This episode is about cancerversaries, as Kristine just surpassed her 4th cancerversary (it's on her birthday). It's from my perspective as a care partner - what I've learned and hopefully things that are helpful. I'm very fortunate that Kristine has reached this important milestone and hoping for many, many more.

Colorectal cancer (CRC), particularly Stage 4 MSS (Microsatellite Stable) CRC needs more everything. And the executive branch of the United States federal government is trying to take away quite a large chunk of funding from cancer research. (Yes, that comes up in THIS episode - because there can't be cancerversaries without cancer research.) Fortunately, the US Senate Appropriations Committee voted bipartisan (26-3) to give MORE money to NIH than last year. Not the 40% slashing that the executive branch wanted. Hopefully this will include fully staffing the NIH as well.
https://www.fightcancer.org/releases/us-senate-appropriations-committee-shows-strong-bipartisan-support-cancer-research-funding

That doesn't mean we're out of the woods - because it hasn't passed the full Senate and there are still so many questions. Please continue to contact your Senators and Representatives about how important cancer research funding is. Many lives depend on it.

Here is a form from AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) that lets you send a personalized message to your senators and representative.
https://www.aacr.org/professionals/policy-and-advocacy/aacr-legislative-action-center/

You can also directly help to fundraise for individual NCI (National Cancer Institute) centers. For example, Johns Hopkins has a fund where 100% of the money raised goes directly to research. They have specific trials that have been run directly from this fundraising.

• https://secure.jhu.edu/form/ColorectalCancerResearchCenterofExcellence

This episode is the 2nd of a 2 parter!

Listen to S2Ep4 for the 1st part of this 2 part podcast.

Lora Silver, MS, RDN, CSO, CDN, CNSC an oncology dietitian from Yale Smilow Cancer Center joined me in a conversation about why it's important to have a dietitian on your care team. Food is complicated in all cancers, but particularly CRC. And there is a lot of misinformation out there about it.

Join me in learning how dietitians (and care partners!) can help cancer patients eat better, and feed that gut microbiome too.

In this episode, we talk more specifically about foods to eat in Cancerland, including talking about a session out of the ASCO conference about anti-inflammatory foods and colorectal cancer. And how as care partners, we can help our loved ones in a very meaningful way, through food and nutrition.

Show Notes:

• CancerCare provides many free nutrition education resources https://www.cancercare.org/tagged/nutrition
• Yale’s Teaching Kitchen https://www.ynhhs.org/patient-care/teaching-kitchen
• Recipes from The Cancer Fighting Kitchen https://www.rebeccakatz.com/recipe-box/tag/The+Cancer-Fighting+Kitchen
• MSK Recipes for People with Cancer https://www.mskcc.org/experience/patient-support/nutrition-cancer/recipes#sort=relevancy
• ASCO Inflammatory Diet Abstract https://www.asco.org/about-asco/press-center/news-releases/pro-inflammatory-diets-associated-worse-outcomes-patients-stage-III-colon-cancer
  
  

Other resources that Lora wanted to share:

• Livestrong and Maple Tree are good places to start for fitness and physical activity resources that you can access from home and/or in your community https://livestrong.org/resources/ and https://www.mapletreecanceralliance.org/virtual-training/

Editing to add - 

• CancerChoices.org: How to Use AI to Navigate Cancer Information: Tips and Considerations - CancerChoices
• Society for Integrative Oncology: https://integrativeonc.org/dont-believe-everything-you-read/

• (01:17) - Gut microbiome

This episode is a 2 parter!

Lora Silver, MS, RDN, CSO, CDN, CNSC an oncology dietitian from Yale Smilow Cancer Center joined me in a conversation about why it's important to have a dietitian on your care team. Food is complicated in all cancers, but particularly CRC. And there is a lot of misinformation out there about it.

Join me in learning how dietitians (and care partners!) can help cancer patients eat better, and feed that gut microbiome too.

Then, join us for part 2 when we talk more specifically about foods to eat in Cancerland, including talking about a session out of the ASCO conference about anti-inflammatory foods and colorectal cancer.

Show Notes:

• American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) - https://www.aicr.org/ - for trusted info on factual information about food and cancer
• Cook For Your Life - https://www.cookforyourlife.org/ - helpful and searchable recipes where you can filter by helpful categories such as health considerations, prep time, or side effects

Helpful Links that Lora wanted to share:

•  Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) offers free nutrition education and consultations to patients and caregivers for all cancer diagnoses https://llsnutrition.org/
• The Cancer Dietitian is a wealth of information and free classes, and I have met her (Julie Lanford) and she is wonderful https://cancerdietitian.com/
• CancerCare provides many free nutrition education resources https://www.cancercare.org/tagged/nutrition
• Livestrong and Maple Tree are good places to start for fitness and physical activity resources that you can access from home and/or in your community https://livestrong.org/resources/ and https://www.mapletreecanceralliance.org/virtual-training/

Thank you to my incredible wife Kristine for helping me to edit these episodes!

• (01:23) - Deciding to become a dietician

Here are links to some of the information talked about in the episode:

Research:
- MSK article (April 2025) on exercise as cancer therapy

- MSK article (Jan 2017) on cancer patients being less active

- ASCO25 press release about the international CHALLENGE trial where early stage colorectal patients who had an exercise "coach" and exercised regularly had a better disease free survival

- American Cancer Society article on Weight Loss

Exercise Programs:
- MSK Integrative Medicine at Home - virtual exercise classes for cancer patients and care partners - $20/mth and you do not need to be a MSK patient

- Exercise Programs at Wellness House (Chicago) - free exercise programs, some in-person and some virtual

- Wellness Programs at Hirsch (Greensboro, NC) - free exercise programs, some in-person and some virtual

- Livestrong Program at the YMCA (national) - close to 800 YMCA locations across the country participate in this 12 week program for cancer survivors

- American College of Sports Medicine - Cancer and Exercise Research and Resources

which includes a Moving Through Cancer directory of some of the local and regional exercise oncology specialists and programs, searchable by city or state

Host, Producer, Composer, Editor: Elsa Lankford

• (02:03) - MSK Cancer and Exercise Data

This episode is called Home is Where the Healthcare Is (Sometimes).

In October 2024, my incredible Kristine (💙💙) had a major surgery - CRS/HIPEC. Over the last few months, she has had some temporary members added to her care team. 

In this episode, I talk about the importance of a nutritionist, home wound care nurse, and a home physical therapist.

*** If you are in the United States, please join me in continuing to advocate for fully funded and staffed cancer and medical research, from the NIH, NCI, FDA, CDC, to local, regional, and national cancer centers. 

Colorectal cancer, and all of the other cancers, needs more hope and options. Those come directly out of cancer research. 

Please check out Fight CRC - https://fightcolorectalcancer.org/advocacy/public-policy/federal-policy/ or https://5calls.org/issue/nih-nsf-funding-cuts/ ***

• (01:20) - CRS/HIPEC surgery

This episode is truly from the heart, not just because I recorded it and am uploading it on Valentine's Day 2025, but because cancer research means the world to me. It offers hope in cancerland, which is necessary.

Here are some ways that you can help save cancer research in the United States:

• https://5calls.org/issue/nih-nsf-funding-cuts/ - lets you easily contact your US representative and senators via phone and has an optional script if you get tongue tied. All you need to do is put a location so that it can find out who you should contact. You can also send emails, but phone calls seem to be more effective
• https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials also lets you know who your elected officials are
• United for Medical Research has a great webpage where you can find out how NIH funding affects your state
• The American Association of Medical Colleges has been fighting for cancer research funding

This is a rapidly evolving issue that is very time sensitive. Please share and call your representatives, go to their town halls, let them know how important cancer research is to you, your family, and your loved ones.

Welcome to the eleventh episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC where I talk with my best friend for over 30 years, my wife Kristine about healthy distractions.

Kristine was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer on her 49th birthday in July 2021. We have had to come up with a lot of coping mechanisms to deal with this cancer diagnosis, and we have a number of healthy distractions. From walking, puzzles, dancing, doing fun spontaneous things, exercise, meditation, and sometimes just being silly.

Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)

Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford

Kristine - You are incredible 💙

Please remember to share, subscribe, like, and rate the podcast.

Helpful links related to this episode:

• Cancer and Careers - an organization who works to empower and educate cancer survivors about how to thrive in the workplace
• www.eventbrite.com - Easy way to find in-person and online classes, workshops, and events all over the world. You can sort to find free and online.
• MSK Integrative Medicine at Home - Meditation and exercises classes online (more services are available if you can be in person). This is a low cost membership for live online classes or you can do the free classes that are posted on the website.
• Wellness House (Annapolis, MD) - Offers both in-person and online exercise and art classes for free. 
• Wellness House (Chicago, IL) - Offers both in-person and online exercise and art classes for free. 
• https://www.hirschwellnessnetwork.org/#Classes - Offers both in-person and online exercise and art classes for free. The in-person classes are extensive if you live nearby.
• www.Open.Spotify.com - Listen to Kristine's playlists or create your own and dance! 

• (01:15) - What is a healthy distraction and why are they helpful?

Welcome to the tenth episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC where I talk with friend and fellow stage 4 care partner Liz from Vancouver.

Liz's daughter Haley was diagnosed with advanced stage 4 colon cancer in June 2022 at the age of 19. Liz talks about all the different ways she and her family were able to say yes to opportunities and to make memories with Haley. As Liz explains, cancer makes life and planning so uncertain, so you need to take every opportunity that you can.

Kristine and I had been planning on visiting Liz later in the summer, but when Kristine needed to go back to chemo, we pivoted (again) and are so glad that we said yes, let's travel across the country next week (and that Liz said yes to being our incredible tour guide).

Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)

Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford

Kristine - I love you. 💙

Please remember to share, subscribe, like, and rate the podcast.

Helpful links related to this episode:

• Colontown.org - they have a great Stage 4 carepartners group where care partners can find support from people who understand what it's like
• Melanie's Way - a Canadian organization that helps fund wishes to Canadian women with stage 4 or recurrent cancer
• She Defines Strength - a Canadian group that empowers young women with cancer

• (03:27) - What does "say yes" mean to you?

Welcome to the ninth episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC where I talk about my wife Kristine's liver surgery.

Her liver surgery was in January 2022. There is a lot involved in a loved one getting to surgery, and care partners can help them prepare for this challenging time. I also talked about staying in the hospital room to help her (and help distract) as well as during recovery and healing.

Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)

Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford

Kristine - You're so much more than chopped liver to me (ba dum bah!) ❤️

Please remember to share, subscribe, like, and rate the podcast.

Helpful links related to this episode:

• Colontown.org - this is the group where I met new great friends who were CRC patients or care partners.
• Preparing for Surgery - from the American Cancer Society is a helpful resource
• Prehabilitation Resources from Cancer Research UK
• Clinical research showing that prehabilitation for CRC surgery is beneficial - hopefully this is something that can become standard of care for any CRC surgery

• (01:38) - Getting scans to see if she could get to surgery

Welcome to the eighth episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC where I talk to medical librarian Carrie Price about how to find reliable medical information online.

I know I learned a lot from Carrie during this episode (including how awesome medical librarians are!), I hope that you do too.

Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)

Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford
Guest: Carrie Price, Research Impact & Health Professions Librarian at Towson University

Kristine - here's to doing fun stuff - I love you ❤️

Please remember to share, subscribe, like, and rate the podcast.

Helpful links related to this episode:

• PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
• MedlinePlus: https://medlineplus.gov/
• NCI: https://www.cancer.gov/
• To limit a google search:

  fruquintinib site:.gov

  (first result is sponsored but rest of results are .gov sites)

• Examples of patient health libraries at cancer centers:
  • Mayo: https://monument.health/mayo-clinic-health-information-library/
  • Johns Hopkins: https://johnshopkinshealthcare.staywellsolutionsonline.com/
  • MSK (Memorial Sloan Kettering): https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/diagnosis-treatment/symptom-management/integrative-medicine/herbs
• Google alerts - to get an email once a day, once a week, or as it happens with search results (I have Google alerts for clinical trials, pharmaceutical companies, etc. that I'm following

• (01:28) - Being bombarded with information, not knowing if it's trustworthy