The Deep C

What happens when your best friend’s child is diagnosed with cancer? How do you show up for someone you love when you can't fix the very thing that's breaking their heart? In this episode of The Deep C , I sit down with Chelsea Wetherup, whose best friend, Claire Masikewich, was thrown into the world of childhood cancer when her daughter, Sloane, was diagnosed with stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma in 2023. Chelsea offers a perspective we don't often hear: what it's like to stand beside someone you love through the unimaginable. We talk about the instinct to protect, knowing when to listen and when to speak, the helplessness of watching your best friend suffer, and the kind of friendship where you can still find something completely inappropriate to laugh about in the middle of it all. This conversation is a love letter to female friendship, to the women who know us better than almost anyone, and to the extraordinary gift of having someone who doesn't need to be told how to show up. Learn more about Claire's Keynote speaking at https://www.clairemasikewich.com/ Listen, follow and share The Deep C with someone who needs to hear this conversation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do our children discover about themselves when they go through cancer treatment? On The Deep C, I usually talk to parents about the strength, hope and love we discover deep within ourselves when our child is diagnosed with cancer. But for this episode, I wanted to hear about that experience from our kids. In a special collaboration with ACCESS (Advancing Childhood Cancer Experience, Science and Survivorship), I sat down with seven teenagers from across Canada who have all been diagnosed with cancer, some of whom are still in treatment. Sully, Karina, Ollie, Izabella, Keaton, Noah and Sachan generously share their experiences, beginning with the moments they learned they had cancer. We talk about the fears they faced during treatment, how cancer affected their friendships and what it felt like to return to school. They also share what they wish adults understood about their capabilities and the advice they would give another young person facing a diagnosis. What I found most enlightening was hearing about the strength they uncovered within themselves while their parents were discovering their own. Their stories offer an extraordinary perspective on what it means to grow up with cancer and how important it is that we listen to young people when they tell us what they need. About ACCESS ACCESS is a national, community-driven network working to advance childhood cancer research and care in Canada. By bringing people with lived experience together with researchers, healthcare providers and policymakers, ACCESS ensures that the voices of children and families help shape the future of childhood cancer care. This episode is part of ACCESS Presents, a series of free public educational conversations, and was created in recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. A special thank you to Sully, Karina, Ollie, Izabella, Keaton, Noah and Sachan for sharing their stories, and to Stephanie Reid and Renu Jeyapala at ACCESS for bringing this idea to The Deep C and making these conversations possible. https://www.accessforkidscancer.ca/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when the person who usually delivers the diagnosis suddenly becomes the parent receiving it? In this powerful episode, Sam sits down with Dr. Raksha Hemanth Raheja, a pediatrician and cancer mom whose son Rian was diagnosed with leukemia and later relapsed. Raksha shares her unique perspective of experiencing childhood cancer from both sides of the hospital bed, as a physician caring for children and as a mother desperately trying to save her own. Together, they explore the tension between medical knowledge and parental fear, the illusion of control, and the difficult reality that expertise doesn't protect you from the heartbreak of watching your child suffer. Raksha speaks candidly about what surprised her most when she became a cancer parent, how her son's diagnosis changed the way she practices medicine, and why she now places even greater value on parental intuition. This conversation is a powerful reminder that parents and clinicians aren't on opposing sides—they are teammates. Doctors bring medical expertise. Parents bring an intimate understanding of their child. The best care happens when both are heard. In this episode, we discuss: What it was like to experience childhood cancer as both a pediatrician and a parent Whether medical knowledge makes a child's cancer diagnosis easier—or harder—to navigate The loss of control that comes with childhood cancer How to approach difficult conversations with your child's oncology team Why parents should feel empowered to ask questions, voice concerns, and trust their instincts The role of parent intuition in medical decision-making How Raksha's experience as a cancer mom transformed the way she practices medicine Why doctors and parents are ultimately working toward the same goal The importance of partnership, trust, and communication in pediatric cancer care Whether you're newly diagnosed, deep in treatment, or years into survivorship, this episode offers valuable insight into the relationship between families and medical teams and reminds us that behind every white coat is a human being doing their very best to help a child heal. Because when it comes to caring for our kids, we're all on the same team. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Mother’s Day episode, Sarah Bartosz joins Sam for a deeply honest conversation about motherhood, grief, survival, and the question every cancer parent has heard: “I don’t know how you do it.” Sarah is Jack, Annie, and Tommy’s mom, the Executive Director of the Beat Childhood Cancer Foundation, and someone whose life has been shaped by cancer for decades. After her three-year-old son Jack was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroblastoma, Sarah spent nearly seven years beside him through treatment before losing him in 2012. Years later, she lost her husband John, whose own cancer treatment ultimately led to his death, before facing her own breast cancer diagnosis. But this conversation is not about inspiring people with resilience. It’s about telling the truth about what carries parents through impossible situations in the first place: love. Sam and Sarah talk about the force of a mother’s love, the way it stretches to meet fear and grief and exhaustion, and why cancer parents bristle when people say, “I could never.” They also explore Sarah’s perspective on grief and scars — why she wants people to “ask me about my scar,” and how grief is not something to fix or move beyond, but an extension of love itself. A conversation about motherhood, loss, fear, survival, and what it means to keep loving after your life has been completely altered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Sam sits down with her close friend, award-winning songwriter and bestselling author Tara MacLean to explore the importance of parents telling their own story in the context of childhood cancer. This conversation moves beyond the clinical version of events—the timelines, the treatments, the updates—and into something deeper: the lived experience of being a parent inside it. What it felt like. What it changed. What it took to endure it. Together, Sam and Tara talk about storytelling as a fundamental human instinct—something we’ve always used to make sense of the unimaginable and to find connection with others who have lived through something similar. They explore how, when parents begin to put words to their experience, it not only helps them process what has happened, but also creates a bridge for the families coming behind them. Using the framework of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey as a loose guide, they walk through the arc many parents recognize: the moment of diagnosis as the call, the depth and disorientation of treatment, and the quiet return—when parents begin to find language for what they’ve lived and share it with others. Tara brings a rare ability to help articulate the most complex emotional experiences, offering insight into how to approach telling your story in a way that feels honest, grounded, and true. This episode is an invitation for parents to begin exploring their own narrative—not as a retelling of events, but as a way to understand, connect, and support others. At its core, this conversation is about the power of story to create meaning, reduce isolation, and offer something steady to those just beginning their own experience. You can learn more about Tara here https://www.taramacleanmusic.com/ And purchase her best selling memoir Song of the Sparrow here https://www.amazon.ca/Song-Sparrow-Memoir-Tara-MacLean/dp/1443465127 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Infant cancer is rare—so rare that many physicians may never encounter it, especially outside of major centres. And because of that, parents are often required to step into a role they never expected: becoming the voice for a baby who can’t speak, and advocating within a system that is still learning in real time. In this conversation, I speak with Jackie Didio, mom to twin girls, Hannah and Maddie. Maddie was diagnosed with leukemia as a baby, and Jackie shares what it means to navigate treatment with instinct, confidence, and the willingness to question and push when something doesn’t feel right. When the condition is rare, your awareness as a parent matters - it has to. We also talk about the dynamics of caring for a baby through cancer, how infancy can shape the roles of each parent, and the layered reality of raising twins while grieving the loss of one. I deeply admire Jackie - her clarity, her openness, and the way she has turned her experience into meaningful support for others. Through the Madelyn James Foundation, she and her husband provide wraparound care to families with babies aged 0–3, supporting them not just during treatment, but in the critical months after. It’s the kind of care our system often misses but our families so deeply deserve. You can learn more about the Madelyn James Pediatric Cancer Foundation here https://madelynjames.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Kerri Steele’s husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she was at home with three young children—just two, four, and six—trying to navigate his care, her own grief, and the impossible task of helping her kids understand what was happening. What she quickly realized was that their words and their behaviour didn’t always line up. They couldn’t fully express what they were feeling, but they were absorbing everything—the fear, the tension, the shift in their world. And it highlighted something we don’t talk about enough: young kids don’t always have the language to tell us when something feels scary or unsafe, but they feel it deeply. On this episode, Kerri shares how that experience led her to create Little Hearts of Hope —a Christian nonprofit supporting children in homes impacted by cancer. With no background in social work, she followed a clear pull to build what didn’t exist: free, home-delivered “hope packages” centered around emotions like anger, sadness, loneliness, and embarrassment, giving kids a way to play through and process what they’re living in real time. We talk about parenting through crisis, communicating hard realities to young children, and what it looks like to build something meaningful out of loss—especially when you’ve lived the gap you’re trying to fill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When your child is diagnosed with cancer, everything changes — instantly. And when your teen wants to move on while you’re still trying to process it, the experience can feel isolating, overwhelming, and surreal. In this episode, I sit down with my friend Kelly Stein-Marcus, an extraordinary mom and clinical health psychologist, to talk about her family’s journey through her teenage son Dylan’s Ewing sarcoma diagnosis. Kelly’s husband, a pediatric radiologist, delivered the scan that changed everything — and together, they found themselves navigating the impossible space between professional expertise and parental helplessness. We explore: The surreal shock of the days immediately after diagnosis, when there’s no plan and it feels like life has paused. What it’s like to parent a teenager through cancer, when many teens just want to “move on” and leave the experience behind. The tension between what parents need to process and celebrate, and what a teen is ready to share. How Kelly’s background in psychosocial oncology shaped her perspective, but didn’t protect her from the raw, emotional reality of living it. This episode is intimate and honest — two moms sharing their experiences, unfiltered, and reflecting on what it really means to hold your child through trauma while trying to stay afloat yourself. Whether you’re a parent, a professional in the cancer world, or someone who wants to better understand the emotional journey families face, this conversation is a reminder that you’re not alone — and that even in the darkest, most disorienting moments, there is strength, resilience, and love. Key Topics: Teen Cancer, Pediatric Oncology, Ewing Sarcoma, Parenting Through Trauma, Parental Helplessness, Psychosocial Oncology, Family Resilience, Adolescent Experience Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I speak with Susan, founder of OPAAC (Ontario Parents Advocating for Childhood Cancer), about the development of parent-led advocacy in pediatric oncology. Susan shares how her daughter’s diagnosis in 1995 led to her becoming a parent liaison at SickKids Hospital and eventually establishing OPAAC in 1997. Today, it remains the only parent-led childhood cancer advocacy organization of its kind in Ontario. Our conversation explores how advocacy often begins with lived experience and evolves into structured, system-level engagement. Susan explains the difference between “Big A” advocacy — policy work, formal partnerships, and participation in hospital decision-making — and “Little a” advocacy, which includes peer support, attending appointments with parents, and staying connected to families during and after treatment. We talk about why parents can feel overlooked within the healthcare system, how support needs change significantly once treatment ends, and why relationship-building with healthcare teams is essential for sustainable change. The episode offers a practical look at how parents can move from emotional response to effective advocacy, and how organizations like OPAAC create meaningful support for families across the treatment continuum. You can find out more about Susan and OPACC here: https://www.opacc.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I'm privileged to chat with Recreational Therapist and owner of Flow Recreation Therapy and Consulting, Danielle Scarlett, about the hard conversations no parent wants to have with their children. We work through every topic from how to tell our kids they have cancer, what to say when something is going to hurt, how to approach end of life conversations, and what to do when there are simply no words. Danielle shares practical guidance for starting these conversations in age-appropriate ways, inviting children into an open dialogue, and allowing space for uncertainty and emotion—both the child’s and the parent’s. From the power of saying “I don’t know” to the important distinction between "protecting" versus "supporting", this episode offers reassurance that there is no perfect script—only presence, honesty, and the willingness to keep the conversation going as children and parents process their cancer diagnosis together. You can find Danielle here https://flowrecreationtherapy.ca/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I absolutely adore my guest today, Kirsten — and I know you’re going to feel the same way. Kirsten is a three-time childhood and young adult cancer survivor with so much honesty and insight to share about what survivorship really feels like. Kirsten was first diagnosed with ALL at age 10, spending more than six years in treatment after a relapse — during the years when kids are learning how to make friends, belong, and be themselves. Finishing treatment didn’t mean life snapped back into place. Survivorship brought its own challenges, especially around reintegration, social development, and finding her footing after missing so much of childhood. Later, in her 20s, Kirsten faced cancer again — this time during young adulthood, another critical stage of identity and growth. In this conversation, we talk openly about fear, uncertainty, stigma, bullying, and the long emotional tail of childhood cancer. What makes Kirsten so special is how real she is about all of it — and how she’s used her experience to pave the way not just for herself, but for the survivors coming behind her. For parents, this episode offers a powerful glimpse into what survivorship can look like long after treatment ends. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recent research published in a pediatric journal confirms what cancer parents already know: the psychological impact of childhood cancer often lives longer and deeper in parents than in the children themselves. Anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and grief don’t end when treatment ends—they shape how parents live, who we become, and how we move through the world. While we don’t need academic validation—because cancer parents already witness and confirm this truth for one another—it matters to see caregivers finally centered in research. That essential peer recognition is what led me to today’s guests. Jon and Jenn Wall are the founders of Zach’s Bridge, a 1:1 virtual peer support program for advanced and bereaved pediatric cancer parents and caregivers. When their 16-year-old son Zach was in palliative care for osteosarcoma—a phase they call pre-bereavement—they longed to speak with other parents who had already been there. Not professionals, but peers. Parents who had planned funerals. Parents who had come home to empty bedrooms. Those sacred conversations became the foundation of Zach’s Bridge—a place where families navigating pre-bereavement and bereavement can speak freely, honestly, and without translation. In this episode, Jon and Jenn share how partners grieve differently and extend grace to one another, how community can help carry the weight of loss, and a powerful coping framework Jon calls Both/And—the ability to hold grief and joy at the same time. As you listen, carry this quote with you: “We don’t need translators for our pain—we need people who speak the same language.” Parents who have lost a child deserve support from others fluent in the deeply specialized language of loss. Jon and Jenn have built something profoundly necessary for families walking this path, and I am deeply inspired by what they continue to offer those coming up behind them. To learn more about Zach's Bridge, please visit zachsbridge.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we were in treatment, I was one of those parents who wanted to hear everything about every single paediatric cancer family I could. Not only because I was looking for support, but because these were my new people. This was my new community and I wanted to fully immerse myself into this world because I simply didn’t fit in my old one anymore. One of the ways I was able to dive in was listening to the podcast Help and Hope Happen Here hosted by the most lovely and biggest hearted human, Mark Levine. Mark has immersed himself in the paediatric cancer world for different reasons than most of us have - he is not a cancer parent, but instead a true, full fledged ally to oncology parents and children who is dedicated to raising awareness and sharing our stories. Mark is close to 500 episodes of Help and Hope Happen Here - FIVE HUNDRED! He speaks to families, survivors, organizations, and clinicians connected to paediatric cancer, and he does it with so much care and attention to his guests. I really wanted to speak to Mark to ask him about what HE thinks when he talks to cancer parents, what he takes away, and what he sees and hears after spending hundreds and hundreds of hours in deep and meaningful connection with us. So, let’s dive deep with Mark. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The whole intention of this podcast is to give cancer parents a feeling of recognition - of knowing we’re not alone, and we do this by sharing our stories. Storytelling is how we connect at our most fundamental, primal selves - it’s the most ancient thread humans use to tie ourselves together and make sense of the world around us. Now, when you add music to those stories - when you communicate through song - well, that’s when things get even more profound, more connected. Music transcends language, music cuts through all the logic and meaning and connects us on a cellular level. And that’s what my guest today has done for the entire paediatric cancer community. Anna Palfreeman, a singer & songwriter from Seattle, wrote the album Frontline when her almost 5 yr old son Emerson was diagnosed with B cell ALL in December of 2023. In a desperate state to process her shock and absorb her son's diagnosis, she found the piano in the chapel at Seattle Children’s hospital and started to pour her feelings out in the way she knew how - through song, and music. This turned into Anna writing an entire album that starts with Emerson’s first chemo and follows his frontline treatment. Songs like, Too Much, He’ll Be Ok, Breathe and The Tunnel are all songs that will SPEAK TO YOUR SOUL. I can’t emphasize this enough. That recognition we talk about when we hear each other's stories - well, the recognition you’ll feel when you hear Anna’s songs - it will go straight to your core. My advice is to listen to her album from start to finish as a catharsis, as a healing journey, and as confirmation that sharing our experiences is how we bear witness to each other - it’s how we feel seen, and how we see the people around us. You can stream Frontline wherever you listen to music, or support Anna through her website annapalfreeman.com and her Bandcamp https://annapalfreeman.bandcamp.com/album/frontline Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I chat with my friend and fellow cancer mom Jenna about carrying her son through a 42 day bone marrow transplant this past summer. This episode is really important for so many reasons, BMT is a big and daunting procedure that so many of our families go through - so many parents are in complete isolation with their children for weeks and months, there are so many layers, so many challenges - we could talk about the isolation alone for 20 episodes - it’s just such a consuming and encompassing part of treatment. Jenna does a brilliant job of sharing their experience with so much accuracy, and she does it so families who have been through BMT or are going through BMT feel seen, and know that despite the intense isolation - they are not alone. But before we get to Jenna, I’m going to give you a little background on Jenna’s son Hendrix to set the stage. Hendrix was 3 when he was dx with B cell ALL. He endured the very long and intense treatment ALL requires - chemo, lumbar punctures, countless procedures - right when he started maintenance, Hendrix went into severe diabetic ketoacidosis, almost losing his life. This led to a type 1 diabetes diagnosis to his already intense and wildly unfair leukaemia diagnosis. And then, going into his 6th round of maintenance, Hendrix relapsed, forcing him to battle a second time, now as a type one diabetic. Relapse treatment was extremely challenging, Hendrix became chemo resistant and his cancer was still present even after his re-induction. He qualified for Car T therapy, which was also a long and VERY hard road, and unfortunately didn’t work as well, leaving a bone marrow transplant as the only option left. He did immunotherapy and spent seven months getting into remission for transplant, which miraculously worked, and that is where our conversation today with Jenna, Hendrix’s mom, begins. As someone who didn’t go through BMT with my child, this was part educational, part enlightening and honestly just left me pretty astonished at Jenna’s ability to disassociate, which you’ll hear us talk about as the main strategy she used to endure this really trying, really challenging experience. For any family going into BMT, Jenna’s story will be a reference and for any family who’s done BMT, Jenna’s story will be a recognition for what you did to support your child through one of the most harrowing experiences I think we can go through in oncology treatment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I speak with Mel, an ALL survivor currently in her second year of university. Mel was diagnosed at 17, and just recently rang the bell this past summer, so her account of treatment is still really fresh and honest. Our talk today is from Mel’s lens as an AYA patient, and how we as parents can best support our teens and young adult children going through treatment at an age when they are fully aware of every single layer of their cancer diagnosis. Mel talks about what helped and didn’t help when it comes to support from her peers and family, and how the moments when her parents acknowledged how hard treatment was, rather than bright side it away, were the moments she connected the most. As a parent, all we want to do is take away our child’s suffering, so for her mom and dad to have the fortitude and strength to sit with Mel in her fear and discomfort is a level of love and commitment I am so deeply proud of in them. I also happen to know Mel’s parents, and want to take this chance to publicly acknowledge their strength and internal compass to know exactly how to best support their daughter. I adore Mel, and her family, and can’t wait to share her story. So, let’s dive deep with Mel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I speak with Leah, a pediatric nurse and nutritional coach who has spent more than a decade supporting families through some of the most meaningful and vulnerable times of their life. She’s worked in pediatric intensive care and birthing centres, and later built her own practice — one that helps parents navigate those early years of nutrition and development with a more holistic, compassionate approach. Her goal was always to make a real difference — to help children heal not just from illness, but to help parents build a strong, stable foundation that would set their babies up for life. And then, when her third child, Etta, was diagnosed at three years old with neuroblastoma, everything destabilized. Leah suddenly found herself on the other side — in that upside-down world we all know too well — where it’s not someone else’s tragedy anymore, it’s your own. In our conversation, Leah speaks with such honesty and wisdom about what that transformation feels like — how our bodies go into motion to keep our children alive, while our hearts and souls have to step back to protect us from a pain too big to hold all at once. And we talk about how later, when treatment ends, there’s that quiet reckoning — when life asks you to come back to yourself, and how it feels to reenter a body that has just been through war. How turning on the washing machine feels impossible, because everything feels so broken. Leah talks about how she healed, and continues to heal, with such warmth, depth and grounded insight. She’s thoughtful, gentle, and I deeply trust her — she is someone who makes you feel safe just by being in her presence. I loved this conversation, and I think you’ll feel her steadiness and grace too. Leah's Cookbook https://www.amazon.ca/All-Organic-Baby-Food-Cookbook-Nutritious/dp/0593196759 Leah's Website https://www.bloomingmotherhood.co/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I speak with Dr Jackie, a naturopathic doctor and mom to 3 beautiful boys. Jackie’s life was completely upended when her youngest son Spencer was diagnosed with high risk ALL at 13 months old. And when I say her life, I mean her entire foundation. As a naturopath, Jackie was consciously raising her family in alignment with her practice - this meant using things like natural remedies, tinctures, supplements and diet to not only help her kids through fevers, bumps and bruises, but to also work preventatively to prepare their little immune systems for a long healthy life. So when Spencer was diagnosed, Jackie had to embrace a type of intervention that was the complete opposite of what she had built her family and practice on. Western medicine and pharmaceuticals don’t typically have a place in a naturopathic practice, and within hours her baby was needing them to survive. Jackie talks about the rapid switch she had to make, which of course she did, and how it felt to accept and even find peace with what was needed to save Spencer's life. In our chat, Jackie shares the simple and gentle practices she brought into Spencer's treatment, and how she advocated and worked alongside their team to provide him with the support he needed. This is such a great episode for families, much like mine, who were raising their kids with natural and holistic treatments and had to instantly pivot and embrace the most toxic and harsh medicines being administered to their child’s body. I learned so much from Jackie's confidence and calm, assured belief that cancer is more than a physical disease and it's equally important to heal the body as well as our mind, soul and spirit. You can find Jackie at www.doctorjackie.ca and/or IG @doctorjackieND Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Todays talk with my friend Lindsay hit so close to home, in many ways. I first connected with Lindsay because our kids were diagnosed with the same cancer, rhabdo. It felt really good to talk to another parent who knew all the same things I knew - like meeting someone in a foreign country who spoke the same language AND also knew all the same people. She was comfortable, familiar and we instantly connected. So it was a matter of minutes before Lindsay told me that ON THE SAME DAY she found her son’s cancer, 32 years prior when she was 7 yrs old, SHE was diagnosed with Wilms. Lindsay was now a child cancer survivor AND a cancer mom - I don’t need to highlight what a unique and complicated journey it’s been for Lindsay, but also a journey where her insights are already baked in, giving her a vantage point that not many of us have. I had a million questions for Lindsay about what it’s like ushering your child through a treatment you yourself had, and this is where our chat got even deeper, because hearing Lindsay share her memories of treatment, especially integrating back into her life post treatment, felt like I was listening to my own daughter share her exact same experience. Lindsay talked about the shame of having cancer and what it felt like to be different from her peers, and how she went to extreme lengths to hide her scars and bald head - and it was all just the same for us. Hearing Lindsay share her stories of shame and wanting to hide her cancer went straight to my core because not only was I witnessing this exact same struggle with my child, but I knew there had to be other parents out there feeling the same helplessness watching their child desperately try to blend in post treatment. This prompted our episode today where Lindsay goes deep into her feelings of being different, of looking sick and getting sad pitiful eyes from strangers, and how complicated it was to feel embarrassed about her cancer when everyone was telling her it was something to be proud of. This talk will resonate so deeply with parents whose kids were a little older during treatment or maybe more self aware and who struggle with the whole idea that children with cancer are celebrated as being brave and warriors when really, they want to blend in and not be recognized at all - until, as you’ll hear Lindsay say, she came through her teen years and realized that she was, in fact, tremendously brave and she decided to truly embrace her cancer. But that had to be on her terms, in her own way, and not because everyone told her so. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My conversation today with Matt got so deep, so fast, and I think it’s because he’s worked really hard at clearing the path towards the place he holds his pain and grief around losing his son Landon. When Landon was 10.5 years old he passed away from medulloblastoma, leaving Matt with a choice to follow his grief in a bad, destructive direction, or in a powerful and healing direction. A friend challenged him to run for 21 days to start a habit and hopefully give Matt an outlet for his grief, and so he started to run. And run, and run, and run for miles and miles. At first around his neighborhood, and then through the trails near his home. The more he would run, the more pain his body would endure, the closer he would get to feeling his grief - and to feeling his son. Running became his catharsis, and his direct path to connecting with Landon. He pulled from all the mental endurance he learned during treatment and applied it to long distance running, and then ultra running - and then to running 140 miles to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer. Matt documented his run and made it into a film called No Finish Line because, this isn’t a spoiler, at the end of Matt’s 140 mile run, he DNF’s which stands for Did Not Finish - because as Matt knows, and as we all know, childhood cancer doesn’t end. It’s a loud message to everyone watching that kids in treatment are up against a heck of a lot more than the physical and mental strain of running 140 miles, and his message lands. This conversation today is really bold, really honest and has so many meaningful takeaways on processing pain, choosing the ultimate good vs the ultimate bad, our dragons, our grief, and what it’s like to live - truly live - when the biggest fear in your life happens. How does that change the trajectory of your path, how do you run it, and most importantly, how far can you go when you aren’t running from the pain, but running purposefully, and with great intention, towards it. So, let’s dive deep, with Matt. No Finish Line can be watched here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL6irMXCIM8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.