Still Paddling - Stories of Life After Cancer

Claudia Espinoza Sobrado

Stories of Life After Cancer is a podcast that shares the inspiring journeys of breast cancer survivors who have found strength, resilience, and purpose beyond diagnosis. Hosted by breast cancer survivor and dragon boat teammate Claudia Espinoza, each episode features honest conversations about treatment, recovery, survivorship, prevention and the power of community. Through the unique bond of dragon boating, these women share the lessons, victories, and the hope they’ve gained while navigating life after cancer. #LifeAfterCancer #PreventionIsKey

  1. 2d ago

    The Sun Will Shine Again

    At just 38 years old, Karina Rada was a single mother raising two young daughters when she received her breast cancer diagnosis. Suddenly, she was facing not only the fear of cancer but also the challenges of treatment, motherhood, and not having health insurance. In this episode of Still Paddling, Karina shares how she found strength through gratitude, the importance of family and community support, and how dragon boating became a special part of her life after cancer. Her optimism is contagious, and her message is a beautiful reminder that even during our darkest moments, there is always something to be grateful for. As Karina reminds us, sometimes taking life one day at a time is too much. Sometimes it's one hour, or even one minute at a time. There is life after cancer, and together, we're still paddling. Musiclicensed through Soundstripe. Code:CDKGCPOQAJO99HW2

  2. Oct 9

    Life Is Too Short: Don't Wait Until Tomorrow

    In this episode of Still Paddling, I sit down with Anna Maria Nevins, a breast cancer survivor diagnosed in 2006, who reminds us of something we often forget: life is too short to put off the things that bring us happiness. Anna Maria shares her journey through diagnosis, treatment, and the challenges of balancing work and family. As a nurse who now works with cancer patients, she uses her own experience to offer comfort, understanding, and hope to others facing a similar journey. We also talk about the friendships and sisterhood she has found through dragon boating, the importance of early detection, and her decision to embrace life and enjoy every moment. Her message is simple: Don't wait until tomorrow to enjoy life. There is life after cancer! #StillPaddling #LifeAfterCancer #PreventionIsKey Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: XHTBVENLXKHWHK6J

  3. Oct 3

    Whatever Decision You Make, It’s Going to Be the Right One

    Sometimes the hardest part of a cancer diagnosis isn’t only the treatment—it’s the decisions, the uncertainty, and learning to accept help along the way. In this episode of Still Paddling, Cecilia Rogers shares her journey from her first breast cancer diagnosis nearly 20 years ago to facing a second, different cancer diagnosis years later. Through it all, Cecilia has continued to choose life- traveling, making music, spending time with her children and grandchildren, and finding joy in the people and experiences that matter most. One of the most meaningful lessons came from a friend who supported Cecilia throughout treatment. When Cecilia worried that she was asking for too much help, her friend told her: “You bless others by allowing them to help you.” Those words changed the way Cecilia looked at receiving support. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: XHTBVENLXKHWHK6J

  4. Sep 25

    Why Not Me? Choosing Hope After Cancer

    Zulma Collazo had always been driven, independent, and focused on getting things done. So, when a routine mammogram led to a breast cancer diagnosis, her instinct was the same: find the solution, make a plan, and keep moving. But her journey through surgery, complications, infection, radiation, and recovery would eventually teach her something she hadn’t always allowed herself to do—slow down and truly live. In this episode of Still Paddling, Zulma shares the difficult moment she learned she had cancer, why telling her sons was one of the hardest parts of her journey, the unexpected challenges she faced during treatment, and how she eventually found her way to the dragon boat community. Today, her priorities look very different. Life is less about work and material things and more about family, travel, experiences, and appreciating the people around her. Her message is simple but powerful: Never give up. There is always hope—and there is always something you can do. This is a story about early detection, resilience, family, and what can happen when a second chance teaches us to stop simply getting through life and start experiencing it. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: XHTBVENLXKHWHK6J

  5. Sep 18

    Finding Love and Happiness Through It All

    Debbie Nyman refuses to let a diagnosis define the mood, and that choice changes everything. While facing breast cancer, living with her daughter and a newborn, Debbie is carrying uncertainty that is as emotional as it is medical. But instead of allowing cancer to take over every part of her life, she makes a deliberate choice to keep living, laughing, and finding reasons to be happy. And in the middle of treatment, something unexpected happens—she finds love. Debbie shares the vulnerable reality of the not-knowing: Will the treatment work? Will she need more? What side effects are coming next? Yet her story is also a beautiful reminder that even during one of life's hardest chapters, there can still be room for joy, connection, new beginnings—and yes, even love. This conversation is about more than surviving breast cancer. It's about continuing to live while you're going through it, embracing happiness when it finds you, and discovering that a diagnosis doesn't get to decide what the rest of your story will look like. Because sometimes, even in the middle of the storm, life can surprise you with something beautiful. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: XHTBVENLXKHWHK6J

  6. Sep 11

    Crossing the Finish Line of a Race I Never Chose

    In this powerful episode of Still Paddling, Teresa Ellen Murphy shares a journey she never expected to take. Diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer during the isolation of 2020, she faced difficult treatment, unexpected complications, and moments that taught her the importance of advocating for her own health. But cancer would not be the end of her story. Years later, Terry found herself in a dragon boat—not just paddling alongside other breast cancer survivors but eventually representing the USA at the World Dragon Boat Championships in Germany. Crossing that finish line brought everything full circle. She remembered the days when treatment left her so weak she was crawling on the floor, and realized she was now competing on the world stage. This is a story about resilience, self-advocacy, finding strength through community, and discovering what may be waiting for us on the other side of the hardest chapters of our lives. Sometimes we are entered into races we never chose. But that doesn't mean we can't cross the finish line—and discover just how far we've come. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: XHTBVENLXKHWHK6J

  7. Sep 4

    20 Years Later: Choosing Joy After Cancer

    Nearly 20 years after her breast cancer diagnosis, Avilia Castro looks back on the moment everything changed—and the life she chose to build afterward. Diagnosed at an early stage after noticing a small lump herself, Avi shares the difficult reality of 38 radiation treatments, the fear of recurrence, and how cancer changed what mattered most to her. Over time, support, spirituality, travel, salsa dancing, and eventually dragon boating helped her rediscover strength, community, and joy. Today, Avi's message is simple but powerful: make time for your screenings, ask questions, seek support, and don't wait for a diagnosis to appreciate the life you have. This is a story of early detection, nearly 20 years of survivorship, and a reminder that there is life after cancer—and we're still paddling. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: XHTBVENLXKHWHK6J

  8. Aug 28

    When the World Shut Down, She Chose to Keep Going

    Gabrielle Ximena Barragán was diagnosed with triple-positive breast cancer in 2020, just as the world was shutting down and uncertainty was everywhere. But Gabrielle discovered just how strong she really was. Through chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and immunotherapy, she leaned on faith, resilience, self-advocacy, and the support of the people around her. Today, she looks at life differently, creating moments, serving others, and finding strength and community through dragon boating. Her message to someone newly diagnosed is simple and powerful: You are stronger than you think. Take it one day at a time, believe in yourself, have faith, and remember—there is always tomorrow. Music licensed through Soundstripe.Code: HVJIJ6FHAZJATTKB

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Stories of Life After Cancer is a podcast that shares the inspiring journeys of breast cancer survivors who have found strength, resilience, and purpose beyond diagnosis. Hosted by breast cancer survivor and dragon boat teammate Claudia Espinoza, each episode features honest conversations about treatment, recovery, survivorship, prevention and the power of community. Through the unique bond of dragon boating, these women share the lessons, victories, and the hope they’ve gained while navigating life after cancer. #LifeAfterCancer #PreventionIsKey

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