Cancer Actually F**king Sucks

In this episode of Cancer Actually F**king Sucks, Amanda Paul shares her experience as a stage four classical multicellularity Hodgkin lymphoma survivor with Abigail. Amanda reflects on her life as a busy high school junior, filled with competitive dance and friendships, until her diagnosis prompted a significant shift in her perspective. She describes the challenging path to her diagnosis, marked by persistent itching and misdiagnoses that left her feeling frustrated. Despite these obstacles, Amanda took charge of her health, advocating for herself and ultimately suspecting cancer before receiving confirmation. Throughout their conversation, Amanda emphasizes the importance of mindset during her experience. She discusses how the situation, while difficult, forced her to slow down and reassess her priorities, leading to personal growth. When she finally received her diagnosis, Amanda felt relief, as it validated her struggles and allowed her to begin treatment. Amanda's story highlights resilience, self-advocacy, and the value of a supportive community. Her experience serves as a reminder that even in tough times, there is space for hope and progress. It would mean so much to the podcast if you would rate and review us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. And follow us on Instagram at @canceractuallysuckspod for more inspiring stories! If you'd like to share your story in a future episode, we’d love to hear from you! Email us at canceractuallysucks@gmail.com.

In this episode of Cancer Actually F**king Sucks, Jon Fox, a survivor of testicular and neuroendocrine cancers, shares his story with Abigail. Jon describes his background and interests before his cancer diagnosis and discusses the complexities of his life. He talks about the process of receiving his diagnosis and the whirlwind of surgeries and treatments that followed. Jon also discusses his recovery and the challenges he faced, including digestive issues and ongoing symptoms. Throughout the conversation, Jon emphasizes the importance of support from his school community and his parents. Jon shares his experience of being diagnosed with cancer and the challenges he faced during treatment and survivorship. He emphasizes the importance of self-advocacy and finding the right doctors who listen and provide thorough care. Jon also highlights the value of support groups for emotional healing and connecting with other young adult survivors. He discusses the impact of cancer on one's identity and the process of finding new puzzle pieces in life. Jon shares his aspirations for a slower-paced, creative life and encourages others to prioritize their own happiness and well-being. He advises newly diagnosed individuals to seek support, educate themselves about their condition, and consider second opinions. Overall, Jon's story is a testament to resilience, personal growth, and the power of community. If you'd like to connect with Jon, you can find him on Instagram at @mrfoxteacher, and you can read his poetry on SubStack at https://jonthefox.substack.com/. Don't forget to rate and review the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Instagram at @canceractuallysuckspod for more inspiring content! To share your story in a future episode, email us at canceractuallysucks@gmail.com.

In this powerful episode, host Abigail sits down with Katrina Craiker, a stage 2B invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer survivor. Katrina shares her journey of being diagnosed at just 27 years old, shortly after losing her mother-in-law to pancreatic cancer. She opens up about her initial symptoms, the challenging diagnostic process, and her treatment plan, which included chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. Katrina also discusses her BRCA2 positive genetic mutation and the impact it had on her outlook for the future. This raw and honest conversation highlights the unique challenges young cancer survivors face and the importance of genetic testing in cancer treatment and prevention. Don't forget to rate and review the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Instagram at @canceractuallysuckspod for more inspiring content! To share your story in a future episode, email us at canceractuallysucks@gmail.com.

In this episode of "Cancer Actually F**king Sucks", we sit down with Danny, an active duty Special Agent in the U.S. Air Force and a gastric cancer survivor. Danny takes listeners on a profound journey from diagnosis to triumph, sharing how his military training prepared him for his battle against cancer. Throughout the conversation, Danny sheds light on the pivotal role of the Hunter Seven Foundation, a nonprofit aiding active duty personnel and veterans in linking their illnesses to toxic exposures during deployment. From moments of challenge to unexpected sources of hope, Danny's story epitomizes resilience in the face of adversity, the importance of family, and the power of community. Tune in for an inspiring discussion around navigating cancer as a young adult and taking page out of Ted Lasso's book by believing - believing in yourself and that you'll make it through. We hope you enjoy! Find Danny at @thrift_shop_actual on Instagram, and learn more about the HunterSeven Foundation at @huntersevenfounation, as well. Don't forget to rate and review the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Instagram at @canceractuallysuckspod for more inspiring content!

In this episode of "Cancer Actually F**king Sucks," Abigail dives into a candid conversation with Casey Head, a survivor of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), sharing her experience navigating life after a cancer diagnosis. Casey opens up about her challenges with PTSD and anxiety post-diagnosis, offering profound insights into the impact of trauma on survivors. Embracing holistic approaches like meditation, yoga, and somatic therapy, Casey found solace and empowerment in addressing her mental health struggles. Her story underscores the transformative power of resilience and self-discovery, leading her to become a trauma-informed cancer coach and develop "The Happier Hustle." Today, through this 13-week program, she helps fighters and survivors reclaim their lives from cancer so they are mentally, physically, and emotionally stronger and live life without fear. Join Abigail and Casey as they explore the complexities of healing, the significance of community, and the pursuit of a fulfilling life beyond cancer. Don't forget to subscribe to, rate, and review the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Your support means so much! Follow the podcast on Instagram at @canceractuallysuckspod, and follow Casey at @thehappierhustle on Facebook & Instagram, too.

In this heartfelt episode of "Cancer Actually F**king Sucks," Geoff Grubbs shares his journey with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), offering a candid account of the highs and lows he's experienced. Hosted by Abigail, the conversation delves into Geoff's medical decisions, emotional challenges, and the vital role of community support. Geoff highlights the importance of organizations like the CLL Society and the Lymphoma Research Foundation, which provide invaluable resources and connections for those navigating similar paths. Join the discussion for an insightful exploration of living with CLL and the power of resilience in facing life's toughest battles. To learn more about the CLL Society, visit https://cllsociety.org/, and to get information about CLL Society Support Groups, head to https://cllsociety.org/programs-and-support/cll-specific-patient-support-groups/. Don't forget to rate and review the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Instagram at @canceractuallysuckspod for more inspiring content!

In this episode of "Cancer Actually F**king Sucks," Tracy, a courageous breast cancer survivor, shares her journey through diagnosis, treatment, and beyond. Tracy candidly discusses her experience with HER2 positive breast cancer, including its recurrence post-pregnancy and her battle with stage four metastatic cancer. She emphasizes the importance of finding the right medical team and navigating survivor guilt, while also highlighting the challenges of forging new connections during illness. Tracy's resilient spirit shines through as she channels her strength into running marathons for fundraising and providing peer support through CanCare. Her story resonates with themes of friendship evolution, identity reconstruction, and the pursuit of hope amidst uncertainty. Tracy's message of advocacy, empathy, and community underscores the transformative power of connection in navigating life's toughest moments. Don't forget to rate and review the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Instagram at @canceractuallysuckspod for more inspiring content!

In this heartfelt conversation, Abigail and Kallie share an intimate dialogue about Kallie's journey as a breast cancer survivor. From discussing meaningful tattoos to the challenges of navigating relationships post-cancer, Kallie opens up about the emotional and physical toll of her experience. As an ambassador for the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation, Kallie sheds light on her advocacy work and shares her plans for raising awareness during Triple Negative Breast Cancer Month. Despite the hardships she's faced, Kallie's resilience shines through as she reflects on her modeling journey post-treatment and the evolution of her self-esteem. Through vulnerability and strength, Kallie's story inspires hope and empowerment. Don't forget to rate and review the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and follow us on Instagram at @canceractuallysuckspod for more inspiring content!

It's our final episode ever (for now) and we also have a HUGE announcement for the pod! Abigail Glavy is your new host for Cancer Actually F***ing Sucks! Maddy and Shannon are passing the torch and they're so excited to welcome the new host. Follow us on Insta @canceractuallysuckspod. Don't forget rate, review & subscribe.

Shannon & Maddy start the episode off recapping their Thanksgiving and with some big podcast updates. Then we introduce Thandi Montgomery to the pod this week who is a breast cancer survivor and advocate. We walk through her diagnosis journey, what her treatment looked like and the emotional rollercoaster through all of it. She also shares how she stays so positive, ways she deals with fear of recurrence and reframing thoughts both during and after cancer. You can keep up with Thandi on Instagram @thandimonee and check out her website at thandimonee.com.

This week’s guest is Dr. Sanjay, aka The Onc Doc @theoncdoc! We’re so excited for this episode - it’s full of super helpful information for cancer patients and survivors from an amazing oncologist.  We talk to Dr. Sanjay about supplements, advocacy for patients, what he thinks cancer survivors should be doing after treatment, cancer topics & myths and new cancer-related discoveries and technologies that are coming.  He’s so great at explaining cancer and cancer-related topics in everyday terms and gives so many helpful tips to navigate this experience. Thank you Dr. Sanjay for being such an awesome guest! Follow him on social media @theoncdoc and you can check out his website https://www.sjunejamd.com/ ! Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the pod! 

This week we're talking to Abigail Glavy, breast cancer survivor and women's rights advocate. Abigail had grown up seeing breast cancer her whole life with loved ones who had been diagnosed and she opens up about finding out about her own genetic mutation at the time of diagnosis and what it was like being exposed to this world at a young age. She also shares some other traumatic events that happened around this time and how she's been living in survival mode for so long, and what she's been doing to start getting out of it and moving into survivorship. Abigail is incredible and we're so excited for you to hear her story! Don't forget to rate, review & subscribe to the pod. You can follow Maddy on Instagram @maddypollack_health and Shannon @shancury.

It’s a solo episode with Shannon this week and she’s talking to Stephanie, the creator of Bad Genes, a “cancer clothing line” aimed to raise awareness about cancer, inspire survivors or those impacted and directly support cancer research. They donate 50% of net proceeds to non-profit organizations that are also dedicated to making a responsible impact. They talk about why Stephanie created this business, being an oncology nurse and how that experience has been for her and why she’s been so drawn to the oncology field. You can check out Bad Genes at badgenes.co and follow them on social media @badgenes_ Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the pod! You can follow Shannon on Instagram @shancury and Maddy @maddypollack_health, and follow the pod @canceractuallysuckspod! 

It's a solo episode today catching up with your favorite hosts, Maddy & Shannon! We're reflecting on 2023 so far, talk about how both of us have had recent cancer triggers and fear of recurrence/other cancers. We talk about how no matter how long you're out of active cancer treatment, these feelings still come back and that is totally okay and how to get through them. Shannon talks about her recent Europe trip and why the fear of recurrence came back during it. She opens up about the importance of recognizing what feels good for her body and coming back to it. Maddy shares how she has recently taken some time off and how important it is to take time for yourself. She also has had a recent cancer trigger situation at the dermatologist and opens up about that experience. We both open up about finding our own "normal" in our bodies and how that looks different for everyone. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the pod! And follow them on Insta @canceractuallysuckspod, @maddypollack_health and @shancury

This week we're talking to Tori McGee, who is a two time Hodgkins Lymphoma survivor, stem cell survivor and Guillain-Barre Syndrome warrior. She has now been in remission since last March 2022! She shared with us how important it is to listen to your body rather than just go through the motions of life and accept not feeling great. Tori also opens up about how before her diagnosis she was always go go go and never took breaks or time for herself, and now moving forward how important that is her for her and her health. She talks about the process of getting diagnosed and how scary it was seeing her scan results for the first time and how due to the size of her tumor she wasn’t able to do anything in regards to fertility prior to treatment.  Tori also walks us through the stem cell transplant process and how it went for her, and how she ended up also getting diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which is an autoimmune disease that attacks the nerve endings.  She provides some amazing advice and tips on how she stays so positive and has such a great perspective on life, taking one day at a time and prioritizing your health.  You can check out Tori’s website at iamstoritelling.com and follow her in Instagram at @storitelling. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the pod and follow us on Insta @canceractuallysuckspod!

On this week’s pod we’re talking to Aidan Morris, stage 3 triple negative breast cancer survivor and co-founder of Do Cancer, a nonprofit organization that provides cancer patients and survivors with holistic healing services and programs. Aidan walks us through her diagnosis processes, getting second opinions for her treatment plan and the treatments she went through. She also opens up about doing her own research on the different drugs and treatments that were being recommended by doctors and how helpful it was.  She also discusses how imperative it is to be your own advocate and build trust within your body, parenting throughout cancer and how she approached it, and how she stayed in the present both during cancer treatment and now. We are so appreciative of Aidan for being so open and sharing her story! Follow Do Cancer on Instagram @do.cancer and check out their website for more info and how to get involved at docancer.org. Keep up with us and our guests on social media @canceractuallysuckspod.

This week we're talking to the incredible shining light that is Shenell Malloy. Shenell is a stage 4 Glioblastoma survivor, founder of Do Cancer, mom of two and has been in remission for 4 years. After being told that the average survival time is 12-18 months with this diagnosis and that 5% of patients live past 5 years, she became determined to not only live and survive through this cancer for herself and her family, but to also help others gain access to holistic healing modalities. She shares her journey through having such a terrifying diagnosis, treatment and how she prioritized herself and her health to get through treatment and the aftermath of it all. Shenell talks about how important it is for all of us to make time for ourselves and our healing rather than waiting until it's too late. She opens up about starting the Do Cancer organization, what it is and how you can get involved. Shenell is truly amazing and we're so excited for you to hear her story! You can follow Do Cancer on Instagram @do.cancer and visit the website at docancer.org. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the pod and follow us on Instagram @canceractuallysuckspod!

We start the episode out with some updates from Maddy and Shannon. Shannon gives us an update about her egg retrieval process and how it went. Then we hop into Part 2 of our interview with Christie where she talks about recovering after her last transplant and how she has slowly been able to transition into life out of treatment. She shares what’s been tough and the symptoms she’s experiencing through the transition and recovery, and what she’s able to do now. Christie also shares how having Leukemia has been such a unique experience and how it can be hard to connect with even other people in the cancer community because of this. Christie is now able to travel and be around friends so shares what exciting things she has coming up and what she’s looking forward to in the coming months!  You can follow Christie on social media @fueling.your.soul and keep up with us and our guests on Instagram @canceractuallysuckspod, @shancury and @maddypollack_health!

This week we have Christie Finley back on the pod! Last time we talked to Christie was June 2021 and she has lots of updates for us. This will be a two part episode to first catch up on what’s happened in the last couple of years in Christie’s Leukemia journey and to chat through where she’s at now and how she’s feeling in the present moment. In this week’s episode Christie opens up about relapsing after her first bone marrow transplant  and how she’s dealt with this long cancer journey both emotionally and physically. She talks about being in survival mode and how she’s coping, doing Proton therapy and what her symptoms were, how being super open and transparent about her experience on social media impacts her and so much more.  Thank you Christie for sharing your story with us! You can follow Christie on Instagram @fueling.your.soul and keep up with us and our guests on Instagram @canceractuallysuckspod.  You can also follow Shannon directly @shancury and Maddy @maddypollack_health. Don’t forge to rate, review and subscribe :)

We're back with another episode with just Maddy and Shannon this week giving all of their life updates. The biggest news is that Shannon has started the egg retrieval process. She walks us through her experience so far and why she decided to do it now. She shares how her body, emotions and mental health have been affected throughout and what she's been doing to help. We also talk about having all of the tools that we know help us feel better mentally, physically and emotionally, especially after cancer, but sometimes they just don't work and that's okay too. Shannon also shares how she's resetting when it comes to personal boundaries and being intentional with her time. Maddy shares her own updates as well, how moving in with her boyfriend is going, getting used to new routines and her upcoming coaching program offerings. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast as well as check out our amazing sponsors: badgenes.co, docancer.org and btrnation.com (use code CANCERSUCKS20 at checkout for $$ off)! And keep up with us on Instagram @canceractuallysuckspod, @maddypollack_health and @shancury.