Caregivers - The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, parents are suddenly expected to manage medications, appointments, treatment decisions, family life, and overwhelming emotions, often all at once.

In this episode, we speak with Laura DeKraker Lang-Ree, pediatric cancer parent, advocate, and author of The Cancer Parent’s Handbook, about the practical guidance she wishes every family received from day one. Laura shares powerful insights from her family’s journey after her three-year-old daughter was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). She offers actionable guidance on child advocacy, trusting parental instincts, engaging siblings, and maintaining normalcy during treatment. Additionally, Laura explores strategies for helping children thrive post-treatment, providing crucial hope and support for families facing some of their hardest days.

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The post A Parent’s Guide to Childhood Cancer: Support, Advocacy, and Hope first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Recorded onsite at CancerCon®, a young adult cancer conference presented by Stupid Cancer®, we talk about what resilience really means after a cancer diagnosis, and why it’s not about always being “strong.”

 Join us alongside Sam Brotkin, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Bull City Behavioral Health and Chelsea Kaye, LCSW, an Information Specialist at Blood Cancer United. In this episode, we share compassionate, practical strategies for building lifelong resilience. Learn how to manage expectations, find trusted support, and give yourself grace exactly where you are today.

Although this discussion comes from a young adult cancer conference, the insights shared are relevant across all ages and experiences.

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Episode supported by Merck & Co., Inc.

The post The Bloodline Live!: Redefining Resilience first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

In this episode, we sit down with Ann Grace MacMullan, Director of Integrative Wellness at the International Waldenstrӧm’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation (IWMF), to explore how wellness can become a powerful part of life after a cancer diagnosis. Ann Grace shares practical, calming techniques, including breathing exercises, “Bee’s Breath”, and guided meditation, that you can do anywhere to reduce stress and feel more grounded. We’ll also dive into what integrative wellness really means, why it matters for blood cancer patients, and how concepts like the “self-care sandwich” can help you start and end your day with intention.

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Episode supported by Merck & Co., Inc.

The post Hope Meets Healing: Simple Practices for Stress Relief first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

When cancer enters a family, it changes everything – routines, roles, and relationships.

In this episode, we talk with Lindsey and Thomas Kealey about what it means to navigate cancer together as a care partner and patient. From unexpected diagnoses to months spent living in a hospital room, Lindsey shares how she balanced caregiving, work, and self-care while learning to hold space for difficult emotions. Together, they offer practical tips for caregivers, like creating healing spaces, communicating with care teams, and finding small moments of gratitude amid uncertainty. This heartfelt conversation is a reminder that behind every patient is someone quietly carrying so much and they deserve to be seen too.

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The post Supporting the Supporter: Real Talk for Caregivers first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

In this special episode of The Bloodline, we introduce our new name and what it means for blood cancer patients, caregivers, and the wider community. Joining us from Blood Cancer United are Dr. Andy Kolb, President & CEO; Dr. Eric Cooks, Senior Director of the Equity & Access Research Program; and Bryon Daily, myeloma survivor and Senior Manager of National Community Outreach. Together, they share why inclusivity and unity are at the heart of Blood Cancer United and how this evolution strengthens our mission to support every person impacted by blood cancer.

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The post We are Blood Cancer United: a new name, an unstoppable community first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

What happens when a sibling match becomes the key to survival?

In this heartfelt episode, we speak with Peter and Susan Feinberg, a brother-sister duo connected by both family and a lifesaving stem cell transplant. Peter, an acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivor, shares his experience from diagnosis to remission, while Susan offers a rare and intimate view into what it means to be a stem cell donor. Together, they reflect on the emotional and logistical challenges of transplant, the determination to succeed when miles apart, and the hope it represents. Their story sheds light on the real impact of donation—and why joining the registry can mean everything to someone waiting.

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The post Siblings, Stem Cells, and Second Chances first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

In this episode, we speak to a myeloma patient and her teenage daughter about the impact that myeloma had on her family. Lynn Steele, a social worker and Information Specialist at LLS, then joins us to share tips and resources on how families can navigate a cancer diagnosis together. 

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Support for this episode provided by: AbbVie Inc.; Genentech, Inc. & Biogen; and Johnson & Johnson.

The post Family Ties: Navigating Multiple Myeloma Together first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Caregivers can come from many places in a patient’s life. They may be a spouse, family member, neighbor or “chosen family”. When caring for a cancer patient takes a village, caregivers come together to do what’s best for the patient.

Join us as we sit down with Dr. Iris Cohen Fineberg, an Associate Professor at Stony Brook University, who specializes in oncology social work and palliative care. In this episode, we discuss planned family meetings, communicating with the treatment team, and how the community can provide supportive care to the patient. We invite caregivers, patients and their treatment teams to listen in on this important discussion.

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The post Supporting the Patient: Caregiving Takes a Village first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Please join us for the latest episode of our Community Outreach In The Field series, where our field correspondents, comprised of LLS Staff, will be on the ground interviewing health advocates, patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals in the communities in which they serve. These episodes will make listeners feel like they are right in the middle of the action!

In this episode, Mia Johnson, the National Community Outreach Manager for LLS’s Myeloma Link program, hosted an event curated for Black women called “Red, Bred & Led” in Houston, TX. This weekend-long event consisted of a Sip and Paint Party, a Luxe brunch, and Sunday worship, all with an educational overview of multiple myeloma. This event heightened awareness of how myeloma disproportionately affects Black communities.  A heavy focus was given on female caregivers, and how they can spread awareness and share resources available to them within their families and communities if a loved one is diagnosed with a blood cancer. 

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Support for this episode provided by: Bristol Myers Squibb; Eli Lilly and Company; GSK and Pharmacyclics, An AbbVie Company & Janssen Biotech.

The post Community Outreach in The Field: Red, Bred & Led Houston first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Join us as we speak to Tim Cooper, a multiple myeloma patient and caregiver. In this episode, Tim discusses how he was diagnosed with myeloma after sustaining a neck fracture. Unlike many patients, he was familiar with myeloma, as his mother had been diagnosed with myeloma years prior.  

After multiple treatments, including chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation, Tim is doing well and enjoying life. He finds that sharing his story is therapeutic and encourages other patients to keep pushing forward and find hope after a blood cancer diagnosis.  

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Multiple Myeloma
• LLS Financial Assistance Program
• Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation
• Beating Incurable podcast episodes
• Caregiver support 

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Free booklets 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• LLS Community 
• Online chats 
• Support groups 
• Caregiver Workbook
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy
• Survivorship Workbook

Support for this episode provided by: Bristol Myers Squibb; GSK plc.

The post Making The Decision To Live: A Myeloma Story first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.