Cancer for Breakfast

Sometimes it’s cancer, sometimes it’s a bad burrito, y’all! Stef lives to tell the tale of her ascites scare. Turns out having a body is stressful…and expensive!  The gals talk medical debt and financial toxicity. When insurance still makes you pay thousands for necessary care, how do you stay afloat? Speaking of grifts…we mean GRAFTS…Amy took a trip to her fat grafting surgery and all she got was...

Oh…my…god, Becky! Look at her…tumor? It’s the dog days of summer and Amy is fostering an awkward mix up.  Never fear, she fetches her cancer card to pay the price. Letters brings us a manic pixie dream mom—make that MEAN mom—who’s tactlessly longing for a listener’s old hair. Then, a self sufficient carcinomie admits she is struggling. Does anyone have a spoon? RATS explores a rectal cancer study....

 Listen, sometimes the summer just gets away from you and people start to be concerned that you’ve either quit your cancer podcast or died. If that’s you, no judgment. Amy and Stef, however, would NEVER abandon their loyal listeners for two months to live their best parasol-twirling, innertubing, redwood hugging, concert-in-the-parking, WNBA gaming (go Storm!!) lives. Salad days, amirite? (Serious...

Dad’s mad and he’s taking it out on…cancer patients? Well, what else is new? The ASCO conference, that’s what! They didn’t let us report from the red carpet, but you know it was our DESTINY to get the hot goss on the presentations that brought down the house. And that’s a RATS. Then, what’s a gal to do after cancer derails her well thought out plans? Picking up the pieces can leave some of us feel...

Inna gadda da vida, baby: Amy’s got a sexy cold and a silly new anti-spiral technique, and Stef’s nether region is superlative. That’s to say the gals are in a good place right now, and we’re calling it “on base.” Can we enjoy the break before having to run for our lives (or the car) again? Maybe every cloud really does have a silver lining. Then, it’s the season of the con and the cancer communit...

Amy’s got some gall! Gall bladder problems, that is…or does she? When Carmen SanDiego isn’t available, we attempt to solve our own medical mysteries. Where have our once healthy and simple bodies gone? From channeling Maris to vibing with …her? Turns out we’ve made a huge mistake (by not getting into webinars sooner!!). Then, Stef just can’t wait to die…we mean DYE. The gals talk art therapy, the...

Red rover, red rover, send Stef’s therapist on over... to the cancer-adjacent club no one wants to be in. When our care providers’ loved ones get cancer, do they also get the keys to our kingdom…or is it an excuse to bail? Then: we’ve got dream fever, dream weavers. Prodromal, premonitions, or plain old nightmares—is this how our unaddressed ailments have tried to reveal themselves? And would you...

Sometimes you just want to take a break from life at the cancer clinic™️, but everything aligns to kill your vibe! What does Stef have to do to get a little cryoablation around here? Luckily, a nurse saves the day by sharing a picture of their crispy lady. Meanwhile, Amy has a very zen beer with a smooth headed spiritual stranger. F/M/K? FML! How messed up IS it that some of us actually…kinda…find...

It’s our birthday, and we’ll cry (in our nightgowns) if we want to! Happy tears, that is, because today our podcast turns ONE! So grab a slice of cake and cuddle in, dear listeners. We’re taking some time to acknowledge just how far we’ve come, AND offer big gratitude to the Cancer for Breakfast community; y’all put so much gas in our tank. As a present to our producer, we’re giving him the day of...

 Amy’s not letting medical trauma ruin her relationship with her ear nose and throat doctor. She has a method to banish the anxiety and intrusive thoughts that now appear at “normal” appointments. And on a related note, if a sinus surgery falls in the forest and it’s not cancer, does it even really matter? Move over Ebert, Stef’s been dipping toes in some death-themed TV shows and she’s ready to s...

Alternative Death: it’s not just an underground music genre! We’re talking death rites, honeys, so cover your mirrors!  Whether you’ve prepaid for a satin lined coffin or you’re a green-curious pre-deceased, we’ve got hot tips on the right heat for human composting. Stef also has the score on death doulas, aquamation (not just for cadavers anymore!), and a dinner date to detail your death wishes....

Caregivers: how are you holding up? This one goes out to you. With cancer people, it’s nothing but me, me, me (at least on this podcast!), and we guess it’s about time our spouses, family, and best friends got their due. But first, Amy is shocked to find out how much her post-chemo hair is worth, and Stef’s getting a cancer tattoo for no reason at all. Does the milestone or the money mean more pre...

Merry Christmas and F*** Cancer to all who celebrate! Right off the bat, CW: there have been some huge losses in the MBC community and we address this early in the episode; feel free to skip ahead a bit if you need. Then, Amy’s talkin’ bout Pollyanne from Spokane and her psychic (or just practical?) friend. Speaking of friends, Muggles: they say the darndest things! (And the gals have the letters...

May the airing of grievances commence, bitches! It’s the second edition of Cancer for Bitchfest and our listeners didn’t hold their tongues. From chemo’s metal mouth to friends who siphon your trauma for likes, this episode is jam-packed with WTF moments. When the hurt goes further than skin deep and you need more than a moisturizer, how do you keep looking in the mirror? And when your treatment s...

What’s that weird scratching noise nobody else can hear? It’s FEAR OF RECURRENCE. Because for some people? That scratching actually IS a hook-handed murderer. This week, the gals are getting real about medical PTSD, random pains, and faking your way through celebratory shots with your muggle friends. If you’re officially NED but still on a first name basis with the schedulers at your hospital, thi...

Like sands through the hourglass and neutrophils toward inflammation, the seasons come at you fast, and Amy and Stef are proud to announce…season TWO of Cancer for Breakfast! We’ve got support groups to promote, new partnerships, and as always, plenty of RATS. This week we ask: what’s the dirt on St. Judas—pardon me—we mean St. Jude’s! Well, Jennifer Aniston and her army of cancer researchers are...

It’s spooky season, so get your goosebumps ready as we drum up a fright. We all need a break from cancer’s ominous ubiquity (especially during Pinktober) so we’re offering you an escape. That’s right—this episode has NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE. Instead, the gals proudly present stories from behind the thinning veil: ghost tales extracted from friends and listeners. It’s nothing but ghosts and goblins...

Who would want to listen to a podcast about stage 4 cancer? …You? Oh, well, great. If you’re newly diagnosed (and even if you’re an old hat), this one’s for you next levelers. Word up, babes: it’s the metastatisode. Stef shares her collection of wisdom for the freshly  chronic/metastatic/stage 4/advanced cancer people. It means different things to different folks, but we all understand it as the ~...

Pinktober is almost upon us, and…ya know, we don’t care if you relax with a Mike’s Hard Lemonade For The Cure™️, but you should know the truth about Susan G. Komen. First, though, join us for a quick bummer chat. We’ve all lost friends to this dumb disease. It’s what makes cancer so scary, after all—for some of us, it’s deadly. Are the unique connections we make with other cancer people worth it w...

It’s another recording studio rendezvous and the gals are calling this one a win. As we prep for a pinkwashed October, we have some updates on #screamingforscreening; meanwhile the ACS is too busy following Family Feud and the Kardashians’ social media but like, hardly any cancer people? We call bullshit, and we’ve got the receipts…and the scripts. Then! It’s still Virgo season, babes, and Septemb...

Is Stef a bad mom? Spoiler: nope! But she IS sending her (masked) kids to school, and people are sending HER concerned emails. Can the muggles just let us live? NEXT!!! Next, is your Cancerversary a celebration of how far you’ve come, or a dreaded countdown clock? Stef’s just crossing that one year mark this week and the emotions are mixed. We’ll have more on milestones next week, but whether you...

Oh hi, are you new here?  WTF, huh? Well, you’ve come to the right place. This episode is for everyone, but early stagers to the front! From the dirt on diagnosis to the scoop on scanxiety, this episode covers a lot, and it goes out to you, newbies! Welcome to the wildest party in town. Let’s talk! You’re scared shitless, aren’t ya? Mmhmm, we’ve been there. And so have our listeners! So put down y...

Stef’s been chanting mantras in a trailer park healing shack by the sea, should we call for help? Hold the phone—It’s the cancer card episode! You get a cancer card, and YOU get a cancer card, and YOU get one! Listeners share the ways they’ve cashed in on their experience with the big C to enhance myriad situations; we’ve got cops, coffees, and upgrades galore. Also, Big Thief and Big Keef are bac...

Amy’s dosed herself… again! And this time she’s using the ol’ herb to cope with a new cancer scare. Spoiler alert: this sequel has a happy ending. Then, things get loosey goosey as the gals reminisce about times they’ve used (or abused) their Cancer Cards. Have you swiped yours? Spill the deets; we’re on your side. Also! New business, who dis? Dial 1-800-GoFundMe-4u! While we have you on the line,...

Lord, beer us strength and grant us patients—we mean patience—because some cancer people are really showing us up with their feats of strength! Even the angels are waving foam fingers in support of our home team’s heavy hitter. Meanwhile, the gals are drinking for a good cause! We’re talkin bout that mighty fine (and hard to find) F* Cancer can. And you can bet we’re still screaming for screening…...