Campfires of Hope: Stories of Cancer

Lena Rutherford was just 24 years old when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, in the prime of her social life. After receiving the news, she left Chicago with a moment’s notice and headed back home to her family in Colorado, leaving behind her apartment and friends. There, she started six months of chemotherapy. During that time, she often felt lonely and isolated, partly because she was s...

Emma Reese was two weeks from her 28th birthday when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2016. She had just been married the year prior and her daughter was six months old. At first, she was numb to the news, but she pushed through and went into “go mode” because she had treatment to start and a baby to care for. After completing chemo and beating cancer for five years, Emma had a recurre...

Lana Boes, a.k.a Donut, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2007 and beat it. After six years of being cancer-free, however, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. As chemotherapy treatment eventually stopped being effective, Lana began to lose hope--until she qualified for a clinical trial and miraculously went into complete remission.  Despite having no evidence of disease, Lana didn't feel like...

When Mike Scherer was 26, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. After beating cancer, Mike and his wife, Megan, hoped to start their family. They went through infertility treatments during what became a difficult, isolating, and emotional journey. After two and a half years, they were happy to learn they’d be having a son! The Scherers’ experience led them to found Worth the Wait, a nonprofit t...

Ronald Bye, a.k.a. Big Hoss, was 20 years old when he discovered that what he thought was a hernia was actually testicular cancer. Being that it was the 1970s, diseases with a “sexual” connotation weren’t openly discussed, particularly by a young male. As a result, Ron didn’t tell anyone other than his family and boss about his cancer. He kept this secret for 30 years and shut down all emotion. He...

Nicole Gleason and Jared Scorsone are both part of the training team at BFitBWell, a cancer exercise program offered by the University of Colorado Cancer Center. They detail how the program works and how it improves strength, stamina, and quality of life for cancer patients during and shortly after treatment. In addition, they describe the mental and emotional benefits that exercise can have, incl...

When Dr. Amy Rothenberg, a breast and #ovariancancer survivor, finished #chemotherapy in 2015, she pledged to do a sprint triathlon with her entire family just six months later. To this day, she still completes at least one each year. She focuses on regular exercise, eating an anti-inflammatory diet, working on her “head game," and being outdoors, enjoying nature as much as possible. Her advice to...

Asa Newell was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2020 when he was 17 years old. In response, he thought, “I can either curl up in a corner or I can be the most positive person I can be.” He chose the latter. Asa details the challenges of being in high school as a young adult cancer survivor, primarily how others his age didn’t always know how to react when they found out about his cancer. Stayin...

Nancy Ferro, a.k.a. Mama Lou, founded Epic Experience after her son Michael was diagnosed with testicular cancer. She joins the Campfires of Hope podcast to share her experience as a caregiver and mother of a adult child with cancer. Mama Lou details how she coped and provided support despite being told by Michael, “I have cancer and we’re not going to cry about it.” Cancer affects the entire fami...

Missy Burgess was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic. As a result, she spent many months physically isolated from others and had to get creative about finding support in her medical team, online cancer survivorship meetups like Epic Experience’s Campfire Chats, and Facetiming with her friends. Missy details how she was able to take advantage of her extra...

Just as Edie “Blaze” Harrison was feeling as fit and healthy as ever, she tested positive on her Cologuard at-home colorectal cancer screening. In March of 2021, she was diagnosed with rectal cancer. Blaze went through chemo, radiation, and surgery before she was declared NED in January 2022.  Despite a clean bill of health and a positive outlook on life, she was still new to the process of being...

At first, Denny “Stretch” Williams chalked up his abdomen pain to a muscle strain. But the pain worsened over the next few months, and in January of 2022, Stretch was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Though difficult, Stretch and his wife were up front with their two teenagers and kept them in the loop each step of the way. After five rounds of chemo and 28 radiation treatments, Stretch was decla...

Mike Craycraft is a testicular cancer survivor and founder of the Testicular Cancer Society. In 2006, Mike felt a lump and knew it was cancer. He decided not to go to the doctor or tell anyone about it, and instead opted to live like he was dying. He even went so far as to throw his own “going away” party.  After living with cancer in the shadows for seven months, he finally went to the doctor whe...

In 2010, Lee Walinchus took on a new role in addition to husband and father. After his wife, Mary, was diagnosed with cancer and started an intense chemotherapy regimen, Lee became chief caregiver to his wife and their three young daughters. The family was blessed with a helpful community, and Lee also took charge of coordinating the support efforts. To automate communications with others and proc...

On this episode of Campfires of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer , we sit down with Jackie Wesley, the founder and executive director of Fighting Together to Save Lives. Jackie is a uterine and breast cancer survivor who was first diagnosed in 2003. Jackie’s cancer journey inspired her to become a cancer advocate, especially to the African-American community. She discusses the challenges of providing eq...

Megan Clifford, a.k.a. Disney, was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma when she was just 11 years old. Being diagnosed at such a young age, she often struggled to relate to her peers, find social support, and develop her own identity and voice. Once she reached her 20s, Disney took it upon herself to seek out support and found Epic Experience. At camp, she realized that she needed a communit...

Jessica Stapleton, a.k.a. “Tree Hugger,” is a Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor who attended an Epic Experience weeklong camp this past summer. Before camp, Tree Hugger thought she was doing just fine with her cancer journey. Through her week of trying new activities and connecting with other survivors, however, she realized she hadn't truly processed her cancer experience. Tree Hugger came home with a...

In honor of Giving Tuesday, the Epic Experience staff came together for a live roundtable chat to discuss their experiences working for the organization. Nancy, Mark, Colin, and Chris share their favorite mission moments, what they're looking forward to in 2023, and how donations support Epic Experience's mission to empower the cancer community.

On this episode of How to Cancer, Joanna Morales discusses how to understand your legal rights when facing cancer.  Joanna is a cancer rights attorney and also the CEO of Triage Cancer.

Brad Glassel, a.k.a. B-Rad, is a prostate cancer survivor and Epic Experience camp alumni. On this episode of  Campfires of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer , Brad highlights the importance of finding community during the cancer journey. Brad shares his initial challenges with his cancer diagnosis and how reaching out and connecting with other cancer survivors empowered him to thrive in the cancer commu...

Nate Krugman, a.k.a. Lemon, is a testicular cancer survivor who attended a weeklong summer camp with Epic Experience. Ever the optimist, he shares his story about taking life by the horns and finding positives in otherwise negative situations. In his own journey, Nate found healing by fundraising to help cancer survivors with their medical bills and by inspiring others during his bike ride across...

One of the hardest parts of the cancer journey is telling loved ones about your diagnosis. On this episode of How to Cancer, psychotherapist and cancer counselor Melanie Stachelski discusses how to tell your family and friends that you have cancer.

Colon cancer survivor Jason "The Canadian" Abramovitch shares how he discovered he had cancer, how he handled his diagnosis, and his path to recovery through surgery and treatment. Two years after his diagnosis, Jason attended an Epic Experience camp and found confirmation of what he's supposed to be doing now: bringing hope to others diagnosed with cancer. 

On this episode of How to Cancer, Matt Stinson, a Radiation Oncology Physicians Assistant at the Calaway Young Cancer Center, talks about possible scans to expect with cancer.  Matt discusses 5 common imaging modalities, what they are, and what they’re used for.  

Part of living beyond cancer is finding time to appreciate the positive moments along the journey. On this episode of Campfires of Hope: How to Cancer, survivor Brad Glassel discusses “Cancerversaries” and shares ideas for how to celebrate cancer milestones.