My Sister's Cancer

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States, and all month we’ve been hit by the mixed messages of gratitude and consumerism leading up to this holiday season. Today the sisters hold space for when you just don’t feel grateful, and reframe what gratitude can look and feel like. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: https://www.mysisterscancer.co/podcast Note: This content...

Chemo regimens, radiation schedules, surgery dates - sounds like cancer is full of airtight planning, right? Wrong. Cancer is unpredictable and so are our bodies. In today’s episode we discuss the myriad of reasons things can get delayed, rescheduled, or changed altogether during cancer treatment. Controlling your schedule is often not available. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at...

Last week we covered cancer and college - this week, it’s cancer and work. Employment can be tough to juggle during a cancer experience, whether you’re the patient or a caregiver. In this week’s episode, we discuss both the emotional and logistical side of jobs for young adult cancer patients and those who love them. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: https://www.mysis...

College is hard enough as a freshman - eighteen and out of your parents’ home, trying to juggle friends and classes and sometimes a job. Then add cancer. In today’s episode, the sisters discuss what it’s like to be a college student with cancer (or the sibling of one). For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: mysisterscancer.co/podcast Note: This content is for informational...

Boo! With Halloween right around the corner, the sisters unpack the concept of fear in the medical space. From white coat syndrome to fear of needles to Halloween costumes, this episode covers a little bit of everything. Be sure to stick around until the end for a walk down memory lane of the sisters’ Halloween costumes, and check out our Instagram for some photos! For our full show notes, visit t...

Once a season, we like to recommend a book to our listeners. This time, that book is “Between Two Kingdoms” by Suleika Jaouad. A memoir about having cancer throughout your twenties, Suleika is equally talented at documenting the delightful and the devastating. She chronicles everything from the physical pain to relational issues to finding a path forward. If reading isn’t your thing, Suleika can b...

Humans are wired to solve problems, and when someone they love has cancer, they can sometimes get a little… bossy. From smoothie detoxes to essential oils, people with cancer have heard it all when it comes to unsolicited advice. On today’s podcast the sisters look back with a bit of laughter at the wacky opinions Ella heard during treatment. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our...

Sometimes there’s nothing you can say or do to fix a situation, yet showing up makes all the difference. Today on the podcast the sisters unpack the power of presence as a healing force on both the personal and professional side of cancer. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: mysisterscancer.co/podcast Note: This content is for informational purposes only and does not pr...

Have you ever said a joke and had it fall flat? Yet we all keep trying, because sometimes jokes speak the truth and bring people together in a way nothing else quite can. In today’s episode, the sisters discuss dark humor and its role in helping us cope with cancer. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: mysisterscancer.co/podcast Note: This content is for informational pu...

From the earliest days of childhood, we all fall into family roles. One sibling may be the jokester while another is the goody two shoes. One parent may be the comforter while another is the instigator of fun. What happens to these roles when a crisis hits? On today’s episode, the sisters discuss how their own family roles changed over the course of Ella’s cancer, and how acknowledging the changes...

Most of us know that cancer patients go bald. But do we understand why? And what do we know about the host of other side effects cancer patients endure? On today’s episode, the sisters get sciency and help us understand the side effects of chemotherapy, radiation, transplant, and surgery. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: mysisterscancer.co/podcast Note: This content...

Ever heard the words “support system” and wondered, how does that actually work in real life? In today’s episode the sisters unpack one such structure called the ring theory. Originally put forward by Susan Silk and Barry Goldman in the LA Times, the ring theory has an idea for how we can dump support IN towards the suffering person and dump stress OUT and away from them. For our full show notes,...

As soon as you’re diagnosed with cancer, you realize that your hazy understanding of “chemo” is about to get real. Whether your doctors recommend chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, or all of the above, it might feel like you don’t have a lot of say in the matter. In today’s episode, the sisters discuss patient autonomy and how far we still have to go when it comes to the availability of targeted, l...

When you’re an adolescent or young adult cancer patient, you often feel out of place. You’re either getting chemotherapy next to toddlers, or in the radiation waiting room with the elderly. So what happens when you layer the idea of death on top of that? In today’s episode, the sisters unpack grappling with mortality at a young age. Please be gentle with yourself as you listen, and don’t hesitate...

Most of us have dates on the calendar that give us pause - the death of a loved one, 9/11, the day a community shut down due to COVID-19. Today on the podcast, the sisters discuss diagnosis and relapse anniversaries and how the timing of tragedy can affect that season for years to come. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: mysisterscancer.co/podcast Note: This content is...

 Faith can be a comfort or a strain, and often both. Today the sisters discuss how Ella’s diagnosis influenced their Christian faith through the lens of the old hymn “It Is Well with My Soul.” For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: mysisterscancer.co/podcast Note: This content is for informational purposes only and does not provide any medical advice. Contact a medica...

During or after a difficult life experience, it can be tricky to engage with friends, family and strangers who continue to complain about mundane things like bad hair days or a grumpy boss. The sisters unpack that experience in today’s episode. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: mysisterscancer.co/podcast Note: This content is for informational purposes only and does n...

The sisters enter the world of “sick lit” and cancer in the media, then discuss the work of Duke professor and colon cancer survivor Kate Bowler. They recommend her first book and unpack it’s themes on today’s episode. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: mysisterscancer.co/podcast Note: This content is for informational purposes only and does not provide any medical adv...

Growing up the sisters were a bit obsessed with keeping things fair. In this episode they unpack why they ever felt entitled to fairness in the first place, and how it feels now that cancer has made life perpetually unfair. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: mysisterscancer.co/podcast Note: This content is for informational purposes only and does not provide any medica...

The sisters return to a more emotional topic this week with an exploration of the loss of control that accompanies a cancer diagnosis. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: mysisterscancer.co/podcast Note: This content is for informational purposes only and does not provide any medical advice. Contact a medical professional with any health questions. Hosted on Acast. See...

In honor of Independence Day this week, the sisters unpack the American healthcare system, briefly compare it with other systems around the world, and give tips for how to navigate the logistics of getting care. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: mysisterscancer.co Note: This content is for informational purposes only and does not provide any medical advice. Contact a...

The sisters get a little more scientific and unpack why cancer is physically different for everyone, and therefore emotionally and mentally different for everyone. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: mysisterscancer.co Note: This content is for informational purposes only and does not provide any medical advice. Contact a medical professional with any health questions....

People say the craziest things. In this episode, Kayla and Ella discuss what’s helpful, what’s hurtful, and why saying nothing is perhaps the worst of all. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: www.mysisterscancer.co/pod cast Note: This content is for informational purposes only and does not provide any medical advice. Contact a medical professional with any health questi...

In this second episode, the sisters discuss the near professional level publicity management that comes with a cancer diagnosis. I wish I was kidding. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: mysisterscancer.co/podcast Note: This content is for informational purposes only and does not provide any medical advice. Contact a medical professional with any health questions. Hoste...

In this inaugural episode, we unpack the day of Ella's diagnosis with Hodgkin's lymphoma. For our full show notes, visit the podcast page at our website: mysisterscancer.co/podcast Note: This content is for informational purposes only and does not provide any medical advice. Contact a medical professional with any health questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.