Combating Cancer

Episode 61- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly, diagnosed with stage three astrocytoma brain cancer at 19, reflects on a message from a terminally ill girl that the scariest part isn't dying but that people stop talking about the future, making every goodbye feel final. Gwen explains that patients already carry heavy physical and emotional burdens, and that loved ones' unspoken fear—hesitation, pity, avo...

Episode 60- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly welcomes caregiver Rick Osteen to Combating Cancer to share his experience supporting his wife through a colon cancer diagnosis and treatment. Rick discusses navigating radiation and chemotherapy, advocating during medical appointments, the emotional weight of caregiving, and the challenges of the healthcare system. Grounded in his Christian faith, he reflec...

Episode 59- Show Notes: In this solo episode, Gwen Kelly opens up about a topic that has been weighing heavily on her heart: bullying and cruelty toward people facing cancer. Drawing from stories she's heard throughout the cancer community, as well as her own experience as a young adult diagnosed with stage three astrocytoma brain cancer, Gwen explores the difference between ignorance and intentio...

Episode 58- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly, a stage three astrocytoma survivor diagnosed at 19, welcomes 16-year-old Riley Polster, whom she met through TikTok and who shares the same diagnosis. Riley recounts her journey from months of headaches and a chronic migraine diagnosis to the discovery of a large brain tumor requiring emergency surgery. She opens up about her fears, her family's reaction, t...

Episode 57- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly, a stage three astrocytoma brain cancer survivor diagnosed at 19, explains she created Combating Cancer to offer a safe, honest space for those affected by cancer. She shares why she stopped drinking six months ago: alcohol didn't create her fears but uncovered lingering trauma, triggering spirals about mortality, recurrence, survivor's guilt, and anxious th...

Episode 56- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly, diagnosed with stage three astrocytoma at 19, welcomes Bron Watson from Australia to Combating Cancer to discuss creating a safe, honest space for people affected by cancer. Bron, a nurse, educator, and business mentor with five sons, shares her breast cancer diagnosis in 2017 that led to a rapid full mastectomy and later her 2023 diagnosis of incurable mul...

Episode 55- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly introduces Combating Cancer and shares her stage three astrocytoma diagnosis at 19, explaining the podcast's goal of creating a safe, honest space for anyone affected by cancer. Building on a prior episode about anticipatory grief, she describes grieving not only the fear of death but the fear of losing her identity and being seen only as "the girl with brai...

Episode 54- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly, a stage III astrocytoma brain cancer survivor, welcomes 22-year-old Megan McCoy, whom she met on TikTok, to discuss how cancer affected her family. Megan shares that her mother was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer when Megan was 16 during COVID after a missed mammogram, later developing spine and liver metastases, and died in January 2023; Megan descri...

Episode 53- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly welcomes listeners to Combating Cancer, sharing her background of being diagnosed with stage three astrocytoma brain cancer at 19 and her goal of creating a safe, honest community for anyone impacted by cancer. She announces her scans came back great again, but describes how scan-day anxiety returned after a long hospital wait and multiple failed IV attempts...

Episode 52- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly, a stage three astrocytoma survivor diagnosed at 19, welcomes Dr. Tiffany Troso Sandoval, a medical oncologist specializing in breast and gynecologic cancers. Dr. Troso worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering for over 25 years and recently retired to focus on patient education. They discuss how overwhelming a new cancer diagnosis can be, why patients often can't...

Episode 51- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly welcomes listeners to Combating Cancer, sharing that she was diagnosed with stage three astrocytoma at 19 and created the platform as a safe, honest space for anyone impacted by cancer. She recaps the Blooming Minds gala for brain cancer research at Brackett's Crossing Country Club, noting that nearly $300,000 was raised after expenses in partnership with th...

Episode 50- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly, diagnosed with stage three astrocytoma at 19, welcomes her newly announced fiancé, Jake Cregan, to Combating Cancer to share their relationship story and how cancer shaped it. They recount meeting at a mutual friend's birthday party on March 8, when neither planned to attend, and how Gwen disclosed her cancer early and Jake responded by not treating her dif...

Episode 49- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly welcomes listeners to Combating Cancer, shares her background of being diagnosed with astrocytoma brain cancer at 19, and reflects on how cancer reshaped her mind, relationships, identity, and outlook on the future. Now, over four years post-diagnosis and still living scan-to-scan every 90 days, she describes feeling grateful for God, loved ones, and the com...

Episode 48- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly, who was diagnosed with stage three astrocytoma at age 19, welcomes Glenn Sturm, who has undergone 18 years of chemotherapy (6,300 days oral, 610 days IV). Glenn explains his main purpose to "celebrate life" and aim to make someone smile every day, highlighting how humor helps him and others cope—sharing a surgery story and Gwen's joke with her surgeon after...

Episode 47- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly welcomes listeners to Combating Cancer, shares that she was diagnosed with stage three astrocytoma brain cancer at 19, and explains the podcast's purpose: creating an honest space for anyone affected by cancer. She focuses on the often-unspoken loneliness many survivors feel after treatment ends, when the structured routine, frequent medical contact, and con...

Episode 46- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly, a stage three astrocytoma brain cancer survivor, welcomes guest Britney Marr, diagnosed in October 2024 with stage two papillary thyroid carcinoma. Britney describes finding a baseball-sized neck mass, undergoing a complete thyroidectomy with lymph node removal in December, and receiving radioactive iodine treatment in January 2025 that required two weeks o...

Episode 45- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly welcomes listeners to Combating Cancer, shares her stage three astrocytoma brain cancer diagnosis at 19, and explains the podcast's purpose as a safe, honest space for patients, survivors, caregivers, grievers, and supporters. She reflects on struggling with patience and the feeling of waiting for life to "begin again" after cancer, describing how diagnosis...

Episode 44- Show Notes: Host Gwen Kelly, diagnosed with stage three astrocytoma at 19, welcomes cancer survivor Jack Forrey to discuss Camp Enchantment and cancer camps. Jack explains how post-treatment life can feel isolating after losing the constant support of a care team, and how camps such as Camp Courage, Camp Make a Dream, and Camp Enchantment help survivors rebuild community. He shares how...

Episode 43- Show Notes: In this heartfelt solo episode, Gwen opens up about a topic many cancer patientsuietly struggle with — feeling behind in life compared to those around them. Diagnosed with stage three astrocytoma brain cancer at just 19, Gwen reflects on how treatment paused her life while the world kept moving. She shares the emotional reality of watching friends graduate, start careers, b...

Episode 42- Show Notes: In this episode of Combating Cancer, Gwen Kelly sits down with colon cancer survivor Emily Williams to share a powerful story of resilience, partnership, and hope. Diagnosed at 29 while building her career and planning a family, Emily opens up about the shock of the diagnosis, navigating treatment, and finding strength amid uncertainty. Together, they discuss survivorship,...

Episode 41- Show Notes: In this episode of Combating Cancer, host Gwen Kelly shares her personal journey with stage three astrocytoma brain cancer and explores the often unspoken emotional side effect of surviving cancer: survivor's guilt. Gwen discusses how survivor's guilt can surface in moments of happiness, such as clear scans and birthdays. She criticizes societal reactions that dismiss these...

Episode 40- Show Notes: In this episode of Combating Cancer, host Gwen Kelly shares her own cancer journey and introduces guest Kate Onk. Gwen discusses her personal battle with stage three astrocytoma brain cancer and the motivation behind creating this platform. Kate opens up about her father's glioblastoma diagnosis, the rapid progression of the disease, and her role as his primary caregiver. T...

Episode 39- Show Notes: In this deeply honest episode of Combating Cancer, host Gwen Kelly opens up about the uncomfortable and often unspoken feelings of resentment towards healthy people while battling cancer. She shares her personal journey with stage three astrocytoma brain cancer, discussing the emotional toll of feeling resentful and how it stems from unprocessed grief, fear, and loss of con...

Episode 38- Show Notes: In this episode of Combating Cancer, host Gwen Kelly interviews Joey Hamann, who shares his journey with Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone cancer diagnosed during his junior year of high school. His experience included chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant from his brother Johnny. Joey discusses the challenges of facing cancer at a young age, the emotional strain o...

Episode 37- Show Notes: In this episode of Combating Cancer, host Gwen Kelly opens up about her personal experiences of dating while battling stage three astrocytoma brain cancer. She reflects on the challenges of seeking normalcy and connection during treatment, sharing her past fears and the unexpected support she received. Gwen offers advice on understanding emotional maturity, sharing trauma o...