Cancer Interviews

Jim Foster
  • 5.0 (2)
  • MEDICINE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

It is our sincere hope that however cancer may be impacting you or your loved ones, that you will find the Cancer Interviews podcast and our interviews with amazing cancer survivors, caregivers, oncology professionals and others, helpful, informative and encouraging! Our guests share their stories with things like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, stem cell transplants, bone marrow transplants, the emotional ups and downs of being a cancer patient, being a caregiver for a loved one fighting cancer, as well as cancer nutrition and allow them an opportunity to tell us about their life before, during and after their cancer journey. We do not provide medical advice on this podcast. Please remember, you are not alone and we invite you to be a part of our team, where together, everyone achieves more! We are sharing the journey together and we wish you the very best possible outcome, with your cancer journey!

  1. 4D AGO

    175: Michelle Reed survived bladder cancer | cystoscopy | gemcitabine | bcg immunotherapy | mitomychin

    Michelle Reed is still with us after being diagnosed with NMI bladder cancer in 2018; but she will stop short of saying she has survived the disease.  Since surgery to remove a 7mm mass, she has had ten recurrences.  Post-treatment included a chemotherapy regimen of gemcitabine, which she says she will be taking for the rest of her life.  Managing her cancer consists of making she comes in for her scheduled scans and listening to her body.  Michelle does much to help others as they battle cancer through her book and her website.   In 2018, Michelle Reed had a lot on her plate.  Her son had just been in an auto accident and while she was caring for him and working at a full time job, she noticed blood in her urine.  With all she had going on, she was slow to seek medical attention, but when the condition wouldn't go away, she went to an urgent care.  She made five such visits, each time being told she probably just had a urinary tract infection or mini kidney stones.  Michelle had friends who had suffered kidney stones, knew they were quite painful, and that tipped her off, that the diagnoses she had received at the urgent care were inaccurate.   She eventually saw a urologist who conducted a FISH test, which stands Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization urinalysis, which combined with a CT scan, revealed a 7mm mass on her bladder.  Her doctor said it was urgent that Michelle undergo surgery to remove the mass.  He added that a best-case scenario was complete removal of the mass after which she could go home, while a worst-case scenario would her being hooked up to a bag for the rest of her life.  Thankfully, the entire mass was removed.    However, Michelle Reed will never say she has 'survived' bladder cancer.  After the surgery, she was put on a chemotherapy regimen of gemcitabine.  She says she will always be on that regimen.  Michelle also says since her diagnosis, she has had no less than ten recurrences of bladder cancer, requiring several surgeries.  She also knows there is the possibility that another surgical procedure could be in her future.   Michelle says the quality of her urinary function varies from day to day, and that also will be with her for the rest of her life, as well as fatigue that is a byproduct of her treatment.   By way of advice to others who find themselves 'managing' their cancer, she says to be sure to be present for all your scheduled appointments and listen to your body.   Michelle Reed makes a steadfast effort to help others battling cancer with a book anda website.   Additional Resources:   Michelle's Book: Cancer Care Book   Michelle's Website: https://www.cancersupportstudio.com

    32 min

  2. MAY 12

    174: john pattison survived hodgkin lymphoma and bladder cancer | vincristine | prednisolone | mitomycin | cystoscopy

    John Walker Pattison is still with us despite two protracted battles with cancer.  He was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma in 1975 and relapsed three times.  Then in 2018, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, a diagnosis after which he relapsed once.  After his lymphoma diagnosis, treatment included an aggressive chemotherapy regimen, which included nitrogen mustard, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisolone.  John said effects from the chemo hampered his fight with bladder cancer and still affect him today, although his urinary function is just fine.    John was in his late teens when he began to experience fatigue, night sweats, recurring cough and weight loss, among other symptoms.  He was doing heavy lifting in the shipbuilding business, had difficulty at work and one day on the job he collapsed.  Realizing he needed medical attention, he underwent scans and biopsies, and they led to a diagnosis of Stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma.  He was told his chances of recovery were slim.   In May 1975, his care team prescribed a chemotherapy cocktail of nitrogen mustard, prednisolone, procarbazine and vincristine, which only added to a high degree of fear he had for his future.    Things went from bad to worse when he was informed that the chemo regimen didn't work and he relapsed.  In April 1976, he was put on a different regimen with cyclophosphamide taking the place of nitrogen mustard.  That, too, was ineffective, resulting in another relapse.  In December of that year, his care team tried radiotherapy, again with no success.    In April 1977, John went on a regimen of palliative chemotherapy, with single agent vinblastine.  On a subsequent visit, his oncologist raised his arms in triumph and shocked John by telling him he was cancer free.   John Walker Pattison thought cancer was in his rear-view mirror, but in 2018, while traveling by air, he discovered blood in his urine.  He was a health care professional and immediately knew something was wrong.  Again seeking medical attention, he was diagnosed with Grade II Transitional Cell Bladder Carcinoma.  He underwent surgery, followed by bladder installation of mitomycin chemotherapy.  That was followed by transurethral laser ablation in 2020.  Not long after that procedure, again, John was told he was cancer free.   John Walker Pattison enjoys normal urinary function, but says he will be dealing with the side effects of the chemotherapy and radiotherapy he underwent in the seventies.   That said, John wants to help others diagnosed with cancer.  He has written a book, "Shadow of a Survivor," which he hopes will be a source of hope and inspiration.   Additional Resources:   John's Book, "Shadow of a Survivor," available on Amazon John's Website, https://www.johnpattison.co.uk

    25 min

  3. APR 29

    173: Dr. Ben Evans is a colon cancer expert | colonoscopy | stool-based tests | rectal bleeding | polyps

    The average age in which people are diagnosed with colon cancer continues to drop.  Louisville-based gastroenterologist Ben Evans, MD says for decades the conventional wisdom was that one should begin getting screened for colon cancer at age 50.  Now, he says you should learn your family history with colon cancer and colon polyps, and with that as your guide, you should start screening as early as your twenties.  Dr. Evans says that while the colonoscopy remains the gold standard for colon screening, there are stool-based testing alternatives that can be done in the privacy of your home.  However, he notes that if one of the home-based tests reveal a positive result, you will need to undergo a colonoscopy.   Intense research has yet to come up with an answer as to why those being diagnosed with colon cancer are getting increasingly younger.  Dr. Evans says the mortality rate for those diagnosed with cancer continues to climb while to varying degrees, the mortality rate is dropping for all other types of cancer.   In addition to checking your family history with colon cancer, you can help yourself by living a healthy lifestyle.  Dr. Evans suggests quitting smoking, reducing alcohol intake and consumption of processed foods, while being sure to load up on fruits and vegetables.   Dr. Evans says you should be aware of colon cancer symptoms.  They include bloody stool, rectal bleeding and abdominal pain.  If any of these symptoms materialize, he says you should not leave anything to chance and seek medical attention.   Additional Resources: Support Group: The Colon Cancer Prevention Project: https://www.coloncancerpreventionproject.org

    19 min

  4. APR 23

    172: Cindy Koerner survived breast cancer | epirubicin | zoladex | cyclophosphamide | estradiol

    In 2018, for Cindy Koerner, pain in her right breast led to a diagnosis of Stage 3A breast cancer.  She was put on a three-pronged, high-dosage chemotherapy regimen of epirubicin, nab-paclitataxel and cyclophosphamide.  The cyclophosphamide compromised her immune system, resulting in fatigue and fever.  The chemo regimen shut down her ovaries, but when they became active about a year later, Cindy was told if they remained active, the possibility of a relapse would increase, so she opted to have them removed.  These days, Cindy believes her health is at approximately 80 percent of what it was before her diagnosis, but she admits she gets tired easily, which prevents her from doing activities that she thinks would leave her exhausted.   Cindy's cancer journey began in 2018 when she felt pain behind the nipple in her right breast.  The pain would leave, only to return when her menstrual cycle returned.  She saw her gynecologist, who called for an ultrasound, which the doctor said did not reveal anything abnormal.  When the pain continued to come and go, she went back to the gynecologist.  Another ultrasound, the gynecologist said revealed nothing unusual.   However, in 2020, she noticed a change in the shape of her breast and that it included a dimple.  Another trip to the doctor and another scan indicated a tumor and a diagnosis of Stage 3A breast cancer.  Cindy later learned that such a diagnosis should have provided her with multiple treatment options, but at the time her care team told her she would be going on an aggressive regimen of chemotherapy.  Because of the advent of COVID, treatment was made more difficult for Cindy from an emotional perspective because she had to remain in isolation.   The regimen included epirubicin, nab-paclitaxel and cyclophosphamide.  She had to come in for a dosage every two weeks.  Like many on chemotherapy, Cindy suffered hair loss, but she said the cyclophosphamide was the roughest.  It played havoc with her immune system, leading to fatigue, fever and depression.  However, this was not the only hurdle in her journey.   Cindy's tumor was hormone receptor positive, which reacted to the estradiol in her body.  This had implications for her ovaries.  The chemo had rendered them inactive, but about a year later, they became active again.  She was told when the ovaries are active, that increases the possibility of the cancer returning.  As a result, with injections of zoladex, a GnRH analogon, she opted to have her ovaries removed.   Cindy Koerner has returned to work as a cancer biologist with the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg.  She says her health is about 80 percent of what it was before her diagnosis and there are some activities she avoids because she fears they would leave her exhausted.   Cindy is also a cancer patient advocate.  Among her messages to patients is to have a heightened awareness of their treatment options, which she admits she didn't have at the time of her diagnosis.

    18 min

  5. MAR 31

    171: Hope Nightingale survived osteosarcoma | neoadjuvant chemotherapy | cisplatin | doxorubicin

    At age four, Hope Nightingale complained of severe pain in her legs.  At first, her parents thought she was just being a hypochondriac.  That changed when she fell off her scooter and broke the distal femur in her left leg.  The following year, 2011, this led to a diagnosis of Stage II osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.  After a regimen of neoadjuvant chemotherapy featuring cisplatin and doxorubicin, Hope underwent a surgical procedure, a vascularized fibula transplant.  Her left femur was removed, and her right fibula was inserted in its place.  Confined to a wheelchair and then crutches at such a young age, Hope underwent extensive physiotherapy rehabilitation so that she could relearn how to walk despite her left leg being 2cm shorter than her right leg.  Hope has survived and is training to compete in a half marathon!   Hope says as a four-year-old she was often accused of overreacting to just about everything.  So, when she complained of pain in her legs, her parents did not take the complaints seriously.  That changed when she fell off her scooter, couldn't get up and her parents discovered she had broken her left leg.  She had her distal femur x-rayed.  That led to a biopsy, and, at age five, a diagnosis of Stage II osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.   Treatment was to begin with neoadjuvant chemotherapy aimed at shrinking the tumor.  Hope said unlike many people, outside of hair loss, she suffered few nasty side effects.   Next was a vascularized fibula transplant.  The cancerous left distal femur was removed and was replaced by her right fibula.  A result of this surgery was the loss of both her quadricep muscles.   Hope returned to school, but in a wheelchair with casts on both legs.  This did not go unnoticed by her classmates, most of whom wanted to know what happened.  Hope says her diagnosis was not a blessing, but she felt blessed that her diagnosis took place at such a young age, when she was unable to process it in full.  She said physically, it was tough being in a wheelchair, but emotionally it was tougher because at recess, she wanted to join her friends, running around and playing.  Hope said it was amazing that sometimes her chums would halt their activities and gather around her to include her in their fun.    Hope eventually got out of the wheelchair and was on crutches, but that, too, was frustrating because she wanted to be ambulatory, like her friends.   At this time, Hope Nightingale had to relearn how to walk, which involved extensive physiotherapy rehabilitation.  As if that were not tough enough, the surgery left her left leg 2cm shorter than her right leg.  She went to a specialist who gave her a wedge to put in her left shoe, removing the discrepancy in the length of her legs.   These days, Hope leads an active lifestyle.  She enjoys going to the beach near her hometown of Cape Town and to the mountains and vineyards outside of town.  Not only is she walking, but Hope is training to run a half marathon.   Additional Resources:   Support Group:   Cancer Association of South Africa  https://www.cansa.org.za

    22 min

  6. MAR 24

    170: Jess survived myxopapillary ependymoma | pregabalin | duloxetine | spinal cord stimulator | lower lumbar

    When Jess began to feel pain in her right leg in 2020, she thought it was sciatica.  When extreme pain radiated to her lower back, a physical therapist thought she had a bulging disc.  However, her condition worsened, she went in for an MRI, and it revealed a tumor originally thought to be on her spinal cord.  Further tests indicated the tumor was inside her spinal cord and a diagnosis of myxopapillary ependymoma, a rare cancer.  The tumor was surgically removed, but her post-treatment life was very difficult.  There were prolonged instances in which she could not move her legs, which brought her to tears not only from the pain, but the chilling thought of the rest of her being spent in bed or on the couch.  Jess went through all sorts of medications from morphine to medical marijuana, but medical savior was a spinal cord stimulator.  It has enabled her to maximize her movements with little or no pain.   In 2020, Jess led an active lifestyle.  It included soccer and other activities with two young sons.  But she started experiencing pain in her right leg.  She thought it was sciatica but believed it would go away.  When it didn't, and pain radiated to her lower back, she saw a physical therapist, who thought Jess had a bulging disc.  One night at home, Jess fell and said one of her sons looked her in the eye and told her she needed to see a doctor.   Jess underwent an MRI.  It indicated she had a tumor on or near her spinal cord.  Doctors were initially baffled because they could not pinpoint the tumor's location, but additional tests showed the tumor was inside her spinal cord.  A surgical procedure to remove the tumor was completed successfully.  It was after the procedure when Jess was regaining consciousness in her hospital that she was informed she had Stage II myxopapillary ependymoma, a rare cancer.  Ten days after surgery, Jess underwent a spinal tap at the location of the tumor to determine whether any tumor cells had been left behind.  Thankfully, the results were clear and have remained clear ever since.   However, many challenges awaited Jess.  There were instances in which she was immobilized, having to remain in bed.  She felt pain from head to toe.  Certain fabrics rubbing against caused pain.  As did extreme temperatures or the wind.  She was prescribed opioids, which she said did nothing to alleviate the pain.  She was given morphine.  Eventually doctors prescribed pregabalin and duloxetine, medications which were able to reduce the pain.  Jess also tried medical marijuana, which reduced the pain.   The biggest development in her recovery was her working with a specialist in New Hampshire who performs spinal cord stimulator procedures. Jess completed a trial with a stimulator and when using it, much of her pain was gone and she regained much of her mobility.   Jess says her spinal cord will never be the same and neither will she, but she is grateful for the mobility she has.  She adds that since October 2025, she has been sober from alcohol and cannabis.   Additional Resources:   Support Groups:   The CERN Foundation: https://www.cern-foundation.org   walk.talk.connect: https://walktalkconnect.org   Book:   ReConnected: Stories from Spinal Cord Tumor & Dawn Standera, available on Amazon   https://www.youtube.com/@reconnected-SCTtumorstories

    27 min

  7. MAR 14

    169: Adam Deans survived osteosarcoma | bone cancer | distal femur | prosthetic leg

    Adam Deans was an athletic teenager and had aspirations of becoming a professional athlete.  However, all that changed when he fell down a flight of stairs at school.  At first, doctors thought Adam had dislocated his left knee, but upon getting further medical attention, tests showed he had cancer, known as osteosarcoma in his distal femur.  Doctors recommended chemotherapy, but when that was ineffective, the leg was amputated in 2005.  In 2008, a friend introduced Adam to wheelchair basketball.  Still with his athletic prowess, he learned the sport quickly and became good at it, eventually the Australian national team.  It won the world championship in 2014 and in 2016, Adam played for the national team at the Paralympics at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Adam retired from wheelchair basketball in 2017, but now married with two children, he is happy with his life.   Adam wanted to become a professional football player in his native Australia.  He seemed positioned for such a pursuit until one day in his final year of high school when his leg broke as he was going down a flight of stairs.  Rushing him to the hospital, paramedics initially thought Adam had dislocated his left knee and tried popping it back into place; but at the hospital, tests showed he was going downstairs with a broken distal femur, broken because of the presence of a cancerous tumor.   He soon learned he had osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.  Not only that, but at age 17, he would have to have his left leg amputated, followed by two rounds of chemotherapy.  He was gratified to experience very few of the nasty side effects that come with chemo, the worst being hair loss.   Like most teenagers, Adam wanted to fit in with his peers.  He wondered how that could happen and wondered if girls would find him attractive.  That was in 2005.  In 2008, a friend overcame a great deal of resistance and persuaded Adam to attend a wheelchair basketball practice.  At first, Adam was intimidated at the prospect of simultaneously handling a basketball and a wheelchair, but his athletic prowess kicked in.  He made the local team in Perth, then found a spot on the powerful Australian national team.   In 2014, the Aussies won the wheelchair basketball world championship and was favored to win gold in the paralympics at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  However, the squad came home without a medal after it was eliminated in the quarterfinals.  The following year, Adam retired from competitive wheelchair basketball, but his story should be a source of inspiration for anyone whose cancer diagnosis will result in disability.  He has gone on to get married and has two children.   By way of advice, Adam Deans says anyone diagnosed with cancer should not try to proceed by themselves.  He says anyone diagnosed should not be afraid to lean on others because "that's what loved ones are for."   Additional Resources:   Support Group: Sock It To Sarcoma  https://www.sockittosarcoma.org.au

    35 min

  8. MAR 8

    168: Kevin Donaghy twice survived skin cancer | immunotherapy | pembroluzimab | metastatic melanoma

    What began as a harmless looking spot on Kevin Donaghy's forearm turned into a pair of diagnoses of skin cancer.  The first was Stage II in 2018, but 18 months later, it returned and was diagnosed Stage IV metastatic melanoma BRAF+.  The urologist said Kevin, an IT specialist from Melrose, Scotland, may have six months to live unless he underwent a newly-approved immunotherapy known as pembroluzimab.  That was in 2020, and Kevin is still with us.  The immunotherapy triggered a bout of ulcerative colitis, which left him bedridden for six months, but Kevin says his health is no different than it was before his diagnosis.   In late 2017, Kevin didn't give much thought to a spot he saw on his forearm.  He thought he might have cut himself and didn't know it.  When the spot didn't go away, he sought medical attention.  His doctor said the spot did not look cancerous, prescribed some cream for Kevin to rub on it, and said if the spot changes in size, shape or color, to come back.  The spot made none of those changes, but it also didn't go away.   Kevin was referred to a dermatologist, who called for a biopsy.  He was away on a business trip when he received an urgent phone call stating that Kevin needed to come in that afternoon.  He came in two days later and the dermatologist said the biopsy indicated Kevin had a cancerous tumor in his forearm.  Another biopsy was conducted to see if the cancer had spread to any lymph nodes and thankfully it hadn't.   Not long after the tumor was removed, Kevin received a phone call from the oncologist while walking in downtown Edinburgh.  The doctor told Kevin he was cancer free.  On the sidewalk, he dropped to his knee and wept, overcome with relief.  He thought the worst was over.   However, his health took a turn for the worse some 18 months later when he experienced severe back pain and sought medical attention.  Another biopsy revealed that the melanoma had spread, bypassing his lymph nodes, but resulting in tumors on his right lung and one next to his spine, which was the source of back pain.   Kevin was told he had six months to live unless a procedure involving an immunotherapy called pembroluzimab was successful.  The operation seemed to go well, but at its conclusion, Kevin had to periodically come in for CT scans.  A couple years later, Kevin was contacted by his urologist who said the immunotherapy had shrunk the tumors and again, he was told he was cancer free.   There was one more problem for Kevin.  The immunotherapy triggered ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory disease.  He was bedridden for six months, but eventually survived that as well.   These days Kevin Donaghy says his health is just as sharp as it was prior to his diagnosis, and that going forward he "wants to do more."   He has gone on to write a book, "Stories of Hope and Cancer."  Thousands of copies have been donated to cancer charities around the United Kingdom.  It chronicles the stories of 39 cancer survivors.   Additional Resources:   Kevin's book: "Stories of Hope and Cancer," available on Amazon, with proceeds going to cancer charities throughout the United Kingdom.

    20 min
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Ratings & Reviews

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out of 5
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About

It is our sincere hope that however cancer may be impacting you or your loved ones, that you will find the Cancer Interviews podcast and our interviews with amazing cancer survivors, caregivers, oncology professionals and others, helpful, informative and encouraging! Our guests share their stories with things like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, stem cell transplants, bone marrow transplants, the emotional ups and downs of being a cancer patient, being a caregiver for a loved one fighting cancer, as well as cancer nutrition and allow them an opportunity to tell us about their life before, during and after their cancer journey. We do not provide medical advice on this podcast. Please remember, you are not alone and we invite you to be a part of our team, where together, everyone achieves more! We are sharing the journey together and we wish you the very best possible outcome, with your cancer journey!

Information

  • Creator
    Jim Foster
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    Cancer Interviews © 2020
  • Show Website
    Cancer Interviews

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