Join us as we speak to Dr. Meredith Hemphill Ruden, who had an informative session at CancerCon on Parenting with Cancer. Meredith is a licensed clinical social worker, 13-year Melanoma cancer survivor and Executive Director of the Feather Foundation. In this episode, Meredith dives into the challenging topic of being a parent while dealing with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. After becoming a social worker following treatment, she started to notice that there weren’t as many resources to help parents who had cancer. To combat this shortfall, she started The Feather Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting parents throughout their cancer journey. This episode highlights the importance of making self-care a priority and how to find hope as a family while dealing with cancer.

Mentioned on this episode:

• The Feather Foundation
• Caregiver Support
• Support Groups
• Managing Your Cancer

Additional LLS Support Resources:

• Information Specialists
• Free telephone/web patient programs
• Free booklets
• Financial support
• Online chats
• LLS Community
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Free Nutrition Consultations

The post Strap on your Oxygen Mask First: Being a Parent with Cancer first appeared on The Bloodline With Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Join us as we speak to Kristin Furhrmann-Simmons, a caregiver and an LLS volunteer. Kristin talks to us about caring for her father who is a CLL survivor, and how she decided to join LLS’s advocacy efforts through our Office of Public Policy.  For Kristin, it was a great way to connect with people in her community and share her family’s story.  And she knew that for her dad, being as sick as he was, it was helpful to have her as his voice to bring forward some of the issues that her family was facing as a result of his treatment.  This episode highlights how advocates carry the ability to uphold a voice that may have been silenced by a diagnosis.

Mentioned on this Episode:

• Advocacy
• Caregiver
• Team in Training
• Medicare Part D
• Mobile Action Network

Additional LLS Support Resources:

• Information Specialists
• Information & Support Services
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• Free telephone/web patient programs
• Free booklets
• Financial support
• Online chats
• Caregiver support
• LLS Community
• Support groups
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Free Nutrition Consultations
• Oral Parity
• Prescription Out-of-Pocket Costs
• Share your Story
• Sign up to be an Advocate at LLS

The post I’m a Caregiver & Advocate: Kristin’s Story first appeared on The Bloodline With Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Listen in as Alicia speaks with Jason Khalipa. Jason is a devoted father, world champion, and global businessman.  Jason is a force of nature in the fitness world whose life was turned upside down when his daughter, Ava, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2016 at the age of 4.  Jason and his wife, Ashley, dedicated themselves to the fight armed with a positive mindset and an emphasis on physical and mental strength. Join Jason and Alicia as he shares more about how Ava was diagnosed, what their cancer journey taught him not only as a person, but as a father, and how his passion for fitness helped him remain strong and disciplined throughout this new journey. 

Mentioned on this episode:

• Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
• Leukemia
• The Emperor of All Maladies
• LLS Community
• Ava’s Kitchen
• JasonKhalipa.com
• Jason Khalipa Instagram
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program

Additional LLS support resources:

• Information Specialists
• Free telephone/web patient programs
• LLS Community
• Free booklets
• Financial support
• Online chats
• Caregiver support
• Support groups

Support for this episode provided by Amgen and Takeda Oncology.

The post Training for the Unknown: Jason’s Story first appeared on The Bloodline With Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Mirinda

David

Alejandro

To kick off Caregiver Awareness Month, we invite you to join the conversation as we chat with three caregivers! Listen in as Alicia and Lizette speak with Mirinda, David and Alejandro about their varying caregiving roles. Mirinda, David and Alejandro will share how their loved ones’ acute myeloid leukemia (AML) diagnosis impacted their own lives. On this episode, they describe the changes they went through, where they found support, how they navigated insurance, what they learned about themselves and helpful advice for other caregivers.

We encourage you to share this episode and comment below to let us know how you liked this episode. Thanks for listening!

Download Transcript

The post A Conversation with Caregivers first appeared on The Bloodline With Blood Cancer United Podcast.

November is Caregiver Awareness Month! On behalf of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, we’d like to thank caregivers for their kindness in caring for their loved ones. Your dedication does not go unnoticed. On this episode, Alicia and Lizette speak with Dr. Marni Amsellem, a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with patients and caregivers who are adjusting to cancer and other health-related challenges, and looking to build their coping skills and resilience. Listen in as Alicia, Lizette and Dr. Amsellem speak about many caregiving topics including long-distance caregiving, emotional concerns, mental health, work-related issues, the importance of delegating tasks and more.

All month long, we’re encouraging patients and families to recognize the special caregivers in their lives. Simply share a photo of you with your caregiver on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with #LLScaregiver for a chance to win a caregiver swag bag.

Mentioned on this episode:

Additional LLS Support Resources:

The post Coping as a Caregiver first appeared on The Bloodline With Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Describing her life as a ‘storybook’, Kimberly Alexander shares with Alicia and Lizette from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society how her world was turned upside down after her late husband and NFL linebacker Elijah was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. What began as pain in his feet, usually disregarded due to his active lifestyle, Elijah was later diagnosed with Stage III-B multiple myeloma at 35 years old. Kimberly describes her transition to ‘caregiver’, how she continues to maintain normalcy for their two young boys, and the importance of self-care and doing what you love in spite of change.

Mentioned on this episode:

Additional LLS Support Resources:

Please comment below as we’d love to hear your feedback on this episode. Also, be sure to subscribe today to be notified of our next episode.

Support for this episode provided by Amgen.

The post No Playbook for Caregiving: Kimberly’s Story first appeared on The Bloodline With Blood Cancer United Podcast.