Not Your Grandma’s Cancer Show

Benisha and Poornima chat with Tatum about their cancer diagnoses, feminist fathers, younger brothers' weddings and being single.  They share what it's like to have doctors who understand, as well as as situations which could have been better.  Benisha and Poornima met in a Shine Break Out Programme and they share what it's like to be able to talk to other people who 'get it'.

What do you do when your BFF disappears? Or your other friends ghost you? If you've found that some of your friendships haven't lived up to the hype, you're not alone. In this episode, we look how and why this can happen, as well as ways of coping. Tatum talks to Becca and Will about how their friendships changed after they were diagnosed with cancer, from people who disappeared to those who reall...

In this bonus episode, Tatum talks to Christopher, Maddie and Amber who are all living with cancer long-term. Christopher was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia at 40. He watched and waited over a decade to start treatment. Maddie has had cancer for 8 years, after being diagnosed with a rare sarcoma at 18, while Amber, 21, is living with chronic myeloid leukaemia and will be coming off t...

In this episode, we dive into the feelings that numbers and stats can bring up when you're diagnosed with cancer, and talk about how we can put them into context. Tatum speaks to Laragh, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at 24 after being told that the chance of having cancer was 'negligible'. She also speaks to Ceinwen, Shine's Co-CEO, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 20...

This month we're looking at gender identity and cancer. Whether you're non-binary, trans or questioning, Tatum and our guests are here for you, and they're looking at what it feels like when cancer care is set up to affirm a gender that isn't yours. Matt and Angie tell their stories of cancer and treatment, how they coped with assumptions about what surgeries and drugs they should take, and how th...

This episode looks at the mental health impact of cancer. Not feeling like yourself? Unable to "get back to normal"? You're not alone - and you're not losing it. Cancer is particularly tough for younger adults and in this episode Tatum speaks to three great guests: - David talks about how he coped after his diagnosis, including scheduling in "crying time". - Dr. Harriet Forbes talks about her rese...

Many people find that they feel different in their bodies after cancer - you might have lost trust in your body, or feel like your body has turned against you. In this podcast, Tatum talks to Claudia Knowles, a Research Assistant in the Heathcote Lab / working with Dr Lauren Heathcote looking at the mind-body connection in people who have had cancer. They talk about interoception - they way that w...

Most of us are used to talking to healthcare professionals about our cancer but we don't usually talk to them about *their* cancer.  In this podcast, we hear about what it's like to go from being the person giving a diagnosis to being the one who receives it.  Hannah, a GP, shares how she received the news of her brain tumour while at work with a waiting room full of people. Simon, a pediatrician,...

When your initial cancer treatment is over, your friends and family might think you're fine - but we know you can be left with many lasting effects and emotions. In this episode, Tatum talks to Matt who was diagnosed with a brain tumour at 17, and Roisin who was treated for osteosarcoma of the jaw after a diagnosis at 28. They talk how they managed treatment and the aftermath over the long term. R...

If you're newly diagnosed with cancer, welcome, you're in the right place.   In this episode, members of the Shine community share their top tips and what they wish they knew when they were in your position. We have two great guests, Matt, diagnosed just last year with bowel cancer, shares his whirlwind entry into the world of cancer and how important humour is, and Ceinwen, co-founder of Shine Ca...

Tatum explores what it's like to carry a 'cancer gene' and speaks to Helen, who carries the BRCA gene, and Cara who has Lynch syndrome.  Cara developed bowel cancer at 32 for which she was successfully treated. She later developed early stage womb cancer and had a hysterectomy and oophorectomy during the pandemic. Her father had also had bowel cancer.  Three generations of Helen's family have been...

Tatum speaks to Dr. Char Goodwin and Neil MacVicar, both of whom are neurodivergent and have been diagnosed with cancer. The quote Char references is from Dr Jac den Houting  @JacdenHouting  TED talk https://www.ted.com/talks/jac_den_houting_why_everything_you_know_about_autism_is_wrong?language=en

October is breast cancer awareness month and in our latest podcast Tatum speaks to three members of Shine's community about their experiences of the UK's most common cancer.  She speaks to Kate, who was diagnosed in lockdown and Hannah who was diagnosed with breast cancer after an earlier cancer diagnosis. Tatum also speaks to Dror about what it's like to be a man living with advanced breast cance...

This month, we're delighted to speak to Prof Gerard Evan who is based at the UK's Francis Crick Institute and is one of the world's leading cancer researchers. Prof Evan talks to Tatum about why cancers occur, how we can treat them, and why there are many reasons to be hopeful for the future of cancer treatment. Fun fact: you have more cells in your body than there are stars in a thousand Milky Wa...

In this episode, Tatum chats to Sarah and Cheryl of the Cancer, Sex and Intimacy Project which is now a partner of Shine Cancer Support. Sarah and Cheryl talk about what inspired them to work on the topics of sex and intimacy after cancer and also unpick whether advice not to sleep in the same bed as your partner means you can have sex on the couch.... Cheryl and Sarah will be joining us at Shine...

To celebrate London Pride, our podcast this month is looking at how we can navigate the desire to go OUT OUT for Pride while also managing cancer and all the things that brings with it. Tatum is joined on the podcast by Scott, who lives with multiple myeloma, and Indigo who is living with the effects of kidney cancer treatment.  00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:54 - Scott's story  00:11:56 - Indigo's story ...

In this podcast, we explore what it's like to be left infertile after cancer. Tatum talks to Amanda, Katy and Gemma about their experiences of cancer diagnoses, treatment, fertility preservation and adjusting to the thought of a life without children. 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:17 - Amanda's story 00:15:04 - Katy's story 00:31:42 - Gemma's story   Topics: - Breast, ovarian and womb cancer - Cancer dia...

Tatum speaks to Dr. Cheryl Fitzgerald, a consultant gynaecologist in reproductive medicine in Manchester, and Shine volunteer Hannah, about the ways in which cancer and cancer treatment can affect fertility. They discuss the emotional impact of post-cancer (in)fertility and also provide some really useful tips for shaping discussions with healthcare practitioners. 

May is Shine's Exercise after Cancer Month and on the podcast we've got two great guests: exercise specialist and breast cancer survivor Carolyn Garritt, author of Get Your Oomph Back , and size-inclusive personal trainer Gemma Saeger , who also lives with multiple myeloma. They discuss the ins and outs of exercise after cancer, including why it's important and where to get started if you're not f...

This month we're talking about chronic cancer. Chronic cancer often can't be cured but it also may not need treatment immediately. Sometimes, they can be treated long-term, or they might require treatment every so often.  Myeloma, some lymphomas and leukaemias and even some ovarian cancers can fall into this category, but they're often not well understood by friends and family (or people in genera...

Just listening in for the first time? Need a reminder of everything we've covered in the podcast? Look no further! In this special episode, we've got a run down of some of topics we've covered previously and a few highlights of our favourite bits. Living with cancer as a young adult isn't easy, but we've got you covered. 

In this episode, Tatum welcomes Clare from Shine to review some of the experiences that were shared at Shine's annual conference. They hear from Rime, who lives with bipolar disorder and experienced a severe mental health emergency after her diagnosis; Ben who has experienced anxiety and used alcohol to cope; and from Ciaran who was diagnosed with testicular cancer and then experienced suicidal th...

If you missed our amazing Shine Connect 2022 young adult cancer conference fear not! In a special podcast episode, we bring you some highlights from our Dating after Cancer and Sex and Intimacy sessions. You'll hear some of the best bits but if you're hankering for more, check out our YouTube playlist for the full sessions. 

In this mini-sode, Shine Cancer Support co-founder Emma Willis discusses her breast cancer diagnosis, aged 29 and how her experiences of isolation led to the creation of Shine. Tatum also chats about the upcoming Shine Connect 2022 conference for adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s with cancer. You can view the agenda and speakers (as well as register free) for the conference HERE .

Having a friend die is tough under any circumstance but when you're part of the cancer community it can hit you in a different way. Anxiety (could this happen to me?) and survivor's guilt can all be part of the complex web of feelings that we experience. In this podcast, Tatum, Hannah and Mari talk about how they've managed and why friendships with others who have cancer are so important.