CURE Talks Cancer

Imagine learning of your mother’s cancer diagnosis, and then too, facing the reality that maybe you inherited the same gene that caused that cancer? One advocate decided to take affirmative action to reduce her hereditary risk, and is now helping to empower children to learn about their family’s health history. 

This week, we spoke with author and avid patient advocate, Shannon Pulaski, as she talks about the launch of her new online resource tool, called Proactive Genes – an initiative designed to empower children to learn their family’s health history – and about her new children’s book, “Mom’s Genes,” written to help start these conversations. 

For more information, visit www.proactivegenes.com.

Jim Kelly is a decorated NFL Hall of Fame quarterback who led the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances and six divisional championships from 1988 to 1995.

In 2013, Jim was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in his upper jaw and has since experienced two recurrences. While looking to the four Fs (faith, family, friends and the fans) to help him through his cancer journey, Jim lives by making the difference today for someone who is fighting for their tomorrow. It is because of this, Jim was honored with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at this year’s ESPY Awards.

In this special edition of CURE Talks Cancer, we spoke with Jim about his experience with head and neck cancer, and the humbling experience of winning the Jimmy V award.

In this week’s episode of CURE Talks Cancer, Eli D. Bebout, a former republican state senator in Wyoming, discussed the two coincidences that ultimately led him to discover his cancer diagnoses: a Wyoming gubernatorial-election loss and an eventual swallowed fish bone that led him back into the doctor’s office. 

He also discussed how he stayed motivated during his bouts with the disease and how his personal health issues influenced his politics.

Ethan Hawes was a college student, studying abroad in Spain. Having returned home to the states after running the Madrid Marathon, Ethan thought he was experiencing lingering leg and hip pain from training, but in reality, it was actually something much different: a multiple myeloma diagnosis.

In this week’s episode of CURE Talks Cancer, we spoke with Ethan about his experience as a 22-year-old diagnosed with a rare cancer, and his advice for others going through a similar journey.

Usually, sitting down to watch tv for most is considered one’s down time. But when Dr. Erich Voigt was watching “Beach Front Bargain Hunt” on HGTV, he put his expertise to use and ended up saving a woman’s life.

In this week’s episode of CURE Talks Cancer, we spoke with Voigt about how he noticed a lump in a woman’s neck while watching tv and utilized the power of social media to find her – which ultimately led to a thyroid cancer diagnosis.

Breakthroughs in immunotherapy continue to advance in the treatment landscape for cancer, but patients do not always understand what these therapies are and how they work.

This year, the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) is hosting five Immunotherapy Patient Summits for patients, caregivers, and advocates to meet, and for them to learn valuable information from health care experts to learn more about how new breakthroughs in immunotherapy are changing standards of care for all cancers.

In this week’s episode of CURE Talks Cancer, we spoke with a patient who underwent CAR-T cell therapy in a clinical trial, as well as CRI’s CEO, who offered more information about what these summits consist of and why they’re so helpful.

Learn more at:

https://www.cancerresearch.org/

https://www.cancerresearch.org/patients/immunotherapy-patient-summit-series

Living with cancer, from diagnosis through treatment and in to survivorship, can be a struggle in and of itself. To add to that, returning to work afterwards can be its own challenge.

To help individuals facing this exact dilemma, Jeff Bares, a return to work case manager at Allsup Employment Services, offers tips and advice to help return to work after treatment.

In this episode, we explore the “new normal” and what to expect when returning to work, the victories that come along with it, and accommodation requests to know and ask Human Resources about.

To learn more, visit curetoday.com

A cancer diagnosis can have a variety of effects on patients, survivors and caregivers. So, what better way to express one’s stress or feelings associated with a diagnosis than to talk to someone else going through the same thing? This is where support groups come in.

In this episode of CURE Talks Cancer, we spoke with a patient, survivor, caregiver and two social workers about the benefits of joining a support group and how they can help individuals through a cancer journey.

Paying for cancer treatment while keeping up with student loans can be difficult for many survivors. But, a new bill was introduced to Congress that, if passed, would defer student loans until after the person finishes active treatment.

This week, we spoke to Erin Price, a state leader for the Young Survival Coalition and board member for Critical Mass, about the H.R. 2976 bill, which she recently advocated for at Capitol Hill.