Man Up to Cancer

Meet my dear friend Don Helgeson , a 3-time cancer slayer from Nanaimo, B.C., Canada. A recently retired Mountie of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Don has survived melanoma, colon cancer, and prostate cancer. He is one of my #LynchSyndrome brothers, and a man of wisdom, compassion, and integrity. Don spends a lot of his time on a new mission as a patient advocate. He is one of Man Up to Cancer...

This is a special episode because someone listening — or a connection to someone listening — will have a chance to save a life. And it just might be you. My guest is Tim McDonald from Tampa, Florida. Tim is a stage IV colon cancer thriver, and his best chance at curing his disease is through a living-donor liver transplant. That means he needs a hero. Someone willing to give up part of their liver...

Time to lighten up the mood a bit! Join me and my buddy Justin Birckbichler (AKA the uniballer) as we play "The Game of Life: Cancer Edition" You have all played Life. Well, the cards are a bit different in the Cancer Edition. Here's just one example from our game: "Your nurse tells you it’s OK for you to eat breakfast, not knowing your doctor only wants you to have one sip of water. Lose your tur...

Today on the Man Up to Cancer Podcast.. Part 2 of our interview with the amazing Jacquie Emory . When we left off last week, Jacquie’s husband Rich, a stage IV colon cancer patient, was undergoing a liver transplant. The surgery was a success, but in some ways, it was just the beginning. “This is when the hard part begins,” Jacquie says. “This is when the real work starts.” Liver transplant is sti...

Jacquie Emory is a fierce and loving caregiver to her husband Rich, who was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer in the fall of 2020. She led the charge to find him a donor for his life-saving liver transplant in November of last year. Liver transplant is still only occasionally used for colorectal cancer patients with metastatic disease, for several reasons. But more patients than ever are ex...

Dr. Charles R. Rogers is a rock star in the field of cancer health disparities and inequities in men’s health. He is a behavioral scientist and master certified health education specialist (MCHES). Dr. Rogers is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the University of Utah’s School of Medicine, where he founded the Men’s Health Inequities Research Lab. Just last year, He also founded the Colorectal...

For today's episode, I was honored to spend time talking to Ed “Buddy” Cutler , who has been thriving for nearly a decade with metastatic lung cancer. Yep, Buddy was diagnosed nine years ago. Thanks to his self-advocacy and a phase one clinical trial, Buddy has far outlived his prognosis. He has become a beloved advocate for cancer organizations, including the LUNGevity Foundation . He has also ma...

Boyd Dunleavey of Moncton, New Brunswick, just might be Canada’s most stubborn and inspiring cancer survivor-athlete. Boyd is also one hell of a storyteller. He is a two-time blood cancer survivor who underwent a life-saving stem cell transplant in May 2012. Since that time, Boyd has finished 10 marathons — mostly because people told him he would never be able to do it. This month he makes a retur...

On today’s episode, I speak with colorectal cancer survivor Dan Kenny , who splits his time between Michigan and Florida. Today’s show is all about cancer surveillance. As colorectal cancer survivors, we usually rely on traditional imaging including MRI and CT scans, and sometimes PET scans. We also track our disease activity with a CEA blood test. An elevated CEA often indicates active cancer. Bu...

The man, the myth, the legend Joe Bullock makes his 3rd appearance on the Man Up to Cancer Podcast to talk about: His recent visit to Washington D.C. for the Call on Congress event organized by Fight Colorectal Cancer . They are on a mission to make our legislators recognize colorectal cancer as a national priority, and to urge the National Cancer Institute to develop a strategic action plan for c...

My friend Stacey Runfola lost her husband Rick to cancer in 2014. On this episode, she shares her emotional journey, talks about the lack of resources for caregivers, and provides excellent advice for those who are going through loss. Thank you Stacey for opening your heart and trusting me to share your story. 💙 #caregivers #caregiversupport #widow #cancerwarrior This is a Facebook post from Stac...

“I’m that 1 in 833” Those are the words of my friend Danny Riggs of Houston, Texas. Roughly one in 833 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes. They face the confusion, stigma, and isolation of coping with what is primarily a women’s cancer. In today’s episode, Danny (in his typical no-holds barred fashion) talks about what it was like to get the diagnosis, to endure the treatm...

Four years ago, I was diagnosed with colon cancer. There were many times along the way when I didn't think I would be here to tell the tale. Through four moments, I give you a look back at my journey. These are four moments in my journey that changed the course of my life. Derailed - my diagnosis story. Shawshank Redemption moment - Get busy livin', or get busy dyin'. Meeting Jocko - Sometimes the...

Grace B. Charrier is a cancer patient advocate and mental health advocate, with a platform that is truly on the world stage.  Grace is of African descent, lives in Brooklyn, NY, and she believes we are all global siblings, no matter what part of the world we come from. She has a background as a mental health advocate, working closely with Member States and top officials at the United Nations....

As leaders in the cancer patient community, we are no strangers to heartbreak. The work of our daily lives intersects with unimaginable loss, the deepest kind of human pain. But we are also privileged to see humanity at its best. Because we confront mortality, we also come to know life in a different way, and the fuel of life that is LOVE. When all else is taken from us, there is nothing more mean...

Michael Holtz of Knoxville, Tenn., is a colorectal cancer survivor, advocate, author, public relations professional, weightlifter, and more. On today’s episode, I chat with Michael about his journey from being a cancer patient, to becoming an advocate. He encourages patients, survivors, and caregivers to volunteer for advocacy organizations, at any level you feel comfortable doing so, because as M...

Time for a celebratory dance…  As this is the 50th episode of the Man Up to Cancer Podcast! 50 shows, close to 20,000 downloads, and lots of friends made along the way. As it turns out, a lot of people are interested in the topics of men and cancer, our experiences as patients, survivors, and caregivers, and the lessons we learn along the way. I think it’s only fitting that today is an unedit...

“As a dad, things are supposed to happen in a certain way, in order. Armand was supposed to bury me, I was not supposed to bury him… You have a plan. As a parent you think about growing old, you think about the grandkids.. all that stuff is gone… Every sort of fantasy, or whatever you want to call it, is gone…” - Robert Ramirez , Petaluma, Calif. In November of 2018, Robert and Elaine Ramirez lost...

Diagnosed at age 27, Jason Beaulieu of Millbury, Mass., has been fighting metastatic papillary thyroid cancer for more than three years. Music has kept him going. Jason has been playing music in some form or another for most of his life. But he didn’t sing in front of a live audience until after his cancer diagnosis and first surgery (which was 21 hours!). Motivated by his friend Camden and his li...

Leah Robert wears so many hats, and she wears them all so well, it's kind of freaky. She is... Wife and mom to two girls, Lucy and Penelope Oncology nurse Entrepreneur and co-owner (with her sister Sarah Nichols Kelly) of Salty Girl Beauty . Philanthropist and co-founder (also with her sister!) of Foundation 4 Love . Leah and Sarah have been featured in Allure, InStyle, PopSugar, the View, Good Mo...

Today's episode is an update on my personal cancer journey. I'm getting ready for major abdominal surgery #4 in the past 3 and a half years. I'll be going to Massachusetts General Hospital. A surgeon there will open me up and take out several small tumors from my abdomen. I may also lose a section of my stomach, because the tumors have been hanging out for quite some time right up against it. I ta...

Today on the Man Up to Cancer Podcast... our red-bearded friend from Memphis.. Steven Barker drops by the show to talk about his crazy journey with lymphoma.  Steven is part of the growing admin team in Man Up to Cancer's Howling Place Facebook group. He lives with his wife, Katie, and their two kids in a suburb of Memphis, Tenn. He spent the first nine months of 2019 simply trying to find a...

I was thrilled to spend time chatting with my friend Dave Nitsche of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dave is an active member of the Man Up to Cancer community.  Dave has always been able to rely on his body and mind working in sync. He is accustomed to pushing both to the extreme, as an ultra runner and Ironman athlete.  He started doing endurance events as a teenager, and by the time he turn...

A second opinion saved Michael Riehle 's life. It just might save yours, too. I'm excited to spend time on the podcast today with Michael, who has become a beloved member and one of the administrators for the Man Up to Cancer - Howling Place Facebook group. Michael, 32, is from Buffalo, NY (technically South Wales). He has been fighting stage 4 colorectal cancer since June of 2020. At first he was...

Much of the world knows Patrick Dempsey for his iconic roles in TV and film, in what has been a truly exceptional career. I know him for something different.  To me, he is a real life hero who has made life better for cancer patients and their families, including me and my family. In 2008, Patrick founded the Dempsey Center here in our home state of Maine.  The Dempsey Center provides se...