WE Have Cancer

Lee Silverstein
WE Have Cancer

Each year more than 12 million people will hear the devastating words "you have cancer." In each episode of WE Have Cancer we share the stories of patients, survivors, caregivers and medical professionals as a way to provide information, inspiration and hope to those touched by cancer. The host, Lee Silverstein, is a survivor of a rare form of pediatric kidney cancer and has been battling stage 4 colon cancer since 2011.

  1. David Richman Lost his Sister to Brain Cancer and Continues to Fight in Her Memory

    10/05/2021

    David Richman Lost his Sister to Brain Cancer and Continues to Fight in Her Memory

    On this episode of WE Have Cancer, motivational speaker and endurance athlete David Richman shares with Lee how cancer first touched his life through his late sister, June. To honor her legacy, David has completed countless races in search of connection, emotion, and perspective. Guest Biography: David Richman is an, author, entrepreneur, speaker, consultant and philanthropist. But before any of that, he was a brother to June. In 2007 June was battling her final stages of brain cancer, and David was ready to run beside her during Relay for Life. June passed away just days before the race, but David still went and ran. His experience at that race sparked a new passion in him for endurance sports for a cause. In the last decade, he has completed over 50 triathlons, over 50 runs longer than marathon length, and most recently, he biked 4,700 miles cycling across the country to interview participants for his new book exploring the emotional side of cancer, Cycle of Lives. Table of Contents:David's Story Begins with June David's sister June received news that she had serious brain cancer in her forties, and that it was most likely terminal. Her diagnosis changed everything. She was the impetus to David's project and nonprofit work, and remains his constant inspiration.  What Would June Think of David's Work? June said the thing that sucked the most about her cancer was that she wouldn’t get to see her kids grow up. Through David's work, June is not forgotten, and her kids get to see her legacy continue to inspire connection.  5000 Miles on a Bike, Searching for Answers Inspired by June’s Relay for Life team in 2007 (called the June Buggies), David promised her he would run right alongside her. But June passed away just a few days before the race. Over time, David wanted to meet and interview all these people touched by cancer and bring them together. So he hopped on a bike and went city to city in a matter of six weeks. There's So Much Hope Lee asks, was the biggest surprise while working on Cycle of Lives? David says he went into the project thinking it would be dark and heavy all the time, but he was surprised and inspired to find how hopeful and wise so many people were along the way. Seeking Connection Drives Everything How did David learn to dig deep and lean into these meaningful (and often challenging) conversations? He says he loves “trying to figure the puzzle out” when interviewing people, and finds true joy in doing so. “I was always on the outside looking in.” In his book Cycle of Lives, he talks a bit about how up until his thirties he felt like he was never the main character of his own story. He wanted to get out of the shadows and capture stories that would spread light, emotion, and inspiration, just like June. Why the Bike Ride, Instead of Picking Up the Phone? Dave says, “I think we’re all connected by stories, and we’re connected by emotion.” To him it felt natural and obvious to jump on his bike and ride from city to city to string everything...

    35 min
  2. 09/21/2021

    Diagnosed with Stage IV Ovarian Cancer at Age 30: Morgan Gaynor's Journey & Advocacy

    On this episode of WE Have Cancer, awareness advocate and ovarian cancer survivor Morgan Gaynor chats with Lee about cancer research, advocacy, and sharing her cancer journey online in a very public way.Guest Biography: After completing her MBA at Monmouth University at age 30, Morgan decided to look into freezing her eggs. That decision would ultimately lead to her ovarian cancer diagnosis and save her life. Immediately after her diagnosis with low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, she began sharing her story online on her website, Morgan Beats Cancer. Now a year and a half after her last chemo session, she currently serves on the board of STAAR Ovarian Cancer Foundation, and advocates on the federal, state, and local levels on behalf of ovarian cancer patients for increased research funding. Table of Contents:The Story Behind "Morgan Beats Cancer" Morgan says naming her site was a big decision and conversation with family. It’s not just about beating cancer herself; Morgan says her goal is to beat ovarian cancer for everyone.  Sharing Her Cancer Journey with the World At the time of her diagnosis, Morgan was four months out from her MBA graduation where she studied Communications. Her whole life Morgan has been an eager philanthropist and volunteer, and now she’s taking all of her skills and passions into the cancer world via her website and advocacy work. Diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer Pre-Menopause She first posted on Facebook about her ovarian cancer diagnosis, and how it wasn’t common for a woman in her early thirties to be diagnosed with it. She wanted to raise awareness that cancer can happen at any age. Morgan says, “If you’re born with ovaries, you’re at risk for ovarian cancer.” From Freezing Eggs to Finding Ovarian Cancer After watching friends struggle with fertility in their twenties and thirties, Morgan decided she wanted to have her eggs frozen at age 30. At Morgan’s first ultrasound with the fertility specialist, they noticed several large lumps in Morgan’s pelvic area. A few weeks later, a surgeon confirmed the lumps were malignant, and she was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. Treatment Options for Ovarian Cancer Morgan says surgery was definitely the recommended immediate course of action for her. She had a debulking surgery first to remove all visible signs of disease, and then went through six rounds of chemotherapy afterward.  Life After Cancer Treatment Morgan’s final chemo session was in February 2020. She now takes a daily estrogen blocker because her particular strain of cancer was hormone-driven. She says she feels great. “My whole life is different now.” Between cancer and the pandemic, Morgan says she’s home much more than she used to be. She still spends time volunteering in her community, and she’s doing a lot with the ovarian cancer community as well. She joined the board of STAAR Ovarian Cancer Foundation, and is an advocacy leader with OCRA (Ovarian Cancer Research...

    30 min
  3. Finding Healing and Joy in Baseball, with Hodgkin’s Survivor Katie Russell Newland

    09/07/2021

    Finding Healing and Joy in Baseball, with Hodgkin’s Survivor Katie Russell Newland

    On this episode of WE Have Cancer, author and cancer survivor Katie Russell Newland chats with Lee about baseball, family, cancer, and learning to live in the moment. Katie shares how baseball was a special bond between her and her mother growing up. Three years after her mom lost her own battle with Colon Cancer, Katie was diagnosed herself. Two years later, Katie decided to dust off their old dream of road tripping to every ballpark in the country. Her journey later inspired her memoir, A Season with Mom: Love, Loss, and the Ultimate Baseball Adventure.Guest Biography: Katie Russell Newland is a writer and sports enthusiast with a PhD in language and literacy from the University of Texas at Austin. A survivor of both Hodgkin’s lymphoma and melanoma, she is now in remission and lives with her family in Austin, Texas. When she’s not watching sports or her favorite teams play (Chicago Cubs, New Orleans Saints, and Texas Longhorns), she can be found at a music festival, hosting a board game night, or playing pickleball. Table of Contents:Just Me, Mom, and Baseball Katie shares that her favorite baseball memories with her mom are the quiet moments watching baseball together at home, "just letting baseball do the talking." At their first Cubs game together, her mom had the idea to go and see all 30 ballparks together, just the two of them. "My Mom's Strength Gave Me Strength" When her mom passed away, Katie stepped away from baseball for a while because it hurt so much to have to experience the game without her. Then, when Katie was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and melanoma three years later, she reflected a lot about her mom’s strength and her own journey. Mom's Dream Came Alive Again A year after her cancer treatment, Katie was diagnosed with a rare complication called Lhermitte's Sign, where radiation from her neck and chest crept in to her spinal cord, making it a challenge to take a single step. A year later, her mom's old idea came back: Katie wanted to see every ballpark, just like they'd planned. 108 Years of Patience Watching the Cubs win the World Series in 2016 was magical, Katie says. Her mom wasn't around to see it, so Katie made sure to stay home alone, without distractions, to watch them win. She wanted it to be just her and her mom again, and she knows she felt her presence with her there. "I Wanted to Live in the Moment" When Katie started her baseball journey she says she had no intention of writing a book; she started it as part of her own healing journey and a way to feel closer to her mom again. The book came a few years later. Living Her Dream, Twice Then, Katie shares, reflecting back on her baseball journey to write the book was a whole separate journey in itself. She looked across thousands of photos from the trip, this time examining them from the perspective of a qualitative researcher. She was able to process the experience in a whole new way. Letting Go of Control Katie says she learned a lot from cancer about letting go and learning to release the...

    36 min
4.8
out of 5
65 Ratings

About

Each year more than 12 million people will hear the devastating words "you have cancer." In each episode of WE Have Cancer we share the stories of patients, survivors, caregivers and medical professionals as a way to provide information, inspiration and hope to those touched by cancer. The host, Lee Silverstein, is a survivor of a rare form of pediatric kidney cancer and has been battling stage 4 colon cancer since 2011.

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