In this conversation, we sit down with Amanda Goodstadt, Senior Staff Attorney at Triage Cancer, where she develops educational materials, leads trainings, and provides individual assistance through the organization's Legal & Financial Navigation Program. Amanda also oversees Triage Cancer's Legal Advisory Council and Pro Bono Network, and represents the organization on the American Bar Association's Cancer Legal Advocacy Interest Group, the New York State Cancer Consortium, and other national coalitions working at the intersection of law, advocacy, and cancer care.

What makes Amanda's work so deeply resonant is that it is not only professional — it is personal. Married to a cancer survivor, caregiver to her mother through her final two years, and no stranger to loss, Amanda came to this work through her own life. She knows, from the inside, what it feels like to be handed a diagnosis and a stack of paperwork in the same breath.

Amanda and Dr. Sam walk gently through the terrain that so often arrives alongside a cancer diagnosis — the questions no one thinks to ask until they are already standing in the middle of them.

Together they explore:

• Where to begin after a diagnosis, and why work is rarely a simple binary of "keep going" or "stop"
• Understanding your own employee benefits — sick leave, PTO, flex time, telecommuting, donated hours, and disability insurance you may not even know you have
• The FMLA, the ADA, and how state and local laws quietly extend those protections
• Reasonable accommodations, and how to speak with your employer, your HR team, and your own healthcare providers about what you need
• Disclosure — who to tell, what to say, and how to prepare scripts for the tender and unexpected questions that come from colleagues, family, and friends
• Short-term and long-term disability, and the paperwork the medical team may be asked to fill out on your behalf
• The overlap between financial health, medical adherence, and outcomes — and why addressing the non-medical side of a diagnosis is a form of clinical care
• Survivorship as it truly is — beginning at the moment of diagnosis, not at the end of treatment

Amanda also speaks to caregivers — the partners, parents, siblings, and friends quietly holding everything else together — and to metavivors, whose survivorship never has a clean finish line.

Above all, she offers what she calls the empowerment of knowing. Because a diagnosis often makes a woman feel she has lost control over everything happening to her — and Amanda's whole life's work is to hand a piece of that control gently back.

She also shares how to reach Triage Cancer's Legal & Financial Navigation Program directly, where you can submit a few basic questions and schedule a call with one of their staff attorneys — a free, national resource that so many people say only one thing about after using it: I wish I had known about you sooner.About our Guest: 

Amanda Goodstadt is the Senior Staff Attorney at Triage Cancer, where she develops educational materials, leads trainings, and provides individual assistance through the organization’s Legal & Financial Navigation Program. She also oversees Triage Cancer’s Legal Advisory Council and Pro Bono Network. 

Amanda represents Triage Cancer on the American Bar Association’s Cancer Legal Advocacy Interest Group, the New York State Cancer Consortium, and other national coalitions. Drawing from her personal caregiving and cancer experiences, she is passionate about helping individuals navigate the legal and practical challenges of a diagnosis. 

What does it mean to truly live well after a melanoma diagnosis?

In this heartfelt episode of Beyond the Clinic: Living Well with Melanoma, Dr. Samantha Siegel sits down with melanoma advocate Mary Margaret Braddock to discuss her journey from a Stage IB melanoma diagnosis at age 40 through three recurrences—and ultimately to no evidence of disease.

Mary Margaret shares the emotional realities of living with uncertainty, balancing hope and fear, navigating survivorship, and discovering purpose through advocacy. Together, she and Dr. Siegel explore the challenges that often continue long after treatment ends, including scan anxiety, post-traumatic growth, finding a "new normal," and the healing power of connecting with others who understand the experience.

This inspiring conversation reminds us that survivorship isn't simply about reaching the end of treatment—it's about learning how to live fully while carrying both the challenges and the gifts that cancer can leave behind.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• Living through multiple melanoma recurrences
• Coping with uncertainty and scan anxiety
• The emotional journey of survivorship
• Finding meaning through patient advocacy
• The value of peer support and connecting with others
• Building resilience while embracing life's new normal
• Why community can be one of the most powerful forms of healing

Whether you're newly diagnosed, living with melanoma, supporting a loved one, or navigating life after treatment, this conversation offers encouragement, practical wisdom, and hope for the road ahead.

About our Guest:

Mary Margaret Braddock was initially diagnosed in 2016 with stage 1B melanoma at just 40 years old. Over the next decade, she experienced three additional recurrences; as of December 2025, she has no evidence of disease. 

Her personal battle with melanoma has motivated her to raise awareness, fund research, and advocate for other patients. Her engaging personality makes her a natural public speaker, leading to invitations to school events and appearances in local media, where she encourages newly diagnosed patients and connects with fellow survivors. 

Since 2023, Mary Margaret has served as Chair of AIM at Melanoma’s Steps Against Melanoma walk in Tampa, Florida. This role has been especially meaningful to her because it afforded her the opportunity to raise funds for melanoma research while promoting sun safety in her home state. 

Most recently, her advocacy work has included attending the Melanoma Research Foundation’s Hill Day events and the Melanoma Research Alliance Research Retreat, where she contributed the patient perspective to their ongoing efforts. 

Mary Margaret’s journey has been both physical and emotional. At every stage, she has navigated the coexistence of shock and survival, gratitude and grief, and setbacks and growth. She says that embracing this balance is the key to holding on to hope and adapting to a new normal. 

Sexual health is an important part of quality of life, yet it remains one of the least discussed topics in cancer care. In this episode of Beyond the Clinic: Living Well with Melanoma, Dr. Samantha Siegel is joined by cancer survivor, advocate, and executive director of After Cancer, Erin Sullivan Wagner, to explore the lasting impact cancer treatment can have on intimacy, relationships, body confidence, and overall well-being.

Drawing from her own experience as a cancer survivor, Erin shares how unaddressed treatment side effects changed her life and inspired her to help transform the way healthcare providers approach sexual health conversations with patients. Together, she and Dr. Siegel discuss why these conversations matter, common barriers that prevent them from happening, practical strategies for patients and partners, and how survivors can advocate for the care and support they deserve.

Whether you are newly diagnosed, living with melanoma, navigating survivorship, or supporting a loved one, this thoughtful conversation offers reassurance, practical guidance, and a reminder that sexual health is an essential part of whole-person cancer care—not an afterthought.

Our Guest: Erin Sullivan Wagner is a cancer survivor, patient advocate, and Executive Director of After Cancer, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving sexual health and intimacy for people affected by cancer. After undergoing treatment for anal cancer, Erin found that the long-term effects on her sexual health and intimate relationship were never discussed by her healthcare team—a gap in care that inspired her life's work.

Today, Erin advocates for patients, raises awareness, and educates oncology professionals about the importance of incorporating sexual health into comprehensive cancer care. Through After Cancer, she helps individuals and couples navigate the physical and emotional challenges of survivorship, including changes in libido, body image, fertility, dating, intimacy after ostomy surgery, pelvic floor dysfunction, LGBTQ+ relationships, and more. Her mission is to ensure that no cancer survivor has to face these deeply personal challenges without information, support, and hope.

In this episode of Beyond the Clinic: Living Well with Melanoma, host Dr. Samantha Siegel sits down with Dr. Victoria Wytiaz, a medical oncologist at the University of Michigan, to explore the often-overlooked realities of life during and after a melanoma diagnosis for adolescents and young adults (AYA).

Together, they discuss the unique challenges this age group faces—from navigating identity, independence, and relationships to coping with body image changes, fertility concerns, and the long-term psychosocial impact of cancer. This conversation moves beyond treatment to examine what it truly means to live with and beyond melanoma.

Dr. Wytiaz shares insights from her clinical work and research, highlighting the importance of addressing “invisible” aspects of care—like emotional well-being, intimacy, and survivorship transitions—that are often left out of traditional oncology conversations. The episode also explores gaps in support systems, the role of community and peer connection, and how healthcare providers can better meet patients where they are.

This thoughtful and honest discussion offers validation, perspective, and practical insight for patients, caregivers, and clinicians alike.

About our Guest: Victoria Wytiaz, M.D., M.A.Dr. Wytiaz is a medical oncologist with a clinical focus in bone and soft tissue sarcoma. Here research interests include improving mental health outcomes, such as body image distress and anxiety, in adolescents and young adults with cancer, both during active treatment and throughout the survivorship period.

Joining us today is Dr. Seamara Rocha Cadman, Chief of the Division of Psychiatry at City of Hope—one of the largest cancer research and treatment centers in the United States.

In this deeply moving and illuminating conversation, Dr. Rocha Cadman shares her personal and professional journey into psycho-oncology, shaped by her experiences as an immigrant physician, a psychiatrist, a caregiver, and a family member profoundly touched by cancer. From losing her sister to breast cancer to later supporting her husband through a bone marrow transplant, her work is rooted in lived experience as much as clinical expertise.

Together, we explore the unique psychological impact of cancer—from diagnosis through treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life care. Dr. Rocha Cadman offers compassionate insight into topics often misunderstood or overlooked: adjustment versus psychiatric illness, chemo brain, menopause-related cognitive changes, fear of recurrence, caregiver distress, and the emotional crash that can follow “good news.”

We also discuss resilience, mindfulness, movement as medicine, integrative oncology, peer support, and the concept of post-traumatic growth—how people are changed by cancer, and how healing doesn’t always mean returning to who you were before.

This episode is for patients, caregivers, clinicians, and anyone navigating serious illness—offering validation, clarity, and a reminder that you are not broken for feeling the way you feel.

Guest: Lisa Simms Booth, Executive Director, Smith Center for Healing and the Arts

In this episode of the Beyond the Clinic, Living Well with Melanoma Dr. Sam Siegel welcomes Lisa Simms Booth, Executive Director of the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts—an organization dedicated to whole-person support for people with cancer, their families, and caregivers.

Lisa shares the deeply personal story that shaped her nearly 30-year career in advocacy, public health, and patient-centered cancer work. After her mother’s ovarian cancer diagnosis, Lisa found herself navigating two worlds at once: the complexities of cancer care and the systemic barriers within the research and advocacy landscape. That experience became the catalyst for her life’s mission.

Together, Dr. Siegel and Lisa explore:

• How personal experience can ignite a passion for advocacy

• Why resilience in cancer is a learned skill—not an inherent trait

• The emotional realities of caregiving and survivorship

• Smith Center’s “healing basket” approach to integrative support

• Practical ways people can manage stress, find community, and cultivate tools for emotional and spiritual well-being

• The importance of accessible, no-cost cancer support programs

• How patients can weave integrative practices into their medical care

Lisa also offers a grounded, compassionate look at the nuances of topics like nutrition, mindfulness, emotional support, and how even a few minutes of intentional rest can change the trajectory of a day.

Whether you’re a patient, caregiver, clinician, or advocate, this conversation offers wisdom, comfort, and a reminder that no one has to walk the cancer journey alone.

Guest Bio

Lisa Simms Booth joined Smith Center for Healing and the Arts following a nearly thirty year career in media, politics, community organizing, and advocacy. Lisa has always had a servant’s heart and has aspired to do work that improves the lives of others or empowers them to advocate for positive change. She has previously worked at FasterCures, a center of the Milken Institute, Biden Cancer Initiative, LISTEN, Inc., The Alliance for Justice, Children’s Defense Fund, and the National Rainbow Coalition.  

  As Executive Director, Lisa is responsible for strategic oversight, fund development, administrative and financial management, and community building. In addition to her work at Smith Center, Lisa is a member of the Professional Oncology Navigation Task Force (PONT), the American Cancer Society’s Leadership in Oncology Navigation (ACS LIONTM) Advisory Council and Cancer Support Community’s Cancer Policy Institute Advisory Board. She also serves on the Boards of Commonweal, the Microbiome Alliance for Disease Prevention and the National Organization of Arts in Health. 

In this episode, we sit down with Vanessa Tompkins, wife and caregiver to Mike, who has been battling Stage 4 metastasized ocular melanoma. Over the past five years, Vanessa has supported Mike through weekly immunotherapy, four major surgeries—including the removal of his left eye, liver surgery, triple hernia repair, and open-heart surgery—and countless challenges along the way.

A registered nurse, former hospice nurse, and current Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner, Vanessa brings professional expertise, personal experience, and unwavering compassion to her role as a caregiver. She is also a mother of three, grandmother of four, and devoted owner of her golden lab, Romeo. Guided by her motto, “One day at a time,” Vanessa shares insights into the realities of caregiving, the emotional resilience required, and the lessons learned in supporting a loved one through a complex and ongoing cancer journey.

Tune in to hear her story, practical tips, and heartfelt reflections on the challenges and rewards of being a caregiver.

In this episode, Dr. Sam Siegel welcomes Dr. Xiomara Rocha-Cadman, M.D., chief of the Division of Psychiatry and as associate clinical professor in the Department of Supportive Care Medicine , City of Hope, to explore the emotional impact of cancer. They discuss how cancer can create trauma, the role of psycho-oncology in supporting patients, and the importance of self-advocacy and resilience. Dr. Rocha-Cadman shares her personal journey into medicine and psycho-oncology, the influence of mentors, and her insights on fostering well-being for both patients and healthcare providers. The conversation also highlights cultural perspectives, international work, and practical resources for emotional support in cancer care.

In this episode of Beyond the Clinic: Living Well with Melanoma, Dr. Samantha Siegel is joined by Katie Ostrovsky and Cheryl Marker from the MelaHomies community.

Cheryl, diagnosed with Stage I melanoma in 2023, shares how she turned to online groups for education and support when her medical team left her with more questions than answers. Katie, a Stage IV survivor now, 11 years cancer-free, reflects on the emotional and practical challenges of survivorship — and how building the Mela Homies helped transform isolation into connection.

Together, they explore the power of peer support, the gaps in survivorship care, and why community is just as vital as treatment.

👉 Tune in to hear their stories and learn how the MelaHomies are making sure no one faces melanoma alone.

In this powerful episode, we’re joined by Dr. Wendy G. Lichtenthal, a leading expert in grief and bereavement care. Dr. Lichtenthal is the Founding Director of the Center for the Advancement of Bereavement Care at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and Professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. A licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience, she brings deep compassion and groundbreaking research to the field of psychosocial oncology.

We discuss the complexities of grief after cancer loss, the evolving nature of bereavement care, and how clinicians and caregivers can better support those navigating life after loss. Dr. Lichtenthal also shares insights from her work developing Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy and the EMPOWER intervention — both designed to help individuals find meaning and resilience in the face of profound sorrow.

Whether you're a healthcare professional, a grieving loved one, or someone seeking to better understand bereavement, this conversation offers validation, hope, and expert guidance.

ABOUT OUR GUEST: Wendy G. Lichtenthal, PhD

Wendy G. Lichtenthal, PhD, FT, FAPOS is founding director of the Center for the Advancement of Bereavement Care at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Prevention Science and Community Health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, which she joined in 2023. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and has worked as a grief specialist for over 20 years.

In 2005, she began her career at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York City, where she was Founding Director of the Bereavement Clinic and Associate Attending Psychologist, and where she now serves as Consultant Faculty. She was a recipient of the 2012 International Psycho-Oncology Society Kawano New Investigator Award, the 2019 Association for Death Education and Counseling Research Recognition Award, and the 2023 American Psychosocial Oncology Society Outstanding Clinical Care Award.

She is a Fellow in Thanatology and was elected a Fellow of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society in 2024. Her federally funded research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Nursing Research, American Cancer Society, T.J. Martell Foundation, and MSK’s Cycle for Survival and has focused on grief and bereavement, cancer survivorship, intervention development and evaluation, and finding meaning in the face of adversity. She is an inventor of the Meaning-Centered Grief Therapy and EMPOWER intervention manuals that are used in her research.