Talking With Cancer

It’s been more than four weeks since Katie had surgery, and she finally feels well enough to chat. She talks Clair through the different stages: the surgery, being an in-patient, coming home, monitoring her dropped calcium levels, managing difficult pain, and then going into isolation for radioactive iodine treatment. Talking With Cancer For all enquiries or to get in touch: hello@talkingwithcance...

Katie and Clair discussed the prep required for surgery. And how it remains an important lesson in staying on top of things. Clair speaks to Katie’s mother, Marilyn, about how this feels from her perspective and how the instinct to nurture, nourish and make things better never leave a mum. Talking With Cancer For all enquiries or to get in touch: hello@talkingwithcancer.com  To follow Katie’s jour...

Katie gets a little starstruck this week as she interviews Dr. Kate Newbold, her thyroid oncologist. As well as Kate’s background and how she came to be at the Royal Marsden, they discuss her use of language and how that can be received very differently depending on the individual.  Talking With Cancer For all enquiries or to get in touch: hello@talkingwithcancer.com  To follow Katie’s journey on...

Clair talks to Katie’s husband Dinc. He’s had to face one of his biggest fears; his soulmate being diagnosed with cancer. And there’s no playbook for how to cope with that. Acceptance, resilience, mortality, and the ups and downs of living with cancer, they discuss how he’s coming to terms with it. Talking With Cancer For all enquiries or to get in touch: hello@talkingwithcancer.com  To follow Kat...

Katie gets her first scan results since starting treatment. The meds are working, in Prof Popat’s words, “the disease is under control,” but the reality is, she still has cancer. Katie shares how the next few months might play out, including possible surgery. Talking With Cancer For all enquiries or to get in touch: hello@talkingwithcancer.com  To follow Katie’s journey on Instagram, go to @talkin...

This week Katie talks to Mr Paul Stimpson, the ENT consultant who diagnosed her back in February. She talks about how he dealt with her diagnosis and, more generally, about thyroid function. Katie opens up her “blue cancer folder” for the first time and shares her cancer admin with Clair. Talking With Cancer For all enquiries or to get in touch: hello@talkingwithcancer.com  To follow Katie’s journ...

Talking with Cancer is back for season 2 from 9th August 2022. Talking With Cancer For all enquiries or to get in touch: hello@talkingwithcancer.com  To follow Katie’s journey on Instagram, go to @talking_withcancer  Artwork & logo design by Emily Juniper. Illustrations by Amy Browne. Series Audio Production by Pixiu

Katie reflects on the 11 weeks since she found out she had cancer. She talks about what those few months were like, and what people mean when they talk about the "gift" of cancer. Talking With Cancer For all enquiries or to get in touch: hello@talkingwithcancer.com  To follow Katie’s journey on Instagram, go to @talking_withcancer  Artwork & logo design by Emily Juniper. Illustrations by Amy Brown...

Katie & Clair talk about what it means to really be present; to find the pockets of stillness that bring clarity. Life, as they both know, is full of ups and downs. But what are the remedies? Clair parses a Chinese proverb and Katie shares her mum’s chicken soup recipe. Talking With Cancer For all enquiries or to get in touch: hello@talkingwithcancer.com  To follow Katie’s journey on Instagram, go...

Katie & Clair both go away on holiday. Katie talks about what it's like to be in Istanbul, her husband's home town; a vibrant city, full of life & energy. She visits a hamam, eats Turkish food & visits her parents in law. She has a serendipitous encounter at Heathrow airport. And this is when it strikes her, she’s not alone on her cancer journey. Talking With Cancer For all enquiries or to get in...

It’s a few weeks in and Katie can feel her treatment working. But other things feel weird; like being seen as the ‘ill person’ when she’s with friends and family. Although buoyed by the knowledge treatment’s working, Katie knows she’s avoiding asking her doctors more difficult questions about the future. She talks to Clair about what those questions are & the answers she’s not ready for. Talking W...

A different route to the park on a daily dog walk, leads to a new perspective on how to live with more presence and gratitude. Katie realises that talking about what she’s experiencing could help other people navigate their own diagnosis and treatment. And that feels really good. Talking With Cancer For all enquiries or to get in touch: hello@talkingwithcancer.com  To follow Katie’s journey on Ins...

Katie begins targeted chemotherapy. She can feel it working even after just a few days. But waiting five weeks for treatment to start has changed her relationship to time; some days are just harder to sit in than others. She braves a swim at Hampstead Heath Ladies’ Ponds. Is she a cold water convert? Talking With Cancer For all enquiries or to get in touch: hello@talkingwithcancer.com  To follow K...

Katie is gearing up to start her treatment. Her medical team has discovered she has the ROS1 gene. Waiting for news has been hard. She reflects on what it’s been like for her husband, Dinc and how it feels to take on a new identity; someone living with cancer. Books mentioned: 'Heal' by Kelly Noonan Gores 'Dying To Be Me' by Anita Moorjani  Talking With Cancer For all enquiries or to get in touch:...

Katie's medical team at UCLH, decide to refer her to The Royal Marsden Hospital. They think a mutating gene could be causing Katie’s cancer & The Royal Marsden are world leaders in treatment. Katie & Clair talk about how the words doctors use can shape how you feel about your diagnosis and treatment. And not always positively. Talking With Cancer For all enquiries or to get in touch: hello@talking...

It’s been two weeks since Katie found out she has cancer. She asks her good friend Clair to help her keep an audio diary. There’s still so much that’s unknown; the doctors seem confused, and everything is very complicated. All Katie knows is that her symptoms: a persistent cough and a swollen lymph node on her neck are cause for concern. Repeatedly explaining to friends and family what’s going on...

Talking With Cancer is a weekly podcast that does exactly that; two friends, Katie Phillips & Clair Whitefield, talking. Katie has cancer and Clair doesn’t; just like the statistic, that “one in two of us will experience cancer in our lifetime”.  In February 2022, at 43 years old and with no prior health issues or concerns, Katie was told that she had thyroid cancer. To be more specific, a type of...

Talking With Cancer is a weekly podcast that does exactly that; two friends, Katie Phillips & Clair Whitefield, talking. Katie has cancer and Clair doesn’t; just like the statistic, that “one in two of us will experience cancer in our lifetime”.  In February 2022, at 43 years old and with no prior health issues or concerns, Katie was told that she had thyroid cancer. To be more specific, a type of...