Game Over: c*ncer

What happens after childhood cancer changes everything?In this special episode of Game Over : c*ncer, hosts Val Solomon and Dana Nichols of Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation revisit some of the most powerful childhood cancer survivor and family stories shared throughout the podcast.This retrospective brings together unforgettable conversations about pediatric cancer diagnosis, childhood cancer treatment, survivorship, grief, mental health, scan anxiety, life after chemotherapy, finding a new normal, losing a child, and turning pain into purpose.For many childhood cancer survivors, finishing treatment is only the beginning of another journey. Survivors may face long-term side effects, questions about identity, survivor guilt, fear of recurrence, and the challenge of figuring out what “normal” looks like after cancer. Families also carry the emotional impact long after treatment ends, from the anxiety surrounding follow-up scans and bloodwork to the lasting trauma of watching a child fight for their life. As one family explains in this episode, you don’t necessarily fully exhale when treatment ends. You’ll also hear from parents and loved ones who turned devastating loss into advocacy, research funding, community support, and a commitment to keeping their children’s names and legacies alive. Across 50 episodes, Game Over: c*ncer has created space for pediatric cancer researchers, survivors, families, donors, and advocates to tell the stories behind the fight for better treatments and better outcomes.This milestone episode celebrates those voices while reminding us why the work continues.Learn more about Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation and how you can help advance childhood cancer research at cannonballkidscancer.org.Subscribe to Game Over: c*ncer for more conversations about pediatric cancer research, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, childhood cancer advocacy, innovative cancer treatments, and the people working to create meaningful change.----------------------------------Learn more about Cannonball Kids' cancer Foundation and support pediatric cancer research: cannonballkidscancer.org----------------------------------Connect with Dana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danaknichols/Connect with Val: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-solomon/Join us for the LINK conference: https://cannonballkidscancer.org/link

A mother’s intuition helped save her son’s life.When four-year-old Enzo developed persistent congestion, his mom, Krista Keller, knew something was wrong. But after visiting five doctors over two months, Enzo was repeatedly diagnosed with allergies and sinus infections.Krista even asked whether cancer could be causing his symptoms and was reassured that it wasn’t.Then, after Enzo became increasingly sick and lethargic, Krista and her husband took him to a children’s hospital. One scan revealed a large mass blocking his airway. Enzo was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, an aggressive pediatric blood cancer.As part of Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, we’re sharing the voices and experiences of parents and families who know childhood cancer firsthand. In this episode of Game Over: c*ncer, hosts Dana Nichols and Val Solomon speak with Krista about the realities of delayed pediatric cancer diagnosis, trusting parental intuition, advocating for your child in the medical system, and the emotional trauma childhood cancer can leave behind long after treatment ends.Krista also shares how Enzo’s diagnosis led her to create the Enzo and Me Pediatric Cancer Foundation from his hospital bedside. Today, the organization helps fund pediatric cancer research focused on some of the most underfunded and difficult-to-treat childhood cancers, including brain tumors, sarcomas, AML, neuroblastoma, and other cancers where better treatment options are desperately needed.This conversation explores:• Early signs and symptoms of pediatric cancer• Delayed childhood cancer diagnosis• Why parents must advocate when symptoms persist• Burkitt lymphoma in children• The emotional impact of childhood cancer• Pediatric cancer survivorship• Funding for childhood cancer research• Underfunded pediatric cancers• The experience of siblings and families during cancer treatment• How families can turn fear and grief into advocacy• The mission behind Enzo and Me Pediatric Cancer Foundation• Why innovative pediatric cancer treatments matterKrista’s story is a reminder that parents know their children, persistent symptoms deserve answers, and research is essential to creating safer treatments and better outcomes for children with cancer.----------------------------------Learn more about the Enzo and Me Pediatric Cancer Foundation:EnzoAndMe.orgLearn more about Cannonball Kids' Cancer Foundation and support pediatric cancer research: cannonballkidscancer.org----------------------------------Connect with Dana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danaknichols/Connect with Val: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-solomon/Upcoming Ckc Events: https://cannonballkidscancer.org/category/make-an-impact/events/----------------------------------Podcast Produced by Hi Hello Labs: Website: https://www.hihellolabs.com/

What happens when your child is told there is no standard treatment available?In this powerful episode of the Game Over: c*ncer Podcast, Sarah Asma, Executive Director of the Big Nova Foundation, shares the deeply personal story that transformed her family's life forever after her two-year-old niece was diagnosed with a rare form of pediatric leukemia.Forced to travel across the country because no hospital nearby had experience treating her niece's specific cancer, Sarah witnessed firsthand the urgent need for more pediatric cancer research, better treatment options, and greater support for families navigating childhood cancer.Today, through the Big Nova Foundation, her family invests in innovative nonprofit organizations, groundbreaking research, and community initiatives that strengthen lives across Central Florida and beyond.Hosts Dana Nichols and Val Solomon explore the realities of pediatric cancer research funding, healthcare inequities, childhood cancer survivorship, long-term treatment side effects, and why philanthropy is about empowering organizations, not controlling them.If you care about childhood cancer, nonprofit leadership, family philanthropy, medical research, healthcare innovation, or making a meaningful difference in your community, this conversation is one you won't want to miss.In this episode:Sarah Asma's family cancer storyRare pediatric leukemia treatmentWhy pediatric cancer research mattersChildhood cancer survivorshipLong-term side effects of cancer treatmentHealthcare inequitiesFamily philanthropyBuilding stronger nonprofit organizationsInvesting in innovative researchCreating lasting community impactHelp us create better treatment options for kids with cancer.Learn more about Big Nova Foundation:  Big Nova | Sparking Hope in Central FLLearn more about Cannonball Kids' Cancer Foundation and support pediatric cancer research: cannonballkidscancer.org----------------------------------Connect with Dana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danaknichols/Connect with Val: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-solomon/Upcoming Ckc Events: https://cannonballkidscancer.org/category/make-an-impact/events/----------------------------------Podcast Produced by Hi Hello Labs: Website: https://www.hihellolabs.com/

When most people hear palliative care, they think it means the end.But what if we've misunderstood it all along?In this episode of Game Over: c*ncer, hosts Dana Nichols and Val Solomon sit down with Dr. Justin Baker, pediatric oncologist and Division Chief, Quality of Life and Pediatric Palliative Care at Stanford University School of Medicine, to discuss how quality of life considerations should begin at the moment a child is diagnosed, not only when treatment options run out.Dr. Baker shares why pediatric palliative care is transforming childhood cancer treatment by helping children experience less suffering, better symptom management, stronger family support, and more meaningful moments throughout treatment.You'll also hear one of the most powerful conversations we've had about grief, human connection, compassion, and what every one of us can do to better support families facing pediatric cancer.If you've ever wondered what to say to a grieving parent, how to support someone whose child has cancer, or why quality of life deserves just as much attention as survival, this episode is for you.Chapters00:00 Introduction02:10 What "Quality of Life for All" really means05:40 The biggest misconception about pediatric palliative care10:35 How palliative care improves cancer treatment17:20 Why families need support from diagnosis24:15 The evolution of pediatric palliative care33:10 Why connection is medicine41:45 Supporting grieving families without fear50:05 The future of pediatric cancer care57:30 What gives Dr. Baker hopeLearn more about Cannonball Kids' Cancer Foundation and support pediatric cancer research: cannonballkidscancer.org----------------------------------Connect with Dana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danaknichols/Connect with Val: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-solomon/Upcoming Ckc Events: https://cannonballkidscancer.org/category/make-an-impact/events/----------------------------------Podcast Produced by Hi Hello Labs: Website: https://www.hihellolabs.com/

Could one small action change someone's life?Cancer survivor, bestselling author, and entrepreneur Emily McDowell joins Game Over: c*ncer to share how one simple greeting card idea grew into a movement that transformed the greeting card industry, and why empathy and imperfect action matter more than perfection.After surviving cancer at just 24 years old, Emily discovered how uncomfortable our culture is with difficult conversations. Instead of accepting it, she created Empathy Cards, giving people better words for life's hardest moments. Today, her work has helped millions navigate grief, illness, loss, and human connection.In this powerful conversation with co-hosts Dana Nichols and Val Solomon, Emily shares lessons on entrepreneurship, creativity, purpose, burnout, cancer survivorship, and why waiting until you have everything figured out is often what keeps meaningful work from happening.Whether you're an entrepreneur, creative, caregiver, cancer survivor, nonprofit leader, or simply someone who wants to make a difference, this episode will challenge how you think about success, service, and showing up for others.In this episode:How Empathy Cards changed the greeting card industryThe importance of authentic communicationWhy people struggle with grief conversationsEntrepreneurship without perfectionCreativity and purpose-driven businessThe Ripple Effect philosophyHow one small action creates lasting impactIf this conversation inspired you, please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE to help us educate for change and advance pediatric cancer research.Learn more about Cannonball Kids' cancer Foundation and support pediatric cancer research: cannonballkidscancer.org----------------------------------Connect with Dana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danaknichols/Connect with Val: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-solomon/Connect with Emily McDowell: emilyonlife.comAre you in Central Florida? Get your ticket to the Ripple Effect Luncheon: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/ckcf/event/2026rippleeffectluncheon/----------------------------------Podcast Produced by Hi Hello Labs: Website: https://www.hihellolabs.com/