The Aftershock Podcast

When we talk about high-mortality rate cancers, time is our greatest enemy. But what if we could use artificial intelligence to see what the human eye might miss? To discuss this, I’m joined by a true global leader in the field: Professor Meng Law, a specialist in neuroradiology who is at the forefront of integrating AI into medical imaging. We talk about how we’ve been investing into...

Sara is a nurse who specialises in the treatment and patient support of people living with lung cancer and mesothelioma. Sara works on the front line of care - walking alongside patients and families through diagnosis, treatment decisions, side effects, uncertainty and, often, some incredibly complex emotional moments.  We talk about what it really means to support someone facing these diseas...

At just 22 years old, Jill’s daughter, Catie, passed away from cancer.  In this conversation, Jill opens her heart to share her journey through unimaginable loss, the lessons her daughter taught her, and how she’s learning to carry grief and love side by side. This was my first episode since becoming a mother where I’ve spoken to a parent about loss. It was by far the most c...

In this episode of The Aftershock Podcast, I’m joined by Professor Marco Herold, a globally recognised expert in cancer research and the current CEO of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute. With a background in molecular biology and a passion for translating discoveries from bench to bedside, Professor Herold is leading groundbreaking efforts in cancer therapeutics, immunology, a...

In this episode of The Aftershock Podcast, we speak to AFL legend Jarryd Roughead - a 4-time premiership winning forward, former Hawthorn captain, and one of the most respected figures in the game. But in 2016, Jarryd faced something far more daunting than any grand final opponent: a cancer diagnosis that would change his life forever. Today’s conversation goes far beyond the world of sport....

There are many treatment options a cancer patient may face. Some are well known, others are not. The lack of knowledge around radiation treatment can stress people out which is why in this episode of The Aftershock Podcast, we are joined by Radiation Therapist, Nat. Nat shares with us how radiation therapy can help and cure patients of their cancer, and the approaches her and her team take to educ...

Imagine being 26 years old, feeling at your peak health and fitness levels, about to run your first marathon, and you collapse 21 kilometres into your final training run. This was reality for Rama Davies as he woke up on the side of Beach Road, surrounded by onlookers and an ambulance on the way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer is life changing and takes an enormous toll on your body and mind. Ensuring the patient is set up for success post surgery requires a team of experts. One of those experts is Lisa Murnane - Senior Dietician at Alfred Health. In this episode of The Aftershock Podcast, I chat to Lisa about the role a Dietician plays in patient care, specifically around those u...

Hugh van Cuylenburg is Founder of The Resilience Project and co-host of The Imperfects Podcast. The Resilience Project delivers emotionally engaging programs to schools, sports clubs and businesses, providing practical, evidence-based mental health strategies to build resilience and happiness. Hugh joins me to discuss how you can look after yourself when the sun is shining, but also when trauma hi...

For Briony Benjamin, life was going along pretty well. That was until at the age of 31, when Briony was diagnosed with advanced stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma. Going through cancer treatment was life changing, so Briony wrote a book about it. In this episode of The Aftershock Podcast I speak to Briony Benjamin, author of Life is tough but so are you. There was so much I took out of this book, so I cou...

A child being diagnosed with cancer is a beyond devastating and disrupting time in their lives. It's not just the patient but their parents who are overwhelmed with information and meeting various staff of the hospital. Thankfully people like Suzie exist. In this episode of The Aftershock Podcast, I speak to Suzie Alev, who is a teacher in the Cancer Centre at the Monash Children's Hospital in Mel...

In 2016 I had the pleasure of working with Scott Bennett. He was my manager and quickly became a mentor and someone for me to look up to. One morning, we went into a team meeting and Scott wasn't there. We had no idea why Scott had not turned up to work and later found out he was in hospital after having had a seizure in the shower. After numerous tests, Scott was later diagnosed with brain cancer...

After her father was killed in a civilian bomb attack when she was 12, Mastura and her family fled Afghanistan for Australia. Without speaking a word of English or being able to communicate, she began High School in a completely foreign environment. In this episode of The Aftershock Podcast, we speak to Dr Mastura Monif, Neurologist and cancer researcher. Through her grandfather, she learnt from a...

Brain cancer kills more children in Australia than any other disease and more people under 40 than any other cancer. The survival rate has not improved over the last 30 years. In this episode of The Aftershock podcast, I speak to Cassandra. Cass' life completely changed when at the early age of 38 years old, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. She has been through surgery, 28 months of chemothe...

In our previous episode of The Aftershock Podcast, you heard from Ian the Neurosurgeon who recently operated on George. In this episode, we hear from the patient himself, George, on what it was like to be on the receiving end of a marathon surgery and his road to recovery. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Yi Yuen (Ian) Wang is a Neurosurgeon based in Melbourne who shares with us what attracted him to neurosurgery, the connection he forms with his patients, and an incredible 2 day surgery he recently completed called an en bloc resection of C2 chordoma. This is part 1 of a 2 part series where we also speak to Ian’s patient, George. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See om...

COVID has had a profound impact on every industry across the globe since it hit late in 2019. The ripple effect is currently immeasurable. In this episode of The Aftershock Podcast, we speak to Mark Shackleton, Director of Oncology at Alfred Health Melbourne. Cancer certainly hasn't stopped for COVID. Mark speaks to us about the impact it is having on hospital staff, patients and their family memb...

Barry Du Bois was enjoying a morning surf when he was hit by a big wave, and heard a sharp crack in his neck. The pain that followed forced him to visit his Doctor, with scans revealing one of his vertebrae had caved in, and was eventually diagnosed with plasmacytoma myeloma. Baz shares with us how his diagnosis changed his life, and overall outlook, especially after the birth of his kid...

In this episode of the Aftershock podcast, we speak to Emily. A cancer survivor 3 times over, founder of Bravery Co, new mother and quite frankly, a force to be reckoned with! Emily talks about the adversity and triumphs of being diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at the age of 27 and the huge weight of fertility and lifestyle decisions that had to be made at such a young age. See omnystudio.com/li...

In this episode of The Aftershock Podcast, we speak to the amazing Michelle Hensel, mother of Braedon. Braedon was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, just as he was starting life at university. Michelle shares what it’s like to experience cancer at such a young age, as well as in a rural community. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

We're joined by Professor Wendy Brown, Director of Surgery at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. We go behind the masks and gloves, and get into Wendy's operating theatre regime, and the connection she makes with her patients. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Theresa Gallucci who was diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma in 2016. Theresa went from living a very healthy lifestyle full of Yoga and Pilates, to sitting across from her oncologist telling her to get her affairs in order immediately. We speak to her about what her diagnosis felt like, the importance of knowing how to take control of your circumstances, and the unknown impacts of being...

In today's episode, we speak to Adrian, our Executive Producer, who is brave enough to share his story of losing his wife Lauren, known as Lozza to some, in the prime of their lives. He remembers the tenacity and strength she carried with her, despite being diagnosed with cancer 6 times. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.