everyone has the capacity for big goals or fresh starts right now. In this episode, Jes and Den have a real, honest conversation about letting go of resolutions and embracing a gentler way of entering the new year. They talk about why January often feels so heavy, how rest is not a failure, and the ways they’re easing into the new year. This is an episode for anyone living with chronic illness, grief, burnout, or simply feeling behind. A reminder that you don’t need...
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Still Here: A Year-End Reflection
More Than A Diagnosis
In this mini episode, we pause to reflect on everything that’s happened and everything we’ve carried as the year comes to a close. We’ve pulled together moments from some of the conversations that shaped our year, reflecting on friendship, grief, gratitude, humor, and the small, often overlooked moments that make life feel a little lighter. This episode isn’t your typical “new year, new me” episode. It’s us giving ourselves, and you, permission to feel everything this year has brought and step into a new year with honesty, heart, and a little more ease. Show Notes / Clips...
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You’re Not Being Difficult: You’re Not Getting Answers - Medical Dismissal, Informed Consent, and Self-Advocacy
More Than A Diagnosis
In this week's episode, Jes shares about a recent GI appointment that left her needing more information and clarity which is something that, after cancer, doesn’t feel optional. Wanting to understand your symptoms, your options, and your plan isn’t refusal. It’s informed consent. Den brings both clinical and lived-experience insight, breaking down why clear explanations matter in chronic illness care and sharing a practical list of questions you can take with you to your next appointment to feel more prepared and empowered. This conversation is for anyone who has ever left an appointment...
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Grief, Gratitude, and Chronic Illness: How We’re Really Doing This Holiday Season
More Than A Diagnosis
In this week’s episode, Den and Jes slow things down and talk candidly about what it looks like to hold grief and gratitude at the same time especially when you’re living in a body that’s changed, tired, or still healing. Instead of trying to offer you a guide or tidy answers, this is a real-time conversation between two friends about the emotions that surprised us this season, the ones we’re still unpacking, and how both the heavy and the hopeful can coexist. We’re giving ourselves (and you) permission to feel it all — the joy, the ache, the overwhelm — and permission to not be...
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More Than a Diagnosis: Our Journey to Becoming a Nonprofit
More Than A Diagnosis
Today feels like a full-circle moment. More Than a Diagnosis is becoming a nonprofit! Jes and Den are joined by Nerisa and Karen — the four of them make up the board. In this episode, they give you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into who they are as a team, what brought them together, and what they’re most excited to bring to this community. Follow along at to stay updated, join the Support Circle, and be part of the journey as we grow together.
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Revisiting Our Conversation with Lys (In Honor of Her Birthday)
More Than A Diagnosis
In honor of our friend Lys’ birthday, we’re re-sharing the conversation we recorded with her last season. This conversation is filled with love, transparency, and the kind of strength that has touched so many in this community. Lys is currently on hospice, and she and her family are navigating significant medical and end-of-life expenses. If you feel called to support, you can find the links to support financially below. There’s no pressure, just an invitation to show up with love in whatever way feels right to you. And if you can not donate monetarily please consider sharing her story...
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Missing Pieces (Part 1): Life Without a Colon – Den’s Story
More Than A Diagnosis
In this first episode of our Missing Pieces series, Den gets real about how a mysterious abdominal mass led to a FAP diagnosis, a desmoid tumor, and eventually having her colon removed. Along the way, hundreds of precancerous polyps were discovered during a colonoscopy in her mid-30s — and her life hasn’t been the same since. Den keeps it honest and hilarious, talking about everything from bathroom habits and food struggles to what it’s like being a nurse with… let’s just say, gas. But this episode isn’t just about the messy stuff — she also shares how she’s found...
info_outlineOne of the hardest parts of a diagnosis isn’t just the illness itself—it’s watching people you love slowly fade away. In this episode, we dive into a painful but all-too-common experience: losing friends after a chronic illness or cancer diagnosis. Why do people ghost us when we need them the most? Is it fear, guilt, or simply not knowing what to say? We open up about our own experiences with fading friendships, break down the psychology behind why it happens, and explore the emotional toll it takes—from grief and self-blame to the loneliness that follows. We’ll also talk about how to cope, when to let go, and how to find the kind of support that actually sticks. If you’ve ever felt abandoned or invisible after your diagnosis, this one’s for you. You’re not alone—and the friendships that do survive? Those are pure gold. ✨ Join the conversation and find your people. Visit MoreThanADiagnosis.org to join our free Support Circle. It’s a safe, inclusive space for those navigating chronic illness or cancer to connect, heal, and be seen.