WE Have Cancer

One month after retiring as a news correspondent with NBC, Mark Potter found himself in the role as cancer caregiver for his wife Judith. As a way to find some solitude during this difficult time, /mark began photographing the beautiful sunrises of Miami, Florida. After Judith's death in April of 2019, Mark found this early morning routine to be a source of comfort, or as he put it, his "church wi...

Kandis' mother succumbed to cancer in 2014. Not only was she her mother's caregiver she also was charged with caring for her younger siblings. During this time she was literally burning the candle at both ends. During our conversation we discussed: How she wished she knew of the resources available to support her during such a difficult time in her life. The importance of reaching out to people in...

Tatiana Suarez started wrestling when she was three years' old. Right before she was to compete in the 2012 Olympics in London, she was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer . During our conversation we discussed: Why she got into wrestling at such a young age. How she came to be diagnosed with thyroid cancer Her reaction to missing out on the London Olympics due to her thyroid cancer How she found faith...

*** Please note - Just prior to publishing this episode, Christy emailed me to inform me that she'd just learned that her cancer had returned and had metastasized to her lungs. In 2017 while traveling in Ireland, Christy had a seizure. The doctors traced the source of the seizure to a tumor in her brain which had metastasized from her rectum. She was 37 years old and had stage 4 rectal cancer. Dur...

In 2005 Wendi was diagnosed with stage 3 metastatic ovarian cancer. She also tested positive for the BRCA 1 gene. After treatment, which included a hysterectomy and prophylactic double mastectomy, she was pronounced "cured" after five years. Early in 2019, after 14 years her cancer returned. During our conversation we discussed: How a case of appendicitis led to the diagnosis of her cancer recurre...

Dr. Jamie Aten is the Founder and Executive Director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute and Chair of Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership at Wheaton College . A survivor of colorectal cancer, he's also the author of A Walking Disaster: What Surviving Katrina and Cancer Taught Me About Faith and Resilience. During our conversation we discussed: How Terror Management theory explains why som...

As a breast cancer survivor, Sylvie Leotin understands the the unseen needs of cancer patients. As a former ballerina and computer scientist, Sylvie seeks to integrate the mind, body and heart to live a more meaningful life. During our conversation we discussed: The importance of mindfullness and meditation and the role it plays in her healing. Why she wakes up in the middle of the night to medita...

Janet Fanaki created Resilient People, Stories to Inspire while caring for her husband who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Brain Cancer in 2016. During our conversation we discussed: How she came up with the idea for Resilient People. Why building a community has benefited her. How her husband came to be diagnosed with Glioblastoma and the treatment that was prescribed for him. The curren...

  In the spring of 2016 Chris Lawrence was diagnosed with stage 4 Bile Duct cancer. While laying in his hospital bed, his father wrote "Hope Has Arrived" on the whiteboard. Thus the non-profit organization hopehasarrived.com was born. During our conversation we discussed: How Chris came to be diagnosed with stage 4 Bile Duct cancer. Why he created Hope Has Arrived The decision to move back to...

A cancer recurrence is every cancer survivors greatest fear. In her return visit to the WE Have Cancer podcast , Courtney Forget talks intimately about this fear. We also discussed: How she went from looking forward to her ileostomy reversal - as discussed in Episode 43 - to loving her life with a permanent ostomy. Living with the constant fear of a cancer recurrence after having two "cancer scare...

By treating cancer by focusing on the body, mind and spirit, Dr. Rob Rutledge makes deep connections with his patients. During our conversation we discussed: The profound impact Dr. Bernie Siegel's book,  Love, Medicine and Miracles had on him and how it helped him realize oncology was his calling. The roles mindfullness, meditation and spirituality play in his life. How he came to realize th...

Marquina Iliev-Piselli is a breast cancer survivor and author of the upcoming book TOUGH: Women Who Survived Cancer. During our conversation we discussed: Her unique hobby that she's passionate about. How she lifted her spirits and the spirits of her fellow cancer patients. Her Mother's Colon Cancer diagnosis. The online virtual Share Triumph conference for women touched by cancer. The tragedy she...

Howard Brown was first diagnosed with cancer - Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma - at the age of 24. When he turned 50, a routine colonoscopy revealed stage 3 colon cancer. During our conversation we discussed: The numerous treatments, including HIPEC , and clinical trials he's been through. His experience as an an attendee of the 2019 American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) conference. How his twin si...

I am honored to have been nominated by WEGO Health for the Best In Show Podcast award. The top three nominees in each category will be recognized this fall at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It would mean the world to me to get your endorsement (vote). Click on this link - https://awards.wegohealth.com/nominees/17191 to endorse (vote) me. Once on my page, scroll down and click on the "Endorse Lee Silv...

As a teenager growing up in Kansas, Becca Pendarvis spent her summers doing everything she could to get as tan as possible. Now a mother of a sixteen year-old daughter, she has spent the last seven years dealing with Stage 4 Melanoma skin cancer. During our conversation we discussed: Why she loves living in New York City and how living there helped her cope with her cancer. The common misconceptio...

Joe Bakhmoutski was diagnosed with Testicular cancer in 2016.He founded Simplify Cancer   to provide support and advice to those touched by cancer. During our conversation we discussed: Why he created Simplify Cancer How he came to be diagnosed with Testicular cancer How people perceive various cancers and how some are deemed "embarrassing" What patients can do to prepare for their first oncologis...

In early 2017 Julie Chessell's son, Brock , was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma , a rare form of pediatric liver cancer. During our conversation we discussed: What motivated Julie to have Brock examined by a doctor. The treatments Brock underwent and what they did when the treatments stopped working. How the Chessell's faced Brock's diagnosis as a family. How Julie and her husband faced Brock's illn...

In 2016 Kaycee Carmichael's mother was diagnosed with Colorectal cancer. Though her mother died only four months after her diagnosis, Kaycee learned some valuable lessons about life as a cancer caregiver as well as dealing with grief. We discussed: Her Mother's life as a teacher and the incredible impact she left on her students. How her mom came to be diagnosed. How she managed the challenges of...

  Seeking out a 2nd and 3rd opinion in her cancer treatment resulted in a dramatic improvement in Sasha Denisova's quality of life. Sasha first appeared on this podcast in Episode 83 where she shared the struggle she faced getting doctors to take her colorectal cancer symptoms seriously. During our latest conversation she discussed why she made the decision to forego treatment at the Mayo Clinic i...

  In the fall of 2013, Shawn Watson was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma. Shawn credits his faith and passion for exercise, specifically cycling for helping him recover from his diagnosis. During our conversation we discussed: How he went from barely being able to walk 300 steps in a day to cycling up to 100 miles. The role his faith has played in his recovery. His thoughts on how anyone can use ex...

Susan Strong was first diagnosed with cancer shortly after graduating high school when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at the age of 17. Like many childhood cancer survivors she was unaware of the health complications she would face many years later, including heart-valve replacement surgery and a breast cancer diagnosis, as a result of her treatment for her Lymphoma. During our conversa...

Doug Dallmann leads a very active life despite his ostomy. That wasn't always the case; however. When he awoke from his surgery for stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2010 he was devastated to learn he was left with a permanent ostomy. He was "filled with anxiety, depression and uncertainty." Adjusting to life as an ostomate took time, but within a few months he achieved his goal of completing a 100-mil...

The WE Have Cancer community mourns the passing this week of Chere Garcia. Chere was a guest on the podcast in 2016. You can listen to our conversation at https://wehavecancershow.com/026 . May her memory serve as a blessing to her family, friends and all who loved her. In this episode I had the pleasure of speaking to fellow colon cancer survivor and fellow podcaster Truitt Taylor. During our int...

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute  opened the doors to its new  Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center  this past week. In anticipation of this exciting news I interviewed  Dr. Kimmie Ng , Founding Director, and young-onset survivor, Pat Beauregard. During our interview we discussed: The goals of the Dana-Farber Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer and why it was created. How Pat came to be diagnosed with Y...

I n our first episode supporting 2019 Colon Cancer Awareness Month, Carole Motycka talks about how advocacy and faith has helped her far outlive her doctor's initial prognosis. During this interview we talked about: How a minor hiking accident led to her diagnosis of stage 4 colon cancer and Juvenile Polyposis Syndrome (JPS) . Her doctors giving her a 6-11 month prognosis, three years ago. The tre...