Carry The Fire

Determination. Skill. Toughness. It takes a lot to make it to the National Hockey League. But when Toronto Maple Leafs’ forward Dakota Joshua was diagnosed with testicular cancer, he knew it would be his biggest test yet. Dakota talks with Lisa LaFlamme about his cancer journey, and what it means to be back on the ice.

Dr. Raymond Kim is one of the Scientific Leads of the Peter Gilgan Centre for Early Cancer Detection Research and Medical Director of the Bhalwani Familial Cancer Clinic. In OurGenes, a study at The Princess Margaret, 100,000 participants, including host Lisa LaFlamme, will receive genetic testing to detect inherited forms of cancer and more. Plus, we hear from Kristin Light, who went from a routi...

At 25, D’Arcy Bowker went from half‑marathon training to blackouts, soaring blood pressure, and a diagnosis of a rare tumour. When her cancer later spread, Dr. Wong from The Princess Margaret enrolled D’Arcy in a groundbreaking theranostics clinical trial. The treatment brought her disease under control, giving D’Arcy precious time with her growing family. Now a mother of three, D’Arcy shares how...

After going through chemotherapy and radiation to treat his throat cancer, Paul Lonergan was in remission. But every cancer patient knows how difficult it is to be declared ‘cancer-free’. Thanks to a landmark clinical trial at The Princess Margaret, Dr. Spreafico and her team caught Paul’s cancer early when it came back and saved his life again. Paul and Dr. Spreafico join Lisa to talk about what...

Beth Johnston was a lifelong athlete and busy mother of two when her leukemia diagnosis forced her to confront losing the one tool that always helped her cope with tough times: running. Despite her diagnosis, Beth shares how movement became her lifeline through her cancer treatment and recovery. With humour and candor, Beth reveals the grit it took to keep going, the mental health strategies that...

Described as graceful, artistic, and innovative, ice dancer and Olympic bronze medalist Piper Gilles is a lot of things; she’s also a cancer survivor. Piper joins Lisa LaFlamme in a wide-ranging interview following her captivating performance at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Winter Games, where her journey off the ice inspired her performance on the ice.

In her 20s, Ruby tested positive for a rare genetic mutation that increases her chance of breast cancer. Knowing this, she was able to mitigate her risk of being diagnosed. But a thyroid cancer diagnosis just a few years later came as a total shock. Listen as Ruby and Dr. Stambolic from The Princess Margaret join Lisa for a discussion about the growing number of young people receiving a cancer dia...

After attending a free screening event, Rensford De Haan began treatment at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre for a cancer he didn’t even know he had. The mobile event was led by Dr. Neil Fleshner, Love Chair in Prostate Cancer Prevention at The Princess Margaret. This unique initiative was part of a concentrated effort to bring screening directly to more Black men, a community that faces a higher r...

Claire Cameron is a best-selling Canadian author and winner of the 2025 Governor General’s Literary Award in Non-Fiction. A lifelong outdoors lover, her identity was upended when she was diagnosed with a hereditary skin cancer and told to avoid sunlight. After receiving treatment at The Princess Margaret, she found new ways to connect with nature and used writing – especially her book, How to Surv...

When Ryan Gullen, bassist for the popular Canadian rock band The Sheepdogs, lost his father to esophageal cancer, grief showed up in unexpected and complicated ways. In this deeply personal episode, Ryan reflects on navigating hope, guilt, and the quiet aftermath of loss, all while balancing his music and life on the road. Plus, Dr. Madeline Li, a world-leading psychiatrist from The Princess Marga...

Welcome to Season Two of Carry The Fire, hosted by Lisa LaFlamme. We have ten new and inspiring personal stories about what happens when world-leading doctors, researchers and their patients come together to ignite breakthroughs in cancer research, treatment, and care. Special guests this season include Olympic bronze medalist ice dancer, Piper Gilles, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Dakota Joshua, mu...

Meet Sangita Patel: entertainment journalist, wellness influencer and TV host who promotes health and wellness. At the peak of her professional life she was diagnosed with a rare thyroid cancer that threatened her future. Fortunately, The Princess Margaret’s own Dr. Pasternak is the only surgeon in Canada with the specialized expertise to perform a groundbreaking procedure that would leave virtual...

Meet Paul Carleton: Faced with a terminal diagnosis and some hard decisions, Paul was motivated to keep going by the love of his family and a deep desire to see his daughter graduate and walk her down the aisle. Led by world-class Dr. Keith Stewart, Vice President, Cancer, UHN and Director of the Princess Margaret Cancer Program, Paul and his team at The Princess Margaret embarked on a journey to...

Meet Luana Locke: a loving mother, daughter and sister who has had cancer six times. A genetic condition comes with a near 100% chance that she and others in her family will face cancer at some point in their lives, and yet Luana isn’t worried. Innovations in screening and genetic testing at The Princess Margaret are keeping her and her loved ones safe, highlighting the importance of early detecti...

Meet Jeanne Beker: fashion icon, TV personality, and now the voice of a new understanding of breast cancer. Thanks to groundbreaking advancements at The Princess Margaret, Jeanne discovered that cancer doesn’t have to be an insurmountable illness. With innovative treatments and world-class care, managing cancer has become more achievable, offering hope and better outcomes for patients like her.

Meet Alicia Mathlin: a vibrant woman who had always been the picture of health until tragic news brought her face-to-face with her own mortality. Confronted with an impossible choice, Alicia’s story powerfully highlights how cancer treatment can go beyond the physical and challenge us to think differently about palliative care.

Cancer diagnoses in adults under 40 are rising sharply and they need a different kind of support than those who are diagnosed later in life. Meet Atoosa Rashid, a 26-year-old woman who was making plans for her future when she received unwelcome news that forever altered the trajectory of her life. Thanks to the Adolescent & Young Adult Oncology Program at The Princess Margaret, Atoosa was able to...

Tennille and Rachel are childhood friends who were unexpectedly separated and then reunited by chance after years apart. They have remained close ever since, until a cancer diagnosis changed their lives forever. Rachel stepped in to provide support, quickly realizing that when someone you love goes through cancer, you go through it too. Tennille is passionate about helping other cancer patients du...

Meet David Lahey, an entrepreneur who was in the prime of his life when he was given a 3% chance of surviving an aggressive cancer. Despite his diagnosis, David is beating the odds with the help of Dr. Lillian Siu and a world-class medical team who are using groundbreaking immunotherapy treatments to train his own cells to fight back.

Carry The Fire is a podcast about radical innovation and hope. Hosted by legendary Canadian broadcaster Lisa LaFlamme, each episode features inspiring personal stories that explore what can happen when world-leading doctors, researchers, nurses and their patients come together to ignite breakthroughs in cancer treatment.