Your Stories: Conquering Cancer
Your Stories features candid conversations between patients, the people who love them, and the researchers looking for new treatments each day.
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Conquering Cancer with Soap and Science
05/20/2025
Conquering Cancer with Soap and Science
With a rare exception here and there, most scientists will at least complete a college-level science class before making their first cancer research breakthrough. Heman Bekele, on the other hand, is just wrapping up his sophomore year of high school. By the time he was named Time Magazine’s Kid of the Year in 2024, Heman was already generating buzz in the scientific community. The year before, he’d won the grand prize in the 2023 3M Young Scientist’s Challenge, in which kids compete to think of the most unique solutions to common problems. His entry? A soap that could potentially be used to treat skin cancer, inspired by his early childhood years in Ethiopia. “One of the things that really stood out to me was that a lot of people worked really long hours outside in the sun,” says Heman, who first began developing the idea when he was around 11 years old. Over time, he learned more about skin cancer, its prevalence in low- and middle-income countries, and the lack of awareness and treatments for patients in those countries. “I wanted to take action within the field of skin cancer and make it more affordable to get treatment,” he explains. From there, Heman began a long, slow, trial-and-error process that ultimately led him to soap as a treatment delivery device. “What is the universal product that everyone uses? I landed on soap, which significantly outweighed every other option.” In this episode of the Your Stories podcast, Heman discusses the story behind his idea for a soap to treat skin cancer, along with the need for affordable skin cancer treatment and the challenges of finding scientific mentors when you’re still too young to get a driver’s license.
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The Bell: A Viral Journey to Conquering Cancer
04/15/2025
The Bell: A Viral Journey to Conquering Cancer
It started—as these stories so often do—with fatigue. At first, Jace Yawnick simply chalked it up to a busy life and a job requiring frequent travel. But then he noticed something: There were times the fatigue kicked in when he hadn’t just gotten off a plane or done anything else particularly strenuous. “Intuitively,” Jace says, “something within me just knew something wasn’t right.” Then came the coughing and the back pain. It would be months—and more than one misdiagnosis—before doctors found the problem: Hodgkin lymphoma. As he processed the news of his diagnosis, Jace realized something: Facing cancer was not something he wanted to do by himself. And so, when he started to chronicle his cancer experience online, he was simply looking for catharsis and camaraderie. He got both—along with a community of 700,000-plus followers who’ve followed his entire journey in hopes of seeing the moment he fulfilled a cherished goal: to ring the bell and declare himself cancer-free. In this episode, Jace talks to Your Stories host Dr. Mark Lewis about what it’s like to share your cancer journey with thousands of people, the importance of advocating for yourself, and the role of community when it comes to conquering cancer.
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The Comeback: How Emma Learned to Love Life Again
03/18/2025
The Comeback: How Emma Learned to Love Life Again
The first cancer diagnosis was scary enough. “I feel like Hollywood actually gets this moment pretty darn right,” Emma says, recalling the day—not long before her 18th birthday—that she learned she had cancer. “The world around you kind of slows down, you get tunnel vision, maybe a little dizzy. The only thing you can really hear is your breathing and your heart rate.” Eventually—following multiple rounds of chemotherapy—Emma was declared cancer-free. But then came the second diagnosis. “The key difference between the first and second time is that the first time, you have fear of the unknown. You don't know what's coming for you, and you don’t know what you don’t know,” Emma says. This time, however, she knew all too well. “I did know what was coming for me. I know what I'm going to be facing. And I would argue that that is almost worse. But, if you're gonna relapse, there's only one positive: You know how to do it better this time.” In this episode of Your Stories, Emma joins her oncologist, Conquer Cancer-funded researcher Dr. Molly Taylor, for a candid discussion about resilience, recovery, and what helped her make a major comeback after facing cancer twice.
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Misinformed: The Online Rise and Real-Life Risk of Medical Misinformation
02/18/2025
Misinformed: The Online Rise and Real-Life Risk of Medical Misinformation
Whether you find it on social media, via search engine, or on a popular news website, it often seems like medical misinformation is everywhere, including in the cancer space. Maybe it’s the claim that sugar causes cancer to spread faster. Maybe it’s someone saying that people with dark skin don’t get skin cancer. Or maybe it’s the conspiracy theory that drug companies and government agencies are withholding the cure for cancer so they can continue to profit from expensive oncology care. These are just a few examples of purported cancer facts you might encounter online—and none of them are true. From misinterpreted oncology research to race-related stigmas and myths, the spread of cancer-related misinformation runs rampant, taking an increasing toll on global health and often hampering our efforts at early detection and prevention. In one 2022 study, researchers found harmful misinformation in approximately 32.5 percent of the cancer-related English-language publications they analyzed. “Unfortunately, what we're frequently seeing in online networks is that the worst-quality information actually receives more engagement than the high-quality information,” says one of the study’s lead authors, Dr. Stacy Loeb, a Conquer Cancer recipient whose spent years researching the consequences of misinformation for patient health. “The structure of online networks can lead to much more rapid and widespread misinformation than we ever would have seen in the past.” In this episode of Your Stories, Dr. Loeb joins ASCO’s Sybil Green to discuss the rise of misinformation online, its impact on the cancer landscape, and how people across the cancer community can help to turn the tide.
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Two Cancers, One Lung, and Seven Summits
01/21/2025
Two Cancers, One Lung, and Seven Summits
While his teenage classmates were getting ready for school, then-13-year-old Sean Swarner was watching the water rise in the shower, his hair clogging the drain. His first cancer diagnosis—and the subsequent treatment regimen—took an immense toll on his self-image and well-being. That morning in the shower, he remembers, all of the fear and despair overcame him: Sean collapsed to his knees, tears and tap water streaming down his face. “I remember looking at myself in the mirror,” he recalls, “and I couldn’t even recognize who was looking back.” After a year of treatment, Sean reached remission. But then, two years later—during a follow-up with his oncologist—Sean and his parents received shocking news. His doctor had found a second cancer: an Askin sarcoma, a rare and aggressive tumor in his chest that eventually left him with only one functioning lung. Worse still, Sean’s chances of survival appeared slim. In the years to follow, Sean became the first cancer survivor to summit Mount Everest, before eventually completing each of the world’s Seven Summits (the highest mountains on each of the seven continents). That includes three attempts on Mount Denali, the tallest mountain in North America and one of the world’s most dangerous—ultimately reaching the summit in 2017. “In my mind,” Sean recalls, “I kind of jokingly thought to myself, ‘If this fool who’s had two cancers and has one lung can climb to the top of the world, that might inspire some people.’” In this episode of Your Stories, Sean joins host Dr. Mark Lewis to discuss how conquering cancer shaped his life and set him on a course to complete some of the world’s most prized adventuring achievements. He also talks candidly about the motivations behind these achievements and his hope that others will look at his accomplishments and take away a simple message: If a guy with one lung can do it, so can you.
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Lessons in Self-Care (and Self-Love) with Cancer Fashionista
12/17/2024
Lessons in Self-Care (and Self-Love) with Cancer Fashionista
For patients with cancer, the holiday season can be particularly difficult: How is anyone supposed to prioritize self-care and recovery at a time when much of the world is going on about the joys of giving? As a breast cancer survivor and a career fashion and beauty publicist, Melissa Berry is all too familiar with that challenge, along with the massive toll cancer can have on a person’s self-image. Enter Cancer Fashionista, a platform she’s built to help patients and survivors navigate cancer without sacrificing their self-confidence, self-worth, and self-empowerment. In this episode of Your Stories, Melissa shares her story—including how she turned her cancer journey into a brand and a platform that reaches thousands of patients and survivors every day.
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Big Time Adulting: Kids, Cancer, and a Lesson in Laughter
11/19/2024
Big Time Adulting: Kids, Cancer, and a Lesson in Laughter
Caitlin Murray has mastered turning life’s setbacks into something that brings joy to the 1.5 million people around the world who follow her Instagram page. When her 3-year-old son, Calum, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2016, Caitlin and her family’s lives were quickly filled with doctor visits, grueling treatments, and endless uncertainty. Soon after Calum’s devastating diagnosis, Caitlin launched her blog, Big Time Adulting, to help keep her family informed and to cope with the challenges of parenting a child with cancer. However, Caitlin’s unique style of humor ultimately amassed an enormous audience. Today, with Calum in remission, Big Time Adulting serves as a multimedia outlet where Caitlin writes and shares about life, love, parenting, and the many ups and downs along the way. In this episode of the Your Stories podcast, Caitlin discusses how maintaining a sense of humor can be a powerful antidote to the unforeseen obstacles that life can bring. She also reflects on the impact of practicing gratitude, including why it matters to raise support for cancer research.
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Strength She Never Knew
10/15/2024
Strength She Never Knew
Every 14 seconds, someone is diagnosed with breast cancer, making it one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in the world, second only to lung cancer, and the leading cause of cancer-related death among women globally. And, while a cancer diagnosis can be devastating for anyone of any age or gender, one group faces a particularly unique and complex set of challenges: young working mothers. It’s a reality that Irish patient Aisling O’Brien knows all too well. Aisling spent most of 2023 undergoing numerous rounds of treatment—including breast-conserving surgery right before the winter holidays—all while parenting three young children. “I'm slowly getting back to what is now my new normal,” says Aisling, now that she’s through treatment and cancer-free. “It's given me a lot of perspective. I don't sweat the small stuff. I don't get nervous about things anymore, because what's the worst that could happen? It's shown me that I have a strength that I never knew I had.” It helped that Aisling had a medical oncologist who was there to support her and her family every step of the way: Dr. Michaela Higgins. A two-time Conquer Cancer grant recipient based at St. Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, Dr. Higgins has led numerous clinical trials for patients with breast cancer, helping to advance new treatments and cures. In this Your Stories episode, Aisling and Dr. Higgins join host Dr. Mark Lewis for a conversation about the many challenges that come with balancing motherhood and breast cancer, along with the promising future of breast cancer research and care.
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Picking Up the Pieces After Childhood Cancer
09/17/2024
Picking Up the Pieces After Childhood Cancer
Prom. Graduation. College. These are just a few rites of passage that high school seniors everywhere look forward to. But for Auburn, a devastating turn of events tilted her entire world off its axis and put all her senior year plans on hold. At just 18 years old, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. Instead of graduating with her classmates and going to senior prom, Auburn endured numerous rounds of lymphoma treatment, which is notorious for being incredibly taxing, especially for younger patients. Fortunately, one of Auburn’s providers, Dr. Raymond Mailhot, is uniquely qualified to help patients find the best and least traumatic course of care. A two-time Conquer Cancer-funded award recipient, Dr. Mailhot focuses on improving radiation oncology for younger patients in the U.S. and in Latin American countries. With his Conquer Cancer funding, he’s determined to improve radiation treatment options for pediatric patients—research that has helped inform his approach to Auburn’s care. In this Your Stories episode, Auburn and Dr. Mailhot have a heartfelt exchange about the many difficulties that cancer brings, especially for younger patients. Together, they reflect on Dr. Mailhot’s thoughtful approach to providing care for Auburn and the ways that Auburn has persevered to carve a promising path for her life.
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Three Months at a Time
08/20/2024
Three Months at a Time
Gabriele “Gabe” Grunewald was a professional distance runner and a relentless optimist. She competed in Big Ten Championship races, became an NCAA track and field All-American athlete, and finished 4th in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. Such accomplishments become even more impressive when you learn that—even as she racked up accolades and wins—Gabe also faced cancer numerous times. In 2009, Gabe was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer called adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). Then, in 2010, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Despite these circumstances, Gabe persevered, continuing to train and run professionally. She also became a rare cancer advocate, launching the Brave Like Gabe Foundation to encourage other patients and survivors to embrace their own courage and chase their dreams. In June 2019, after a decade of living with ACC, Gabe passed away at her home in Minneapolis surrounded by loved ones—including her husband, Dr. Justin Grunewald. An ultra-marathon runner himself, Dr. Grunewald is also an internal medicine specialist and chair of the Brave Like Gabe Foundation’s Rare Cancer Research Working Group. He joins the Your Stories podcast to share more about Gabe’s story and legacy, along with the importance of supporting rare cancer research so that patients with these rare diseases have more hope for better outcomes.
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Skin Cancer 101: Spotting the Ugly Duckling
07/16/2024
Skin Cancer 101: Spotting the Ugly Duckling
Whether you’re relaxing on the beach, taking a hike in nature, or hitting your favorite water park, we’ve heard it time and time again: Excess sun exposure increases the risk of skin cancer, so protect your skin and apply your sunscreen. Of course, while some skin cancer risk factors are unavoidable, we all know there are proactive, preventive steps we can take—like applying sunscreen and limiting sun exposure—to decrease our risk. But what if you could do something that not only protects yourself from skin cancer, but also people around the world? Although numerous milestones have been made in skin cancer research and treatment, there remains significant room for improvement when it comes to treatment and care. Dr. Lynn Schuchter is director of the Tara Miller Melanoma Center at Penn Medicine and a former president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, or ASCO, for short. Having dedicated her career to caring for patients with skin cancers, Dr. Schuchter knows all too well how much progress still needs to be made in the field of skin cancer research and care. Today, Dr. Schuchter joins the Your Stories podcast to talk about the importance of prevention, patient-centered care, and the past, present, and future of skin cancer research and treatment.
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Bringing Better Cancer Care Back Home
06/18/2024
Bringing Better Cancer Care Back Home
For Dr. Kekoa Taparra, cancer is deeply personal. Growing up in a remote area of Oahu, Hawaii, Dr. Taparra witnessed his younger cousin’s struggles with neuroblastoma. He watched his mother lift and carry his aunt, too weak to walk because of breast cancer. He heard the sharp cries of another aunt suffering with endometrial cancer. These early experiences drove Dr. Taparra to not only dedicate his career to oncology and cancer research, but to focus on addressing the various inequities that face Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities—from low rates of inclusion in clinical trials to geographic barriers to cancer care. In 2023, Dr. Taparra received the inaugural Dr. Judith and Alan Kaur Endowed Young Investigator Award through Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation. With this support, he launched a research project that uses machine learning to explore the various drivers of NHPI cancer disparities and helps categorize NHPI cancer data more effectively. He joins Your Stories host Dr. Don Dizon to share more about this important work and how his upbringing fueled his dedication to conquering cancer for every patient.
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Why Hasn’t Cancer Been Cured?
05/21/2024
Why Hasn’t Cancer Been Cured?
Not only does cancer predate the practice of medicine, but it may also predate the human species entirely. In 2016, archeologists in South Africa unearthed a large 1.7 million years-old bone fragment, ultimately revealed to be the toe bone of an ancient but unknown species of human dating back millennia. On that piece of bone, they discovered something else: a malignant tumor. It’s a stark reminder that, for as long as their profession has existed, oncologists have been studying and treating cancer. For many, it raises a frustrating question: After so many centuries of studying cancer, why haven’t we cured it yet? The answer is complicated. Dr. Otis Brawley joins the Your Stories podcast to help us better understand what makes cancer such a complex and persistent adversary. In addition to being a professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University and a former chief medical and scientific officer of the American Cancer Society, Dr. Brawley is a member of Conquer Cancer’s Board of Directors and editor of The Cancer History Project, a free online resource dedicated to documenting the history of cancer in medicine. He talks with host Dr. Mark Lewis about why cancer has not yet been “cured” and about how our study and understanding of it has evolved over time.
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Stopping the Stigma
04/16/2024
Stopping the Stigma
What do esophageal cancer, testicular cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, and colon cancer have in common? Each carries some type of stigma or taboo—whether because they’re linked to behavioral causes or because they affect portions of the anatomy traditionally deemed private. The impact of these stigmas can be detrimental: In some cases, stigmatized cancers receive less research funding, resulting in fewer treatment innovations for patients. Moreover, stigmas often result in patients hesitating to seek critical diagnostic care, increasing the risk that their cancer won’t be caught until it’s too late. April is National Cancer Control Month, which aims to cut the U.S. cancer death rate in half by 2028. Although better cancer screening is a vital step toward that goal, many people do not get screened—a structural problem made worse by cancer stigmatization. In this episode of the Your Stories podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Stacy Wentworth, an award-winning oncologist and cancer survivorship expert. As medical director of cancer survivorship at Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Health Comprehensive Cancer Center, she has two decades of experience with leading patient-centered care teams in diverse settings. Dr. Wentworth is also the founder of her weekly Substack, Cancer Culture. In this forum, she explores how personal, scientific, and sociocultural factors shape attitudes toward cancer, including the various stigmas and difficult conversations that may come with it.
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A Collaborative Approach to an Uncommon Cancer
03/19/2024
A Collaborative Approach to an Uncommon Cancer
Imagine receiving a cancer diagnosis, only to immediately learn that not only has it spread to other parts of your body, but it’s also incredibly rare for it do so—so rare, in fact, that little to no research exists to inform your treatment. Katie Coleman doesn’t need to imagine this: She’s lived it. In December 2020, at just 29 years old, Katie was diagnosed with metastatic oncocytoma, a type of kidney cancer so rare that fewer than 10 cases have been recorded in history. Consequently, it’s also remained largely understudied, underfunded, and overlooked in cancer research. Luckily, Katie found Dr. Pavlos Msaouel, an oncologist and a three-time Conquer Cancer grant and award recipient with an incredibly niche research focus: targeting rare kidney tumors. Despite a lack of research about Katie’s specific type of tumor, Dr. Msaouel’s experience with targeting rare kidney tumors—informed by his Conquer Cancer-funded research—enabled her care team to hone in on an approach that ultimately left her with no evidence of disease. Now a cancer survivor and patient advocate, Katie has made it her mission to share her story and help others learn to more effectively navigate cancer care. In this episode of Your Stories, Katie speaks with podcast host and fellow survivor Brenda Brody about what she found most helpful during her cancer experience and the empowering impact of shared decision-making between providers and patients.
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The Woman Whose Cells Lived On
02/20/2024
The Woman Whose Cells Lived On
Henrietta Lacks: Her name is forever intertwined with Black history and medicine. Her cells are the source of the world’s first immortalized human cell line. Without her consent, her biological material was used to make groundbreaking advancements in research in a wide range of conditions and diseases, including AIDS and polio to radiation treatment and cancer care. More than 70 years have gone by since Henrietta Lacks passed away from ovarian cancer at age 31. And yet, today, the Lacks story remains just as relevant for Black patients in the U.S. and around the globe. In this episode of Your Stories, we’re joined by Dr. Clyde Yancy, a member of the Henrietta Lacks Foundation Board of Directors and a professor of medicine and vice dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Northwestern University. Dr. Yancy provides unique insights into Lack's unforgettable place in history, the implications for building and maintaining trust in modern medicine, and what can be done to foster equity and representation for Black patients in cancer research. Together with host Dr. Don Dizon, he also unpacks the importance of diversifying the medical workforce and why it matters for Black patients and patients of color to see themselves in their providers.
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“So Much to Do”
01/16/2024
“So Much to Do”
Long before he was a world-renowned neurosurgeon, Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa was a 5-year-old boy selling food at gas stations in his native Mexico. But he wanted to dream bigger: At 19, he left his native Mexico in hopes of a better future. Despite speaking little English and having no money, he felt it was his chance at better supporting his loved ones. He was right. After two years of working manual labor, he decided to build a better future for himself, ultimately earning a scholarship to the University of California Berkeley. Next, he applied and was accepted to Harvard Medical School. After earning his medical degree, Dr. Quiñones began his career as a neurosurgeon in 2005 at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He subsequently received a Conquer Cancer grant to help advance research for patients with brain tumors and other neurological cancers. In this Your Stories episode, Dr. Quiñones tells host Dr. Don Dizon about the challenges he faced on the path to becoming a physician-scientist. He also discusses the inspiration he derives from providing care for patients, how his grandmother influenced his career path, and the role that philanthropy has in building the next generation of cancer researchers.
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A Boulder Approach to Conquering Cancer
12/19/2023
A Boulder Approach to Conquering Cancer
Athlete, professional climber, reality show participant, competitor, physician, and cancer survivor: Favia Dubyk embodies the definition of conqueror. But facing advanced-stage lymphoma during her second year of medical school caused a major setback in Favia’s athletic life. Surgical treatment and chemotherapy had devastating effects on her identity as an expert rock climber: She had gone from ascending boulders to struggling just to open her fridge. It took Favia years of dedicated training to reach and surpass her baseline level of fitness. Even today, as an alum of extreme sports competition shows like NBC's American Ninja Warrior and USA's Race to Survive Alaska, Favia continues to feel the effects of conquering late-stage lymphoma and grueling cancer treatments. In this episode of Your Stories, Favia tells Dr. Mark Lewis – who also received a cancer diagnosis while in medical training – about the experience of surviving cancer as a professional athlete. She encourages oncology providers to better understand their patients' aspirations in life and tailor treatment plans based on those goals. Favia also discusses what kinds of emotional support she found most helpful during treatment, what drives her as a cancer pathologist to help patients make sense of their medical results, and why it matters for people conquering cancer to appreciate the little things in life.
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Co-Survivors, Part 2
11/21/2023
Co-Survivors, Part 2
By the time internet-comedy power-couple Kristin (“Lady Glaucomflecken”) and Will Flanary (“Dr. Glaucomflecken”) were 35, Will had survived cancer twice, along with a sudden cardiac arrest. Throughout these traumatic experiences, Kristin took on the role of caregiver. In at least one case, she was also his lifeline. Between her experience marrying into medicine, caring for a partner with a life-altering diagnosis, and her background in social psychology and cognitive neuroscience, Kristin brings a unique array of perspectives and insight to the cancer advocacy table. In this episode of Your Stories, we welcome Kristin back to share more about being a caregiver, the challenges of navigating U.S. healthcare, and why cancer advocacy is so vital.
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Thinking Pink and Beyond
10/17/2023
Thinking Pink and Beyond
You’ve seen them: the pink ribbons pinned to your senator’s suit jacket. Runners dressed in head-to-toe pink athletic gear, racing for a cure. Football players streaking down the field in pink cleats. It wasn’t always like this. Long before people began thinking pink, breast cancer remained fairly stigmatized, a taboo subject only discussed behind the closed doors of a doctor’s office. Today, though, the conversation around breast cancer has reached a level of nearly unrivaled ubiquity, thanks in large part to a huge collective of philanthropists, advocates, physicians, scientists and patients around the world who, more than 30 years ago, decided it was time—perhaps even long past time—for a change. In this episode of Your Stories, Conquer Cancer’s executive vice chair Dr. Clifford Hudis is joined by Dr. Judy Garber, scientific director of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and CNN reporter and two-time breast cancer survivor Athena Jones. Together, they talk about the history behind the advocacy movement for breast cancer, what it is that keeps the conversation going, and what everyone—including those trying to conquer other cancers—can learn from this rise in breast cancer advocacy.
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From Chickens and Ice Cream to Clinical Trials
09/19/2023
From Chickens and Ice Cream to Clinical Trials
As a little girl, Kenedi loves eating ice cream, drawing stories about her family’s chickens, and playing with her sister. But at age 7, after feeling sick for some time, a cancer diagnosis upended Kenedi’s life. Despite being the top disease-related cause of death for children, pediatric cancers are still considered rare. As with most rare diseases, childhood cancer receives far less research funding compared with more common cancers. The consequence? Fewer breakthroughs or treatment options for patients. Even so, elevated investment in childhood cancer research has provided a lifeline for kids like Kenedi, ultimately increasing their odds of survival. Funded by a Conquer Cancer grant, her own oncologist, Dr. Wendy Allen-Rhoades, dedicated significant effort to identifying warning signs signaling the presence of sarcoma cells in the body. This donor-supported research resulted in a clinical trial that ultimately — and successfully — informed Kenedi’s treatment. By age 8, Kenedi was in remission. In our latest Your Stories podcast, Dr. Allen-Rhoades talks to host Brenda Brody about caring for Kenedi, why raising awareness and funds for childhood cancer research is so critical, and how supporting Conquer Cancer helps pediatric oncologists and the children they treat.
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The More You Know
08/15/2023
The More You Know
Imagine you—or a loved one—receives a cancer diagnosis. Overnight, you find yourself trying to become an oncology expert, desperately looking for information about options. You stumble across a research paper that looks promising—if you could make sense of all the science-speak. Then you find Cancer.Net, the patient information website of Conquer Cancer and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). This doctor-approved resource makes cancer terminology easier to digest and offers the latest guidelines on research and treatment. In this episode of Your Stories, host and cancer survivor Brenda Brody is joined by Dr. Jyoti Patel, a clinical oncologist and the editor-in-chief of Cancer.Net. Together, they unpack some of the year’s biggest research breakthroughs, explain what makes these findings meaningful for patients, and talk about the long-term impact of donor-funded research. They also share why providing cancer information in lay terms is essential to raising awareness and support.
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Dentistry to Oncology
07/18/2023
Dentistry to Oncology
For patients with oral cancers, treatment is often just the beginning of their journey. Even after they emerge cancer-free, many still face a long journey to recovery and restored quality of life As a maxillofacial surgeon and oncologist, Dr. Chi Viet concentrates heavily on helping her patients to not only conquer this rare cancer, but to more easily and effectively manage their pain along their road to recovery. Using a Conquer Cancer grant, Dr. Viet worked to find epigenetic biomarkers –– or hereditary indicators –– of oral cancer survival, with the goal of personalizing patient care In this episode of our Your Stories podcast, Dr. Viet speaks with host Dr. Don Dizon about her early career evolution from dentist to cancer surgeon and how her own patients help to advance rare cancer research for current and future patients.
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Spreading the News About Colorectal Cancer Research
06/20/2023
Spreading the News About Colorectal Cancer Research
NBC journalist Craig Melvin’s 43-year-old brother, Lawrence Meadows, passed away from colorectal cancer in 2020. Since then, Craig has made it his mission to increase public awareness and raise support for colorectal cancer research. Along with two-time Conquer Cancer grant recipient and colorectal oncologist Dr. Kimmie Ng, Craig joins this episode of our Your Stories podcast to emphasize the critical role donors play in advancing colorectal cancer research. Hosted by Dr. Don Dizon, Craig and Dr. Ng share a candid conversation about the stigmas and misconceptions around colorectal cancer, along with the impact of Dr. Ng’s ongoing research. They also discuss the stark rise of diagnoses in Black patients and young adults, and how donor support is bringing new discoveries to patients.
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Building a Bridge to Hope
05/16/2023
Building a Bridge to Hope
Support communities for people conquering cancer form a critical bridge between the worlds of social work and oncology and offer immense benefits for people transitioning from patient to survivor. Stephanie Stern, a licensed professional counselor, support group facilitator, and program director at a nonprofit community organization, helps people to more effectively manage the mixed emotions that come with conquering cancer. In this episode of our podcast, Stephanie joins Brenda Brody, a breast cancer survivor and Your Stories host, to share how support communities help people navigate their experiences from diagnosis through treatment and beyond.
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From Disappointment to Discovery
04/21/2023
From Disappointment to Discovery
At just 19 years old, Anya was diagnosed with Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD), an extremely rare and incurable blood cancer. After three years of unsuccessful treatments, Anya was quickly running out of options. In this episode of our Your Stories podcast, Anya’s mother, Colleen, and one of Anya's oncologists, Conquer Cancer-funded researcher Dr. Jithma Abeykoon, discuss the complexities of uncovering her diagnosis, the disappointment of failed treatments, and the relief and surprise that came when they discovered a new treatment option that finally worked.
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Generations of Courage
03/17/2023
Generations of Courage
For some families, cancer is in their genes. But this didn’t stop Hattie Sherman from conquering it. Hattie is a third-generation survivor of hereditary breast cancer, with her mother, Molly, and grandmother having experienced the diagnosis as well. Fortunately, as cancer research continues to advance, treatments are vastly improving for each generation of patients. In this episode, Hattie, Molly, and Dr. Patt join Your Stories host, Dr. Mark Lewis, for a candid conversation about the intergenerational impact of conquering cancer. They talk about the turbulence and challenges that breast cancer brings and explain why sustained support for cancer research is necessary for advancements in treatment to continue.
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Re-Release: A Conversation About Race in Cancer Care
02/17/2023
Re-Release: A Conversation About Race in Cancer Care
In 2022, one of our most popular Your Stories episodes was the conversation featuring Dr. Karen Winkfield, who is a Biden-appointed member of the National Cancer Advisory Board and one of the country’s leading experts in advancing health equity. We are re-releasing this episode to highlight the lasting importance of addressing health disparities and working to eradicate structural racism in cancer research and oncology care. Dr. Winkfield unpacks why cancer risks are higher and survival rates are lower for Black people and discusses the health disparities facing people from disenfranchised communities.
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"It's Treatable"
01/20/2023
"It's Treatable"
Lillian Kreppel had to advocate for herself and seek a second opinion before receiving a delayed diagnosis: HPV-related stage II anal cancer. During treatment, she found stark limitations in HPV information, including lack of public awareness and patient education, inadequate guidelines for cancer screening, and a lot of HPV-related social stigma. Now a survivor, Lillian leads the HPV Cancers Alliance, an advocacy organization she co-founded to help improve HPV education for patients, providers, and the public. She shares key lessons for patients navigating screening and treatment, debunks stigmas and myths surrounding HPV, and highlights the importance of patient advocacy and donor-funded research.
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It Takes a Team
12/16/2022
It Takes a Team
Less than 1% of patients diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) – the most aggressive type of brain cancer – live longer than a decade. But Molly is one of those rare survivors. Her best friend, Martha, and Martha’s sister, Conquer Cancer board member Dr. Amy Peterson, fiercely supported Molly every step of the way. Molly tells Your Stories host, Dr. Mark Lewis, how she navigated her experiences with cancer. Martha recounts how she supported Molly through her journey. And Dr. Amy Peterson discusses how cancer research informed Molly’s course of care. Together, the trio celebrates the power of leaning on loved ones for support and shares why donor-funded research is vital to advance treatment for all patients.
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