Campfires of Hope: Stories of Cancer Epic Experience

Epic Experience director Colin Ferro was a special guest on Travel...Adventure...Wellness on WTBQ Radio to discuss how travel and adventure can benefit cancer patients/survivors physically and emotionally.  



Learn more about how Epic Experience empowers cancer survivors to live beyond cancer at www.epicexperience.org

When Sara Marian Lucking was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in 2022, she was on maternity leave from her career as a dermatologist. She shares that being a healthcare professional going through cancer had its pros and cons. While her background knowledge helped her get to a diagnosis faster, it was scary to know so much about the uphill battle she would face with her specific diagnosis and the side effects of her treatments—knowledge she told herself to “unlearn.”



As a doctor, she was very familiar with the burnout that many healthcare professionals experience as a result of not putting themselves first. After going through cancer treatment, Sara Marian says that changed. "I'm now prioritizing my health and being present for my family. I’m taking all the information I learned and trying to help other people.”




Learn more about how Epic Experience empowers cancer survivors to live beyond cancer at www.epicexperience.org

Brad Glassel, a stage three prostate cancer survivor, returns to the Campfires of Hope podcast for an episode of Keepin’ It Real. He discusses life following completion of cancer treatment and the difficulty of figuring out how to move on. After attending supportive communities like Epic Experience and local story slams, he discovered the importance of moving forward by embracing new challenges. Brad explains that while challenges may seem daunting at first, they can be overcome by taking small steps. He used that mentality to compile a series of short stories about his life into a book he recently published titled Those Days.



Learn more about how Epic Experience empowers cancer survivors to live beyond cancer at www.epicexperience.org

In the inaugural Keepin’ It Real episode on the Campfires of Hope podcast, we dig deeper into the mental and emotional side of a cancer diagnosis with Dana Shelton Lee, who is living with stage 4 colon cancer.



Dana discusses the impact that multiple recurrences, surgeries, and over 40 rounds of chemotherapy has had on her psyche. She keeps it real by sharing her rock-bottom moments and how she finds strength in self-care, living with intention, and helping others. Dana’s advice is to “find your tribe and learn to live a meaningful life with cancer,” and hopes her story will inspire others to thrive.



Learn more about how Epic Experience empowers cancer survivors to live beyond cancer at www.epicexperience.org

Nils Palsson is a father, author, educator, and testicular cancer survivor. Nils was diagnosed in 2021 and by 2023 was declared to have no evidence of disease. He describes his cancer journey as dance, not a battle. Fittingly, the memoir he is currently writing is titled Cancer Dancer.



For Nils, the hardest part about cancer survivorship was thinking about the “what if…” part of his future, something he calls “future tripping.” He’s saved from these thoughts by his daughter’s requests to go play, where he is reminded to be present in the moment. Nils gives us his own reminder to be alive, compassionate, and aware of the preciousness of life, and to “do it right now!”



Learn more about how Epic Experience empowers cancer survivors to live beyond cancer at www.epicexperience.org

Stephanie Luning was just 24 years old when she was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2005. Following surgery and treatment, she was in the clear for six years. Then, in 2011, her doctor noticed a suspicious spot on her regular scan. Stephanie details how she navigated getting several second opinions, all of which provided different options. With so much information to process and a very important decision to make, Stephanie relied on her own intuition, research, and trust in her doctors. After deliberating, she opted not to pursue treatment, which she learned was the correct decision when a subsequent scan revealed the spot was gone.



Stephanie advises getting a second, and sometimes third, opinion when considering a cancer diagnosis and treatment. “The first time you go through it, you go with your doctors because you assume they are telling you the best. But it’s always helpful to get someone else’s view on it to make sure they are on the same track, or if there’s something new. The more information the better.”



Learn more about how Epic Experience empowers cancer survivors to live beyond cancer at www.epicexperience.org