I woke up to the most crushing news this morning that we lost Jill Smokler. I just can’t quite believe it. It’s so cliche  - and probably absurd and representative of  my delusional optimism - that I did not in any way see this coming. I interviewed Jill for the podcast when I first started out and the interview was a disaster. All me. Obviously. I had tech difficulties like crazy. My cat kept climbing on me. She would get to a really good story and the audio cut out - or so I thought - because I couldn’t hear her. 

So we kept saying we’ll redo it. And we kept putting it off. After this trip to Germany, after that event, then we’ll try the podcast again. Who does that? I’m so mad. But here’s the good news. I’m stuck at home today doing my colonoscopy prep so I had time and the determination to fix this. And I have something! When I went back and listened to the recording, I realized it captured most of what Jill said. I just couldn’t hear it. 

Between my not being able to hear her and my nervousness at talking to the GOAT mom blogger, THE founder of Scary Mommy, and little to her knowledge, my companion and hero as a stay at home mom with little kids and no family around I talked too much… but …there’s still a lot of Jill in there and I can’t gatekeep this conversation. 

Trigger warning: We have a shared love of dark humor so it’s real, it’s raw, it’s vulnerable. We do not hold back. And rather than continuing to kick myself that this is NOT enough, that I want more, I’m so glad I have this. And I want to share it with all of you who love Jill.

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I want to thank YOU for taking time of your day to listen. I don’t know if you’re here because you’ve gotten a tough diagnosis or someone you love has - or if you just want to learn more about how to feel empowered to change your story and find purpose in your life. But I’m glad you’re here.  If I can beat a universally deadly cancer and live a better, happier life, truly grateful for my cancer wake up call, I know the tools I’ve learned will help you too. Your life is about to get so much better.
Please share the Brainy Blonde Podcast with someone you love. See you soon!
Love you, Rebecca

https://www.instagram.com/thatbrainyblonde/
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For all of you who follow me on social media you know I was just in New York City and had the most wonderful time at the Lenox Hill gala, a huge fundraising event for brain cancer which raised over 1.5M. 

Because I started this podcast with the idea of spreading hope and changing the story about glioblastoma I just have to share with all of you that this event did just that for me. Gave me a boost of hope. 

I was honored to be an invited guest among so many prominent people in entertainment and in medicine, but even more so to be reminded that GBM touches everyone, every age, male and female. And because it can affect anyone, it is starting to get more attention. We recognized Jason Collins with his husband Brunson, Pete Davidson’s dad, Lara Spencer’s mom, Barbee Blank’s dad. These wonderful humans with big hearts vulnerably shared the loss of their heroes and are now using their big platforms to spread the word and demand more research. 

And it’s working. Slowly but surely it is working.

Today's Survivor Story features Kathy Hammond, a fierce advocate for glioblastoma. This is being released at the two year mark of her diagnosis and Kathy has already done so much work advocating for all of us. I know you'll enjoy connecting with her and hearing her story.

https://katiecouric.com/health/cancer/brain-cancer-survivor-one-year-later/

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I want to thank YOU for taking time of your day to listen. I don’t know if you’re here because you’ve gotten a tough diagnosis or someone you love has - or if you just want to learn more about how to feel empowered to change your story and find purpose in your life. But I’m glad you’re here.  If I can beat a universally deadly cancer and live a better, happier life, truly grateful for my cancer wake up call, I know the tools I’ve learned will help you too. Your life is about to get so much better.
Please share the Brainy Blonde Podcast with someone you love. See you soon!
Love you, Rebecca

https://www.instagram.com/thatbrainyblonde/
https://www.instagram.com/brainyblondepodcast

This episode of the Survivor Series is truly one for the big screen. We might  need a Trilogy to cover the many thrilling lives Dave Bolton has lived already. And he’s still going strong! Every story Dave shares is wilder than the last. It’s almost impossible to believe a person can continue to live after surviving some of the most terrifying events we usually only see on TV, some of which Dave signed up for himself - and some he certainly did not. You may. know him on social media as Dave Bolton Inspires but you’re about to hear just why he’s rebranding: Dave Bolton Defiance is way more fitting!

Dave Bolton is an 11 year survivor (or as he’d prefer it thriver) of glioblastoma. He is the Founder and CEO of Ahead Of The Game Foundation, a non-profit cancer charity. Dave's foundation provides free physical, mental, and emotional rehabilitation to those with a diagnosis of cancer, while also providing support for their family and loved ones.

Dave served in Air Operations Iraq alongside the US Marines, survived being crushed by an 23-ton lorry in a freak motorbike accident, and went on to become a world kickboxing champion. He is also former detective sergeant. 

In his free time (and with boundless energy) Dave enjoys Brazilian jiu-jitsu, physical strength and resistance training, mixed martial arts, calisthenics, rugby, football (soccer), the National Football League, traveling, and spending time with his family.

Instagram:

@aheadofthegame_foundation 

@the_northwest_wellbeing_hub

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9M48m2gXPc#:~:text=%E2%80%8B%20The%20Foundation%20also%20extends,://www.aheadofthe...

https://www.instagram.com/dave_bolton_inspires_?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

https://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/near-you/projects/dave-bolton#:~:text=When%20Dave%20Bolton%20was%20diagnosed,'t%20stopped%20there%2C%20however.

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/dave-bolton-kickboxer-champion-wirral-10905290

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I want to thank YOU for taking time of your day to listen. I don’t know if you’re here because you’ve gotten a tough diagnosis or someone you love has - or if you just want to learn more about how to feel empowered to change your story and find purpose in your life. But I’m glad you’re here.  If I can beat a universally deadly cancer and live a better, happier life, truly grateful for my cancer wake up call, I know the tools I’ve learned will help you too. Your life is about to get so much better.
Please share the Brainy Blonde Podcast with someone you love. See you soon!
Love you, Rebecca

https://www.instagram.com/thatbrainyblonde/
https://www.instagram.com/brainyblondepodcast

Dr. Steffan Van Gool is a physician and cancer immunotherapy specialist and the founder of the Immun-Oncological Center Cologne, or IOZK, in Germany. For decades, he has worked alongside patients and families facing some of the most challenging cancer diagnoses, focusing on personalized, multi-faceted treatment approaches designed to activate the body’s own immune system while supporting the whole person. 

And by multi-faceted I mean MULTI faceted. There is standard of care, dendritic cell vaccine, oncolytic, metabolic approach and repurposed drugs. He’ll talk about the how and the why of his approach. He’ll also give us a little insight into why Germany for these personalized vaccines and a glimpse at the hurtles doctors face when treating these dynamic cancers. You may be surprised to know it’s not that the medical world doesn’t recognize that personalized care and immunotherapy are the best hope for difficult cancers it’s just getting the support and the funding to be able to offer it to their patients.

It is a lot of information and it can be confusing and overwhelming. I encourage you to share this podcast with your medical team and your support system - and  with anyone you know fighting glioblastoma. Information is power. We are in this together and we will keep fighting for better care and better outcomes. Like Dr Van Gool says, “If you do nothing you gain nothing.” Let’s do this. Together. 

Publications and Website:

https://www.iozk.de/en/2023/11/new-iozk-publication-on-liquid-biopsy/

https://www.iozk.de/en/2023/01/stefaan-van-gool-editor-of-the-special-issue-of-the-journal-of-molecular-sciences/

https://www.iozk.de/en/2020/06/iozk-analysis-demonstrates-good-tolerability-of-iozk-immunotherapy-in-diffuse-intrinsic-pontine-glioma-dipg/

https://www.iozk.de/en/2020/03/prof-dr-volker-schirrmacher-publishes-two-groundbreaking-review-articles-on-immunotherapy/

https://www.iozk.de/en/2018/12/from-chemotherapy-to-biological-therapy-a-review-of-novel-concepts-to-reduce-side-effects-in-systemic-cancer-treatmentpublication-by-prof-dr-volker-sc/

More:

https://www.iozk.de/en/iozk-publications/

TimeStamp Publications:

• 0:39 2005 Publication of Roger Stupp et al.: current Standard-of-Care https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa043330
• 2:30 2024 Publication of Volker Schirrmacher et al.: Rationale behind Individualized Multimodal Immunotherapy (IMI) https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/12/4/754 
• 20:25 2000/2011/2022/2026 Hanahan and Weinberg: the Hallmarks of Cancer 
  • 2000: https://www.cell.com/fulltext/s0092-8674(00)81683-9?fbclid=iwar0f_uccj4o8k6yfd1jnj7k5hxbc3_8sb42ngse-pcd8ekg94mocwpmjwcm
  • 2011: https://www.cell.com/fulltext/S0092-8674(11)00127-9
  • 2022:

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I want to thank YOU for taking time of your day to listen. I don’t know if you’re here because you’ve gotten a tough diagnosis or someone you love has - or if you just want to learn more about how to feel empowered to change your story and find purpose in your life. But I’m glad you’re here.  If I can beat a universally deadly cancer and live a better, happier life, truly grateful for my cancer wake up call, I know the tools I’ve learned will help you too. Your life is about to get so much better.
Please share the Brainy Blonde Podcast with someone you love. See you soon!
Love you, Rebecca

https://www.instagram.com/thatbrainyblonde/
https://www.instagram.com/brainyblondepodcast

It is almost the holidays, which is absolutely my favorite time of the year. We just go all out for Christmas around here and it is so fun! The reason I wanted to bring today’s guest on was for all of you today too realize that even if you have a diagnosis which limits what you normally would eat during the holidays, there are options for you so you can stay on track. 

I’m a huge food as medicine person, as you know - and medicine as medicine, which is why I have talked to so many experts - but today I want to introduce you to Maria Emmerich. I think of her as the Keto Queen.

 Now full disclaimer Maria Emma Emmerich is not on the show as a cancer expert. She started the ketogenic diet for very different reasons of her own, but I think I think her story is so important as it emphasizes the power of food to heal. And her story is the perfect example of life, when you allow it to be what it is, not what you thought it was going to be, can be so much more beautiful and meaningful.

Also, for any of you considering a ketogenic diet for cancer, you will be so glad to be connected with Maria. She has been creating keto recipes for decades - before it was trendy weight loss diet and certainly before I ever heard of the ketogenic diet as a way to beat brain cancer.  Maria  has thousands and thousands of free recipes available for you .

I just want all of you to be able to celebrate the holidays with your friends and families eat food that you enjoy food that feels familiar and warm and fuzzy - but that won’t mess up your goals if you’re really trying to stay on a keto path for your brain cancer 

I hope you find this helpful and I hope you all have a wonderful safe holiday holidays. I just love all of you and I’m so grateful for all the connections I’ve made this year.

Maria's Website

https://mariamindbodyhealth.com

Buy Maria’s books here (and support GBM):

https://www.amazon.com/shop/thatbrainyblonde/list/FU821IVU34MV?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_SHZD1BJTX892R57FKB1Z

Support the show

I want to thank YOU for taking time of your day to listen. I don’t know if you’re here because you’ve gotten a tough diagnosis or someone you love has - or if you just want to learn more about how to feel empowered to change your story and find purpose in your life. But I’m glad you’re here.  If I can beat a universally deadly cancer and live a better, happier life, truly grateful for my cancer wake up call, I know the tools I’ve learned will help you too. Your life is about to get so much better.
Please share the Brainy Blonde Podcast with someone you love. See you soon!
Love you, Rebecca

https://www.instagram.com/thatbrainyblonde/
https://www.instagram.com/brainyblondepodcast

Survivor Series Continues with a story inside a story. Today I’m talking with Justin Johnson. You all know I believe that things happen for a reason - even if the reason isn’t something we understand or fully appreciate at the time. And I’m pretty sure Justin feels the same way. As an Emmy winning documentary filmmaker, Justin lived across the country from his family and got pretty busy with his career, so busy he barely felt connected them, only being pulled back in when his mom was diagnosed with cancer. I bet he never thought he’d be filming a documentary about his own family! But that time together ended up being such a gift. Even more surprising was that shortly after wrapping up his film, Justin was diagnosed with a brain tumor himself. His attitude, his bravery in trying a new treatment, and his remarkable story are so inspiring. I can’t wait for you to listen to Justin’s story. Will we be getting a documentary on Justin’s brain cancer journey? I guess we’ll have to see….

Justin's Film about his parents:

https://www.nipplefactoryfilm.com/

Justin's Treatment:

https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/voranigo

"The Bean Queen"

https://www.karenhurd.com

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I want to thank YOU for taking time of your day to listen. I don’t know if you’re here because you’ve gotten a tough diagnosis or someone you love has - or if you just want to learn more about how to feel empowered to change your story and find purpose in your life. But I’m glad you’re here.  If I can beat a universally deadly cancer and live a better, happier life, truly grateful for my cancer wake up call, I know the tools I’ve learned will help you too. Your life is about to get so much better.
Please share the Brainy Blonde Podcast with someone you love. See you soon!
Love you, Rebecca

https://www.instagram.com/thatbrainyblonde/
https://www.instagram.com/brainyblondepodcast

Continuing our Survivor Series with inspiration for young people with cancer and anyone who knows someone facing a scary diagnosis. I used to say I avoided the “tilted head” friends, the ones who looked at me with big eyes and a sad face because they just didn’t know how to act when they saw me. And years later I have much more compassion for that and even recognize my own struggles with knowing exactly what to do and say sometimes when someone you know is going through a hard time. 

So today’s episode is going to be so helpful for all of us . Four-year survivor Janice Armbrust was only 25 when diagnosed with GBM and felt very much alone as a younger adult with a terminal illness. While most of her friends considering where they wanted to live, getting settled in their careers, thinking about marriage and starting a family she was unsure of how to move forward. She wrote a book specifically for younger cancer warriors and their friends with clear advice on how best to support someone in this unique situation and I know it will be helpful to so many of you. 

Buy Janice's Book

https://amzn.to/4nST9qg

Follow Janice on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/janicearmbrust?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Support the show

I want to thank YOU for taking time of your day to listen. I don’t know if you’re here because you’ve gotten a tough diagnosis or someone you love has - or if you just want to learn more about how to feel empowered to change your story and find purpose in your life. But I’m glad you’re here.  If I can beat a universally deadly cancer and live a better, happier life, truly grateful for my cancer wake up call, I know the tools I’ve learned will help you too. Your life is about to get so much better.
Please share the Brainy Blonde Podcast with someone you love. See you soon!
Love you, Rebecca

https://www.instagram.com/thatbrainyblonde/
https://www.instagram.com/brainyblondepodcast

Continuing our Survivor series with a story that will blow your minds. You know I like to say that before cancer I lived on caffeine and cortisol. I may have avoided the bad foods and looked really healthy, but as I got closer to my GBM diagnosis (looking back) I realize just how stressed out I was and what a toll that took on my body, especially my immune system. Jennifer Dickenson was living a similar way - probably times ten - when she was diagnosed with glioblastoma. The good news is she's now a 14 year survivor, living her best life and is here to help all of us chase that same dream, to not only survive cancer but to live even better after diagnosis. Author, Speaker, Cancer Survivor and Outlier, Jennifer Dickenson is an inspiration and I know you'll love her story as much as I do. Please check out her book, A Case for Hope. Because she lost her ability to read and had to relearn it took Jennifer 7 years to write this book, and I cannot wait to read it.

https://www.amazon.com/shop/thatbrainyblonde/list/29B1GJ1R6EVEF?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_2X2H989MK6BZZAPV8MQJ

https://www.instagram.com/jenniferldickenson/

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I want to thank YOU for taking time of your day to listen. I don’t know if you’re here because you’ve gotten a tough diagnosis or someone you love has - or if you just want to learn more about how to feel empowered to change your story and find purpose in your life. But I’m glad you’re here.  If I can beat a universally deadly cancer and live a better, happier life, truly grateful for my cancer wake up call, I know the tools I’ve learned will help you too. Your life is about to get so much better.
Please share the Brainy Blonde Podcast with someone you love. See you soon!
Love you, Rebecca

https://www.instagram.com/thatbrainyblonde/
https://www.instagram.com/brainyblondepodcast

Dr. Saskia Biskup is my hero, the doctor I attribute to my success in beating Glioblastoma for nearly eight years. Many of you know her as the innovator behind the "CeGat vaccine" or the vaccine in Germany. Dr. Biskup will explain in detail how the vaccine works, why she is specializing in GBM now but how she dreams this technology will one day help with many cancers. And she shares the news about the vaccine coming to the US in clinical trial in 2026. Please listen and share and let me know what questions you have afterwards. I will work on getting this into video format with captions as well.

Saskia Biskup, MD/PhD, is co-founder and managing director of Cecava. After inventing the neoepitope vaccine technology, she applied it to patients suffering from tumors of various origins in her doctor’s office in the setting of individual treatment attempts. Building on this experience, she co-founded cecava with her husband, Dirk Biskup (PhD), to conduct clinical trials to ultimately prove the efficacy of this novel therapy and to enable its approval for the benefit of cancer patients.

As a specialist in human genetics, Saskia is head of her own Center for Human Genetics and founder of the Medical Care Center for Diagnostics, Prevention, Oncology, and Gastroenterology (both in Tübingen, Germany). She is also co-founder and managing director of CeGaT GmbH, a leading global provider of genetic analyses for a wide range of demands in medical practice, research, and the pharmaceutical industry. In 2011, she was recognized as one of the ‘100 Women of Tomorrow’ by Germany’s Federal President, and in 2014, she received the Women Innovators Prize from the European Commission.

Between 2012 and 2014, she was medical director at the Institute of Clinical Genetics at the Olgahospital (Klinikum Stuttgart).

Saskia holds an MD and a PhD in genetics from the University of Würzburg.

https://cecava.com

https://rebeccadevine.wixsite.com/thatbrainyblonde/why-germany

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I want to thank YOU for taking time of your day to listen. I don’t know if you’re here because you’ve gotten a tough diagnosis or someone you love has - or if you just want to learn more about how to feel empowered to change your story and find purpose in your life. But I’m glad you’re here.  If I can beat a universally deadly cancer and live a better, happier life, truly grateful for my cancer wake up call, I know the tools I’ve learned will help you too. Your life is about to get so much better.
Please share the Brainy Blonde Podcast with someone you love. See you soon!
Love you, Rebecca

https://www.instagram.com/thatbrainyblonde/
https://www.instagram.com/brainyblondepodcast

Welcome back to the Brainy Blonde Podcast! Wow, you guys it has been quite a week. I am recovering from surgery and it’s a planned surgery as part of my protocol to prevent cancer because I now know my inherited cancer risk. It’s been quite a ride, but I’m sitting here thinking about how incredible the human body is once again and how fragile it can be. 

Last week I was doing push-ups with a 15 pound weight between my legs and a few days ago I could barely walk from my bedroom to the bathroom, which is about 15 steps. On the flipside we are so darn strong. It’s amazing how we can come back from something really difficult and thrive!

 Today on the podcast I am continuing the Survivor series with Amanda Melby. You are going to fall in love with Amanda. I’m telling you right now. She is sunshine. She is so funny, so warm and so kind. I am so excited to have made a new friend in her. Amanda is an ultra athlete and endurance athlete and while she was training for the most incredible intense endurance event that I’ve probably ever heard of called 29029 Everlasting she found out she had glioblastoma. 16 months later she is coming back and coming back strong.

 What is incredible is not only how Amanda could be at the top of her fitness game and still get this horrible diagnosis (because that is how it goes with GBM), but on the flipside how this woman who has limited sensation in half of her body - half of her whole body - she has to tell you the story! - is still running. I’m so inspired by her I just love her to bits and I know you were going to be just as inspired.

Amanda wanted me to note the surgeon she talks about is Dr. Cheng and you can listen to him on Peter Atilla's podcast. I'll link it.

Amanda supports the Outlier Fund if you are looking for a place to donate in her honor as she continues to train.

https://peterattiamd.com/edwardchang/

https://www.theoutlierfund.org/

https://www.instagram.com/theamandamelby/?hl=en

Support the show

I want to thank YOU for taking time of your day to listen. I don’t know if you’re here because you’ve gotten a tough diagnosis or someone you love has - or if you just want to learn more about how to feel empowered to change your story and find purpose in your life. But I’m glad you’re here.  If I can beat a universally deadly cancer and live a better, happier life, truly grateful for my cancer wake up call, I know the tools I’ve learned will help you too. Your life is about to get so much better.
Please share the Brainy Blonde Podcast with someone you love. See you soon!
Love you, Rebecca

https://www.instagram.com/thatbrainyblonde/
https://www.instagram.com/brainyblondepodcast