Cancer U Thrivers

At age 25, Justin Birckbichler was diagnosed with Stage II testicular cancer. Now in remission, he is committed to getting the ball rolling on raising awareness of men’s health and testicular cancer through his website “A Ballsy Sense of Tumor.”

• 01:25: I'm about 3.5 years past diagnosis.
• 02:12: I was going to do my monthly testicular self-exam in the shower
• 03:39: I found a lump.
• 04:40: It sounded kind of like the ocean.
• 06:03: I had done enough research to realize a mass on your testicle in 95% of the cases is cancer.
• 08:28: Who's your son and has one testicle.
• 09:43: It also spread to my lymph nodes.
• 10:10: I had 21 treatments within three months.
• 11:52: What were your before and after moments?
• 13:45: March 2, 2017, is the day the doctor said, you're in remission.
• 16:08: What was your best moment?
• 18:24: I like the word frugal, but my parents and significant others might call it stingy.
• 21:34: You don't have to say yes all the time.
• 23:30: You're my age, how do you have cancer?
• 24:25: What is the one thing you wish you'd known at the very beginning of your cancer journey?
• 25:43: Any time somebody asked me how I was doing, I was, like, I'm fine.
• 26:20: I wish I would've known to be more proactive in my mental health.
• 29:01: If you could do only one thing to improve health care in America, what would it be and why?
• 32:06: Thriver Rapid Fire Questions
• 33:13: What is one resource that you would recommend for cancer patients and caregivers?

Resources

• A Ballsy Sense of Tumor
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• [email protected]

Twelve years, Kelly Rogers was diagnosed with skin cancer. As a wellness coach for eight years, she was shocked that her healthy diet, holistic practices, and supplements hadn’t prevented cancer. She lost half her nose and some of her ears.

• 01:50: I had no health insurance.
• 02:50: I might cut off half your nose.
• 04:48: Wow, I'm not ready for this.
• 06:25: I needed a lot more work on the spirit and I needed a lot more work on the body.
• 07:58: Today, my life is so very different.
• 10:38: I can do the surgery and I can do the reconstruction.
• 11:33: They took the first chunk out of my nose.
• 12:22: Part of my cheek was removed.
• 15:33: I looked like the elephant man when I left.
• 17:18: We're going to a happier place.
• 18:12: What was the worst time for you during that cancer journey?
• 19:18: I kind of stayed away from doctors.
• 21:04: I was suicidal every week. I know it's hard to believe because I'm such a fun person
• 24:35: I've continued to have things cut out, chunks cut, things burned off or frozen.
• 25:10: If you could only do one thing to improve health care in the US and what would it be and why?
• 27:59: I do transformational breathing. It's very helpful.
• 31:10: Thriver Rapid Fire Questions
• 32:41: What is the one resource that you would recommend for cancer patients and caregivers? 

Resources

• To order Sparkle Products, go to ClubSparkleMN.com
• To contact Kelly, email her at [email protected] or call her at 952-470-7336.
• Note: Kelly is a sales representative for Nectura. Cancer U does not endorse, approve, or sell Nectura products.

Nine months ago, Tony Bristol was diagnosed with small cell carcinoma cancer of the esophagus. He likes to say it’s easier to give than receive.

• 00:37: Tony was diagnosed with small cell carcinoma, cancer of the esophagus.
• 02:20: I started getting these night sweats.
• 04:05: It had metastasized in three locations in my liver.
• 05:41: I went to Austria for a week for experimental treatment.
• 06:56: I'm a religious man and I say God show me the right path.
• 07:39: Even the times that I struggle, I look at it as a blessing.
• 12:05: I thought I was at low risk and in great health.
• 13:06: We're all terminal, right? We just don't know when that date is right.
• 14:10: I cried a lot in the first six months.
• 19:06: I wake up every morning, I get on my little exercise bike and do 30 minutes.
• 21:21: I want to see them grow old. I want to see their children.
• 23:34: I'm just gonna love this cancer and let it be my friend too.
• 25:30: And it's weird how it just starts showing up when you start being public.
• 29:25: Magic Johnson was like, Tony, I got you, man. it's 100 [percent] attitude.
• 31:30: We're as a collective humanity; we're all in this together.
• 32:10: What advice would you give your 16-year-old self?
• 35:52: I wanted to show young men that it is okay to be authentic.
• 38:25: What is one thing that you wish you had known at the very beginning of your cancer journey?
• 40:25: If you could do one thing to improve health care in the US and what would it be and why?
• 42:45: Thriver Rapid Fire Questions
• 45:46: What is one resource that you would recommend for cancer patients and caregivers?

Resources

• Love, Marriage, and Update on Brain Cancer (Tony interviews his wife)
• Tony’s Caring Bridge Blog

Dr. Kumar Vasudevan is a neurosurgeon practicing in Atlanta, Georgia. He has a special interest in treating patients with brain tumors. He was inspired by his grandmother's neurosurgeon, who performed a lifesaving operation for glioblastoma for free, and aspires to bring the same devotion and care to his patients.

• 01:20: My grandmother, unfortunately, received this diagnosis of glioblastoma.
• 02:20: Nothing quite interested me, like the brain.
• 03:41: But it is a tumor that we have been fighting as neurosurgeons for as long as our field has been in existence.
• 05:25: The first appointment with me for patients who have this suspected diagnosis of glioblastoma is very much an information-gathering session.
• 06:40: And we're going to learn things together about this tumor.
• 07:20: We have had a quantum leap in our understanding of the factors underlying glioblastoma.
• 09:40: And you mentioned subtypes. So how many subtypes do you know of as of today?
• 11:28: I like to say about the brain that it's like real estate. You know, what matters is location, location, location.
• 13:36: It is simply random and that is true for the vast majority of patients.
• 14:40: What has been your worst moment as a physician doing this work?
• 16:13: You've been told your entire training to go, go, go help, help, help, and try to cure this thing.
• 16:55: So, did medical school prepare you to have those kinds of talks with patients and their families?
• 18:26: Can you tell me about a patient who really touched you?
• 20:17: She did not want to pursue any sort of intervention.
• 22:00: I think we get caught up many times with what we can do, as opposed to what our patients' desires for their care are.
• 23:08: What is the one thing tomorrow you wish you had known at the beginning of your journey as a physician in this field and this specialty?
• 25:55: If you could only do one thing to improve health care in the US, what would it be and why?
• 27:48: What is your opinion about EHRs?
• 30:22: Thriver Rapid Fire Questions

Resources

• American Brain Tumor Association
• Dr. Vasudevan's website

For three months, Wanda Johnson was a full-time caregiver for her sister who had advanced gallbladder cancer. Then Wanda was diagnosed with triple-positive breast cancer. That diagnosis lit a flame of passion. She became a breast cancer advocate, where new opportunities have led to diverse experiences.  

• 01:27: I'm there for my routine mammogram.  
• 03:30: I was living in Houston, Texas, and before my diagnosis, my sister was living in Mobile, Alabama, which is our home.   
• 05:33: The technician didn't pay any attention to it because of where it was located.  
• 06:32: I'm not going to take you on as a patient.  
• 10:25: We also have noticed something that didn't quite appear right. But we didn't say anything about it.   
• 11:46: Do I make a very deliberate choice to live?   
• 14:35: Why is it so hard to make a change?  
• 16:30: My best moment, I would say, was during the holidays, and I had to go for a treatment to the main building,   
• 21:14: How was your experience as a caregiver different from your sister as she was a patient? 
• 25:53: I respected those boundaries.  
• 26:48: How do you look at your life differently now than before either your diagnosis or your sister's diagnosis?  
• 28:25: It told me that I've got a lot of resilience.  
• 31:13: What is the one thing that you wish you had known at the beginning of your cancer journey?  
• 33:35: My voice has power. And it's okay to use it.  
• 36:20: We have the right to speak up and demand that they see us as like human beings.  
• 37:04: If you could only do one thing, just one, to improve health care in the US, what would it be and why?  
• 38:15: Thriver Rapid Fire Questions   
• 40:00: what is one resource that you would recommend for cancer patients and our caregivers? 

 Resources

• BreastCancer.org
• Email Wanda at [email protected]

Parul Banka is a story coach based in London. She helps coaches share their stories safely, and with clarity, enabling them to build an aligned audience and to create the impact and income they deserve. Parul is also a speaker and the author of the book My Cancer Journey: A Rendezvous with Myself.

• 00:30: Meet Breast Cancer Survivor Parul Banka.
• 01:20: It began in September 2012.
• 02:55: I found a lump on my left breast.
• 03:58: I went and saw my GP and I said, Look, I've got a lump here.
• 05:20: I used to work in human resources and learning and development.
• 07:40: Why don’t you dress up and have a cup of tea?
• 09:35: Let’s fight this out, let's arm ourselves with as much information as possible...
• 12:26: My worst moment was after I had just finished the first phase of aggressive treatment.
• 14:25: I felt so powerless.
• 15:30: And it was also a very confusing time for me.
• 17:50: In India, cancer is still seen with a lot of stigma.
• 19:10: What was your best moment during that time?
• 21:06: I think this is a distorted understanding of the whole concept of karma.
• 26:18: I just wanted joy and meaning, if I had a second chance.
• 27:25: I decided that I would walk away from the corporate world.
• 30:20: What is the one thing that you wish you had known at the very beginning of your cancer journey?
• 31:28: If you could do only one thing to improve the health care system in the UK, what would it be and why?
• 33:22: I would love to see coaches work with our National Health Service.
• 35:25: Thriver Rapid Fire Questions
• 37:22: What is one resource that you would recommend for cancer patients and caregivers?

Resources

• My Cancer Journey: A Rendezvous with Myself

Bailey O’Brien is a cancer coach and cancer-free survivor of over 9 years who used complementary and alternative methods of healing when standard treatments did not stop her melanoma progression. She is grateful to be alive and have the chance to share the hope that brought her here!

• 02:55: I had discovered a mole on my right temple.
• 03:26: I didn't even know what questions to ask, I didn't know what to think.
• 06:35: You're young, you're healthy, so you can go back to your normal life.
• 07:43: Well, I didn't see anything that looked like melanoma.
• 09:28: I couldn't lift my eyebrow up; I couldn't move my cheek.
• 10:49: I had an 80% chance of another second recurrence.
• 12:25: My teammates didn't understand what I was going through on the inside.
• 15:27: I had seven months to live without treatment or 14 months if I did, whatever was available.
• 18:15: I knew my cancer was very aggressive.
• 22:50: The theory behind Gerson therapy is that cancer is a result of nutrient deficiency and a burden of toxicity.
• 28:00: I had told him I was thinking about or planning to go to Mexico.
• 30:40: He said that there was no sign of cancer on the scan.
• 33:05: God, if you're there, please give me a miracle.
• 35:00: What is the one thing you wish you had known at the very beginning of your cancer journey?
• 36:14: I really didn't understand the power of nutrition at the time.
• 37:36: If you could only do one thing to improve you as healthcare in the US, what would it be and why?
• 42:10: Thriver Rapid Fire Questions
• 43:30: What is one resource that you would recommend for cancer patients?

Resources

The Reinvention of Coley’s Toxins by Donald MacAdam

Radical Remission by Dr. Kelly Turner

Contact Bailey on her website

Call Bailey 914.262.8845

Bailey on Facebook

Bailey on Instagram

Bailey on YouTube

Mark Kelly is a 29-year cancer survivor. Mark attended Gordon College and was hired by ESPN as a researcher. During his 10-year career, Mark won two Emmy Awards. In 2008, Mark retired from ESPN due to the side effects of his cancer treatment. Mark established CKMagicSports where he has produced and hosted over 130 podcasts. In 2019, Mark’s memoir about his cancer journey My Scars Tell A Story was published.

• 00:30 Mark is a 29-year cancer survivor.
• 01:21 Tell us when and where your cancer journey started.
• 03:55 They diagnosed me with an abscess.
• 05:11 They didn't tell me at the time that it was a rare terminal cancer, but that's what they told my parents.
• 07:25 I didn't know anything about cancer rather than old people got it. I didn't know anything about chemo.
• 09:42 That's called rhabdomyosarcoma.
• 10:33 I'm a coward, I mean, I didn't want it to go through any of this.
• 10:58 My worst moment was …
• 13:01 At that point, I wanted to quit.
• 17:27 I had four years of radiation.
• 19:24 What was your best moment?
• 21:53 What is one thing that you wish you had known at the beginning of that cancer journey?
• 25:01 If there was only one thing you could do to improve health care in the US, what would it be and why?
• 29:25 I'm the daughter of a prescription addict.
• 31:37 Thriver Rapid Fire Questions
• 34:02 What is one resource that you would recommend for cancer patients?
• 37:58 I would like to see more attention put on survivors that are permanently damaged from this treatment.

Resources

• Connect with Mark at CK Magic Sports
• Purchase My Scars Tell A Story on Amazon
• Support Mark on Patreon

The Cancer U Thrivers Podcast is debuting next month! If you want to share your cancer journey and be a guest on our podcast, click Contact Us.

Learn more about sharing your cancer journey on our website cancer.university