Campfires of Hope

Jessica Stapleton, a.k.a. “Tree Hugger,” is a Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor who attended an Epic Experience weeklong camp this past summer. Before camp, Tree Hugger thought she was doing just fine with her cancer journey. Through her week of trying new activities and connecting with other survivors, however, she realized she hadn't truly processed her cancer experience. Tree Hugger came home with a new "Yes I can!" attitude that she's carried into her everyday life.

It wasn’t until her newfound mentality of “Yes I can” did she learn how amazing it felt to live life to the fullest, connect emotionally with others, and truly process her cancer survivorship.

In honor of Giving Tuesday, the Epic Experience staff came together for a live roundtable chat to discuss their experiences working for the organization. Nancy, Mark, Colin, and Chris share their favorite mission moments, what they're looking forward to in 2023, and how donations support Epic Experience's mission to empower the cancer community.

On this episode of How to Cancer, Joanna Morales discusses how to understand your legal rights when facing cancer.  Joanna is a cancer rights attorney and also the CEO of Triage Cancer.

Brad Glassel, a.k.a. B-Rad, is a prostate cancer survivor and Epic Experience camp alumni. On this episode of Campfires of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer, Brad highlights the importance of finding community during the cancer journey. Brad shares his initial challenges with his cancer diagnosis and how reaching out and connecting with other cancer survivors empowered him to thrive in the cancer community.

Nate Krugman, a.k.a. Lemon, is a testicular cancer survivor who attended a weeklong summer camp with Epic Experience. Ever the optimist, he shares his story about taking life by the horns and finding positives in otherwise negative situations. In his own journey, Nate found healing by fundraising to help cancer survivors with their medical bills and by inspiring others during his bike ride across the country.

One of the hardest parts of the cancer journey is telling loved ones about your diagnosis. On this episode of How to Cancer, psychotherapist and cancer counselor Melanie Stachelski discusses how to tell your family and friends that you have cancer.

Colon cancer survivor Jason "The Canadian" Abramovitch shares how he discovered he had cancer, how he handled his diagnosis, and his path to recovery through surgery and treatment. Two years after his diagnosis, Jason attended an Epic Experience camp and found confirmation of what he's supposed to be doing now: bringing hope to others diagnosed with cancer. 

On this episode of How to Cancer, Matt Stinson, a Radiation Oncology Physicians Assistant at the Calaway Young Cancer Center, talks about possible scans to expect with cancer.  Matt discusses 5 common imaging modalities, what they are, and what they’re used for.  

Part of living beyond cancer is finding time to appreciate the positive moments along the journey. On this episode of Campfires of Hope: How to Cancer, survivor Brad Glassel discusses “Cancerversaries” and shares ideas for how to celebrate cancer milestones.

On this episode of Campfires of Hope: How to Cancer, Sabine Schwab discusses how you, as a cancer survivor, can help others by being involved in patient research. Sabine is a brain cancer survivor, patient advocate, and member of the Epic Experience Board of Directors. She discusses how participation in surveys, clinical trials, and quality-of-life studies provides valuable feedback for researchers to improve treatment, medicine, and care options for patients in the future.