Navigating Childhood Cancer Podcast

In this episode, I share my conversation with Ambika. Ambika is the mother of Arya, who was 5 in 2024 when he was diagnosed with T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Ambika and her husband Abhinav reached out to me because they hoped to share their family’s story and wanted the opportunity to talk about all the ways their child’s cancer impacted their family.  Ambika discusses the unique way her f...

In this episode, I share my conversation with Zack Sandor-Kerr. Zach is the father of 3 boys, including 10 year old Jasper, who was diagnosed with leukemia in June of 2023. Zack tells us about his experience as a Dad, who has been the primary caregiver for his child throughout his treatment, and what that has been like for him, and his wife Kaitlin. He rightfully raises the issue of inclusive care...

In this episode, I’m sharing my conversation with Alexx Friesen. Alexx is a Child Life Specialist who works in Toronto. She has worked with families in hospital settings, as well as in hospice and palliative care. She also has experience in oncology, both as a professional, as well as a patient. She herself is a childhood cancer survivor. Her experience as a patient when she was a child led her to...

In this episode, I share my conversation with Michelle Da Costa. Michelle is the mother of three girls. Her youngest daughter is a childhood cancer survivor. Michelle is also a Parent Liaison with @OPACC  Ontario Parents Advocating for Children with Cancer . I had the fortune of meeting Michelle at a parent drop-in while my own child was in treatment, and our conversation had a deep impact on me....

In today's episode, I am speaking with two representatives from Make-A-Wish® Canada.  You are very likely familiar with Make-A-Wish Canada. This is the charitable organization that grants wishes to children with critical illnesses. But you may not be aware of some of the interesting facts about Make-A-Wish Canada that I learned from this conversation:  In 2023, Make-A-Wish Canada brought wish...

In this episode, I have the honour of sharing my conversation with Jessica Hill. I first learned of Jessica, and her daughter Addy, in September of 2023, when Sick Kids Hospital posted a story about a new initiative called Precision Child Health.  The post featured an enormous crystal ball that was filled with colourful mist. At the unveiling, beside the crystal ball, stood a family who spoke abou...

In this episode, we hear the story of actor and comedian Daniel Stolfi . Daniel was diagnosed with Lymphoma when he was 25 years old. Like every cancer warrior, Daniel’s story is remarkable. He kept a journal throughout his treatment, and before his treatment was even over, he wrote and performed an award-winning one-man comedy show called Cancer Can’t Dance Like This. It was met with rave reviews...

In this episode, I am thrilled to share my conversation with Jenny Edmonds, Director of In-Hospital & Community Programs with Campfire Circle. Campfire Circle is a privately funded charity in Ontario that brings laughter and joy to kids and families affected by childhood cancer.  Campfire Circle is passionate about helping kids to just be kids. These are the cheerful folks who visit your hospi...

In this episode, we hear the story of Nicole Raso. Nicole is the mother of 5 year old Luca, who recently completed his treatment for a Wilms tumour, which was found on his kidney in August 2022. Nicole tells us about how she discovered that her son was sick, and the arduous journey that she and her family travelled in order to bring him back to health.  Nicole also explains why she started her Ins...

When we undergo a major crisis in our lives, we sometimes experience an epiphany about what actually matters. In some cases, we are changed for the better. Heather feels that she has had the opportunity to learn some very important lessons during her brush with childhood cancer, and shares them in this episode.  Note from Heather - I accidentally skipped #5! I want to fix it, but I just don’t have...

In this episode, Heather shares her family’s experience arriving at the end of treatment, 2.5 years after her child received a diagnosis of Leukemia B-ALL. She details the various steps that brought her family to that final moment, how they celebrated the occasion, and how they are looking ahead to life after cancer. 

In this episode, we hear the story of Sarah DeMelo. Sarah is the mother of a young family that includes 4 year old Benjamin, who has spent the last year and a half in treatment for Leukemia. Sarah shares the story of Benjamin’s illness, and his path to recovery. She also shares an important reminder of how important it is to advocate for our children, and for ourselves. Sarah herself is a warrior,...

In this episode, I am pleased to bring you my conversation with Susan Kuczynski – Lead Parent Liaison with Ontario Parents Advocating for Children with Cancer, also known as OPACC.   OPACC is a registered charity whose mission is to be the parent voice for families with children diagnosed with cancer across Ontario, Canada. OPACC helps families through free programs and support services including...

In this episode, Heather ponders whether it is harder to have a young child, or an older child in treatment. Each scenario comes with its own unique set of challenges, and both are hard. She also shares a long list of fun things to do to pass the time with your child (no matter what age or stage of treatment) while staying in the hospital… plus one activity that can only be done at home.   

At this time of year, many of us are getting back into the routine of being back at school. However, not everyone gets to return to the classroom, particularly those kids who are undergoing treatment for cancer. Heather talks about some of the things that parents need to consider when preparing for the start of the school year.  Also, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Heather talks ab...

In this episode, we hear the story of Zach Round, a brain tumour survivor and childhood cancer advocate. Zach was diagnosed with a brain tumour when he was 17 years old. He shares the details about the different complications he encountered during treatment, how he made it through the experience, as well as what helped him go on to play college football, and to return to extreme mountain biking. Z...

In this episode, I share an update on some of the ‘lasts’ that we are experiencing as we approach the end of my child’s treatment. I have a sweet song recommendation from Susanne, my guest in episode 7, and a funny story about something that happened in the waiting room at the hospital last week. For a podcast that is about such a heavy topic, this is a nice, light episode. 

In this episode, we hear the story of Susanne and her family.  Susanne is the mother of a young boy named Frankie. Frankie was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2012 when he was just 2 years old. At that time, the treatment protocol for pediatric Leukemia was 4 years, so Susanne and her husband spent 4 years supporting their son while he received treatment. Happily, Frankie is now a healthy 13 year old b...

Fevers are a very real part of life for a child with Leukemia. When a child who is undergoing treatment gets a fever, it is actually a medical emergency. That child may not be able to fight the infection that is causing the fever. If it is not treated immediately, it can become serious or even life-threatening. In this episode, we talk about what it was like to discover a child’s fever, and how we...

In this episode, we discuss how we handled some of the hard parts of treatment - how to feed a child in treatment, and how to handle all of those medications. Every family will have a different experience, but we expect that these are two things that most families will struggle with at some point. As always, the care team at the hospital was ready with suggestions and support, but sometimes it als...

Music can be a very powerful tool to help us through a tough time. It can lift us up, inspire us, help us to express frustration or help to soothe a broken heart. There are some songs that we listened to over the course of our journey that will forever be associated with that time. In this episode, I tell you all about those songs. While I cannot include the actual songs in the podcast, I have cre...

As you would expect, there is a lot of darkness that follows a child’s cancer diagnosis. In this episode, we acknowledge the feelings of darkness that one may encounter while on this journey... Not to bring anyone down; Simply to call attention to the reality of this experience, and to help others to see that they are not alone in their sadness or their fear.  Surprisingly, there are also moments...

When a family receives news that is overwhelming, in this case, a child’s serious illness, it is usually followed by a period of need. It is understood that the journey ahead is going to be difficult, but they aren’t always in a frame of mind to ask for help, or to even know yet what they'll need.  This episode covers all the things that helped us during our period of need. Not all of them ar...

Welcome to the first episode of the NCC Podcast. In this episode, you’ll learn about the inspiration behind the podcast, and why it was created. This podcast is for parents, family, caregivers and friends. Our hope is that anyone who is sitting with a new diagnosis, or struggling through any stage of treatment, doesn’t feel quite so alone. Our goal is to educate, to support and to inspire anyone w...

Next week, the first episode of the Navigating Childhood Cancer Podcast will be released. In this trailer, you will hear what the podcast is all about, and what to expect in future episodes. We hope you'll join us!