Your Stories: Conquering Cancer

California cyclist Mark Crafts, stunned with a mid-life cancer diagnosis, trusts in cancer research to keep rolling on the most unpredictable ride of his life. He tells Dr. Mark Lewis how, with his support from his Team Crafty family, friends, and cycling crew and an unflinching hope in cancer research, he keeps rolling toward the next big breakthrough.

Jana Hirsch’s mom died from cancer when she was a little girl, so she knows all too well the feelings of pain and loss her 11-year-old daughter, Nika is enduring. Nika's dad, Rico, died from cancer last year. In this Your Stories podcast, Jana offers advice for helping children mourn and Nika shares how helping others keeps her dad’s memory alive. 

Dr. Karen Winkfield and Dr. Don Dizon are two of the country’s foremost leaders in advancing health equity. During Black History Month, they offer a very candid discussion on why cancer risks are higher and survival rates are lower for Black people, while addressing the disparities facing all patients from underrepresented, excluded, and disenfranchised communities.

Emmy award-winning journalist Loriana Hernadez-Aldama takes you behind the scenes of her incredible and emotional story surviving leukemia and then breast cancer. Loriana believes being “prehabilitated” helped her take on treatment, and she challenges you to be ready in case you are faced with an unexpected diagnosis or recurrence. 

Dr. Nathalie McKenzie is a global caregiver, an innovative scientist, and an advocate for equitable care whose patients celebrate her compassion and determination. She is also a breast cancer survivor who knows firsthand how Cancer Research Saves Lives™.   In the latest Your Stories podcast, meet one of the many researchers Conquer Cancer supports as she shares her thoughts on the greatest needs in cancer care and discusses the ways Conquer Cancer donors are “Making a Difference.”

Kristin and Will Flannery are the First Couple of Comedy. Will – aka @DGlaucomflecken on the internet and comedy stages, aka Dr. Flannery to his optometry patients, and aka Dad to the two kids he shares with Kristin - aka @LadyGlaucomflecken - is a two-time testicular cancer survivor; he also survived cardiac arrest – all before age 35.

Breast cancer survivor Brenda Brody tells Dr. Mark Lewis how she endured the mental anguish of treatment, why she became a mentor, and why she shares her story to help others. 

In the latest Your Stories podcast, 12-year-old Cain and his mom, Tawny share with host Dr. Mark Lewis how their family maintains hope and what others can do to help families who are conquering cancer together.

Dr. Lewis, who self-diagnosed his MEN1, understands how patients can feel doubted and judged. Among the ways both Dr. Lewis and Dr. Dizon believe patients can best be served is shed any blame associated with a cancer diagnosis.

Soon after recovering from Hodgkin lymphoma, Lisa Geller’s cancer returned. Then another shocking diagnosis: endometrial cancer. In the latest Your Stories podcast, Lisa, a teacher, tells host Dr. Don Dizon what she learned when her treatments did not go as she or her doctors expected.

Why representation matters. Why pronouns matter. And why it matters more than ever for patients with cancer from the LGBTQ+ community to be counted and welcomed.  Scout, MA, PhD, executive director of the National LGBT Cancer Network, tells host Dr. Don Dizon why be believes erasing the implicit bias and stigma LGBT patients often face begins with doctors and allies asking the uncomfortable questions and feeling comfortable admitting when they “just don't know what they don't know.” 

In the latest Your Stories podcast, Brenda Brody introduces you to fellow co-host Dr. Don Dizon. They talk mental health, sexual health, and the challenges facing LGBTQ+ patients that inspire Dr. Dizon’s work to achieve equity in cancer care.

Childhood friends, both breast cancer survivors, relive the joy and fears of their experiences and share why patients shouldn’t conquer cancer alone.

Steve Cooper tells Brenda Brody how helping other people who have been diagnosed with larynx cancer, he found the will to recover - physically and emotionally - from squamous cell carcinoma.

What did Stacy White do after being diagnosed with breast cancer for the third time? She got a new degree, changed careers, and as she tells host and fellow survivor Brenda Brody, refused to let the disease deter her dreams. 

In Follow the Signs, Monique Robinson shares how trusting her instincts, her doctors, and the family supporting her guided her path as she survived breast cancer.  Host Brenda Brody, cancer survivor and advocate, talks to Monique about the challenges of enduring treatment, talking to children about a parents’ diagnosis, and living with the fear of the cancer returning. 

Nancy and Alex Berry were shocked when their son, Jake, was diagnosed with testicular cancer during a sports physical. He was only 16. In this episode of Your Stories, the devoted parents discuss what it’s like to watch your child compete against cancer and share how the experience changed their family forever. Nancy and Alex Berry were shocked when their son Jake was diagnosed with testicular cancer during a sports physical. He was only 16. In this episode of Your Stories, the devoted parents discuss what it's like to watch your child compete against cancer and share how the experience changed their family forever. Jake is six feet, 10 inches tall and an incredible athlete. And with his athleticism, he's had a few injuries along the way, two knee surgeries. Jake was about to be cleared to go back to sports after rehabbing from his second knee surgery. So on this day in January of 2018, we went to the orthopedic surgeon and had such joy when we found out he was cleared to go back to sports. And then we were

Kimberly Irvine was used to taking care of the people she loved.  Conquering breast cancer – twice – forced the young mom to learn how to take care of herself in a whole new way. In a conversation with fellow philanthropist Riccardo Braglia, Kimberly shares how cancer changed her family and offers advice for patients who meet cancer in the prime of their lives.   TRANSCRIPT PRESENTER 1: Life doesn't stop for months and dads when they hear those dreaded words, "You have cancer." But how do you take care of your family while searching for your own care team, scheduling doctor appointments, and dealing with the side effects of treatment? Kimberly Irvine has some tried and true advice. She was a young mother of two when she conquered breast cancer twice. In this episode of Your Stories, Kimberly talks to her friend and fellow research advocate, Riccardo Braglia, about why it's OK, even necessary, for patients to put themselves first during treatment and offers tips on answering the tough questions children have a

International business leader Riccardo Braglia has experienced great loss from cancer. But the perspective he gained inspires what he gives to help patients everywhere. Riccardo shares his story with ASCO CEO Cliff Hudis, MD, FACP, FASCO.   TRANSCRIPT PRESENTER 1: When cancer took the life of his best friend, Riccardo Braglia redirected the focus of his international health company to improving treatment for patients with cancer. Then cancer took his mom. Inspired by his mother and the many loved ones he's lost to cancer, he is now a major contributor to cancer research. In this episode of Your Stories, Riccardo talks to his friend and ASCO and Conquer Cancer CEO, Dr. Clifford Hudis, about coping with loss, embracing life's special moments, and what he sees as the future of cancer care. DR. HUDIS: So Ricardo, we all come to where we are in life from very diverse paths and backgrounds, and we're curious about your childhood, especially given that you grew up in Europe. Can you tell us a little bit about what

In this episode of Your Stories, Dr. Applebaum shares the hopeful news about conquering childhood cancers with fellow oncologist Dr. Douglas Yee and gives doctors’ orders for how all patients with cancer and their families can face every phase of a diagnosis with childlike hopes. Dr. Mark Applebaum, a kid at heart, uses every trick in the coloring books he shares with his young patients to improve the often long and brutal treatments they face. In this episode of Your Stories, Dr. Applebaum shares hopeful news about conquering childhood cancers with fellow oncologist Dr. Douglas Yee. He gives doctors orders for how all patients with cancer and their families can face every phase of a diagnosis with childlike hopes. So I'm a medical oncologist. I take care of breast cancer patients. So back when I was in medical school and training, I really wanted to be an all-purpose physician that took care of people. When I was thinking about that I said, well, maybe I would like to be a pediatrician. I went to do my pedi