Everything Joy to Life!

Nancy Wright --Director of the Cancer Prevention and Control Division of the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH)--has been working with the Joy to Life Foundation for over 20 years and she knows a lot about cancer!

In this episode, we take a look back at how that relationship began and where it is now, what kinds of cancer are most prevalent is Alabama and how cancer is being treated, and in one case even being cured, thanks to efforts from ADPH.

The overall message is that cancer is not a death sentence and that there are amazing resources in our state to diagnose and treat any kind of cancer out there!

Operation Wipeout Info & Documentary https://operationwipeout.org

Alabama Department of Public Health

https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov

We didn't invite Dr. Lois Schulman on our podcast to talk about some new drug or some robotic surgical procedure. We’re talking about how plants can help us live healthier lives—specifically how eating a plant-based diet can make a huge difference in people’s health.

During our conversation, Dr. Schulman explains how plant-based eating can help anyone lose weight and feel better physically and mentally. It is also--believe it or not-- capable of preventing and reversing all types of chronic illness like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and even cancer!

Kym Klass is a 20-year veteran newspaper reporter and many of her life experiences--good and bad-- find their way into her writing.

In this episode, Kym talks about the circumstances that moved her to her explore the topic of mental health in many of her columns and her book "One More Day: a powerful true story of suicide, loss, and a woman’s newfound faith". 

An avid runner since the age of 12, Kym also shares how she made it through being physically assaulted during a run and how therapy--along with finding people who had similar experiences--helped her get on the path to healing and recognize more clearly the relationship that exists between physical health and mental health.

This episode explores subjects such as suicide, depression, physical assault and mental health and may not be appropriate for all ages.

How do you turn negatives (like getting hit by a car or being diagnosed with breast cancer) into positive stories that inspire others? If you're Javacia Harris Bowser, that's just what you do!

According to her mother, Javacia has been writing "since she could sit up straight" and her work has appeared in national and regional publications for years and she has even turned her love of writing into a community for women to tell their stories called "See Jane Write".

In this episode, she talks with Joy and Dickie about her cancer journey and the amazing support she received from her husband, family and her writing community as well as how everything that happens can make a great story.

Want to know more? Visit the See Jane Write website: https://seejanewritebham.com

Find out more about Javacia and read some of her work on her website: https://javacia.com

When Hilly Blondheim found out that his friend and co-worker was in dire need of a kidney transplant, he knew he wanted to help. That decision would lead Hilly, his family, his friend and a group of other like-minded people down a path that they could never have imagined.

This is a story that shows how one act of kindness can ripple outward to touch others—changing their lives (as well as your own) in the process. 

In this episode, we go on location outside of Atlanta, Georgia, we enjoy having our first live studio audience (who gave us some insightful questions to ask our guests) and we get to play a new game called “Where’s That Kidney?” There is plenty of laughter, tears and insightful conversation about a topic that needs to be talked about more—organ donation.

None of this would have been possible without the wonderful folks at Emory Healthcare. If you or anyone you know would be interested in potentially becoming a life-saving kidney donor at Emory Healthcare, you can register for screening here: emorylivingdonor.org 

If you would like more information about Paired Kidney Donation and the National Kidney Registry, you can find it here: www.kidneyregistry.org

And if you are looking for opportunities to get involved with the local (GA) Transplant Community, you can find more info at https://gatransplant.org/get-involved/

In 1994, Dr. Carrie Nelson (a now 35-year breast cancer survivor) establishes SISTAs Can Survive Coalition--the first African American survivor run group in Alabama. From that time forward, SISTAs has provided (and continues to provide) a culturally sensitive approach to combatting diseases among medically underserved populations. 

Along with certified trainer Shirley Nance and 2A Fitness Gym owner Ray Adkinson, Dr. Nelson gives us a look at the scope of what SISTAs can provide and the life-changing difference it can make.

For more information about SISTAs, visit their website (sistascansurvive.org), visit them on Facebook or call (334) 430-1070.

For years, John Moorer felt like there was something off with his health. He sought the counsel of multiple doctors, but none of them provided a diagnosis. They didn’t seem to think that there was anything he should be worried about. They were wrong.

We got the chance to sit down with John and hear his remarkable story—a story that points to the importance of being proactive when it comes to your wellbeing. If there is one thing John has learned on his journey, it’s trust yourself and never stop seeking answers when you have questions about your health.

In November of 2023, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Lizzie Norman, the Mobile Mammography Coordinator at Montgomery Cancer Center and Kadie Agnew Director of Marketing & Communications at Baptist Health to talk about their "Driving Hope" program which features a state-of-the-art Mobile Mammography Unit named "JOY" that Baptist had just unveiled.

If you've ever wondered what it's like to drive a 24-foot cab over truck around and provide life-saving breast screenings, then this is the podcast for you!

"JOY" has since made numerous trips in the central Alabama area and, as you'll hear, these will be a second mobile unit coming to join her in the Driving Hope program!

Did you know that pain in your shoulder may originate from your foot?

Did you know that your brain may be hurting you while trying to protect you?

Did you know that research is being done that involves training bacteria to fight cancer cells while leaving the good bacteria in your body alone?

Neither did we until we all sat down with Anthony Allegro and Jacob Laputka from Hands On Healing!

Anthony and Jacob shared a wealth of knowledge that will open your eyes to a new way of looking at how your body works and show that the way you think has an amazing impact on the way you move.

To learn more about Hands On Healing visit https://www.handsonhealingal.com/

"This is a problem, but we can fix it. It will take work, but we can fix this."

This quote from Dr. Pam Strickland sums up her approach to her work--offering a full range of surgical services to women with breast cancer and other breast diseases. She is a board-certified general surgeon with nearly 30 years’ experience specializing in breast surgery and she, along with her associate Dr. Katelin Holmes are the only surgeons in Alabama to offer their patients an exciting new technology called Magseed.

Joy to Life co-founders Joy and Dickie Blondheim sat down with Dr. Strickland and found out more about her practice and how she uses a combination of technology and compassionate care to treat patients with breast cancer or any breast-related disease diagnosis.

If you’d like to know more about Dr. Strickland or her practice, visit baptistbreastsurgery.com.