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Cathy, 62, has always loved jogging and doing step aerobics, but her true passion is tending to the flowers in her garden.

“I just love being outside and getting my hands in the dirt,” says Cathy, born and raised in Dayton, Ohio.

Cathy will be the first to tell you that gardening takes both patience and the willingness to start anew when a flower doesn’t grow like she’d hoped. “It’s okay when something doesn’t go your way out there. It’s all about adapting and moving forward,” says Cathy.

Cathy has had to apply those same principles to her own life as well. A diagnosis of stage IV breast cancer in 2012—the second time she had been diagnosed with this illness—halted her active and productive life. She faced an uphill climb of difficult chemotherapy regiments and an uncertain future.

After dealing with painful symptoms from the chemotherapy and the stress of managing the ups and downs of her battle for over four years, she asked for better care from her medical professionals. She was referred to palliative care who now work every day to get her back to her active life.

This is Cathy’s story.

Hosted by Dan Altano

Matt is about to start another abstract painting. With classic rock music blasting in the background, he holds the brush between his lips, steadies his neck and presses the brush against the canvas.

A few months ago, Matt, 38, wouldn’t have believed you if you told him he’d be painting again. 14 years ago, a severe car accident left him paralyzed from the upper chest down. While his diaphragm wasn’t paralyzed in the accident, it was weakened significantly, which has caused Matt to have breathing problems that have grown progressively worse over time. Those issues coupled with severe nerve pain and the emotional stress of dealing with the traumatic events of the accident have be a daily struggle.

After a recent 13-week hospitalization for low oxygen saturation, Matt and his family asked if there was something more that could be done to help with the many symptoms involved with his physical issues.

They asked for palliative care.

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Shortness of breath coupled with the painful side effects of a surgery to remove fluid in his lungs were consuming Gregory’s life after being diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. He needed support to relieve his symptoms and he needed help understanding how to best prepare for an uncertain future. Most of all, he wanted to get back to being the active person he always was.

That’s when he found palliative care.

Dan Altano

This is a story about finding a sense of control amidst an uncertain future. This is a story about doing everything you can for the ones you love. This is Barbara and Laren’s palliative care story.

Hosted by Dan Altano

Karena is a hardworking professional and mother of two. When her busy lifestyle was halted due to a colon cancer diagnosis, she needed help to manage her symptoms and give her the tools to start feeling better. In this podcast, Karena and her palliative care specialist discuss taking steps forward to living a quality life with serious illness.

Hosted by Dan Altano

When we go into the hospital, we want to be treated for whatever is ailing us. We also expect to be heard and validated.

When Toby Palma, a Las Vegas, Nevada woman in her early 40s, went into the emergency room several times complaining of severe pain all over her body, the doctors kept telling her it was a minor kidney infection.

“I knew it was something more,” says Toby. “The antibiotics they gave me weren’t doing anything for my pain but they kept sending me home because I looked healthy.”

After a year of doctor’s visits which left her without answers or pain relief, Toby was eventually referred to a team of specialists who took the time to get a full understanding of her symptoms. That medical team—called a palliative care team—then went to work to help Toby with the pain and stress she was dealing with. With a better understanding of what was troubling her, Toby’s primary doctors were able to make a proper diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

There is now one goal: To help Toby live the best life possible. This is Toby’s palliative care story.

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As a former softball player and as a hard working professional who often balanced multiple jobs, Kat Harrison of Dayton, OH has always been on the move. And luckily for her, she’s a frequent babysitter to four rambunctious grandchildren. As a result, she can often be found running around trying to keep things under control. She doesn’t mind.

But six years ago, at the age of 41, a sudden diagnosis of ovarian cancer—which had already spread to her pelvis and colon when found—brought Kat’s active life to a screeching halt. The pain and stress that followed the diagnosis and treatment left her frustrated, scared, and unable to enjoy her busy life. While receiving chemotherapy early on to slow the growth of the cancer, her oncologist recognized that Kat needed better support to help with pain and anxiety. She referred her to a team of specialists with one collective goal: to give Kat back the quality life she once enjoyed. That team was Palliative Care.

The Palliative Care team at Innovative Care Solutions, Division of Palliative Care, at the Hospice of Dayton, supports Kat with her pain and emotional symptoms and has helped her get back to an active life as she continues to receive chemotherapy treatment.

Hosted by Dan Altano

Marion Blankenship of Charlotte, North Carolina lights up when she talks about her family, especially her eight grandchildren. She beams with pride when you ask her about her job working with kids at a childcare development center. And, she smiles ear to ear when she talks about her hobbies, like singing in church, cooking, or exercising at her local YMCA.

“I love staying busy,” says Marion. “I get a kick out of trying something new and having fun.”

In 2014, Marion’s diagnosis of stage IV breast cancer and the pain and depression that followed were keeping her from the things she loved doing. It was taking Marion away from who she was.

“By the time they discovered my cancer, it had spread to my spine. The pain was terrible. Emotionally, I was in a state of shock and also felt remorse because I hadn’t been very proactive with my health by going for my routine mammograms like they say to do,” says Marion.

Marion worked with her oncologist to treat her cancer through radiation and targeted drug therapy. Although the treatment was helping, she felt that she needed more help to deal with the difficult pain she felt in her lower back. This caused fatigue and kept her from doing normal tasks. She also couldn’t shake the feelings of depression. Eventually, Marion’s oncologist referred her to palliative care.

In this episode, Marion and her palliative care doctor, Boris Krivitsky, MD, discuss how palliative care got her back to living a full life.

Hosted by Dan Altano

Since 74-year-old Joyce Montgomery of Atlanta, Georgia was diagnosed with Liposarcoma—a rare form of cancer—she’s faced major decisions about her treatment. As her illness has progressed, she’s struggled anxiety and physical symptoms. With the help of her palliative care team, which provided her relief from her psychosocial and physical symptoms, Joyce set out on her mission: To keep doing the things she loves for the people she loves. This is Joyce’s Palliative Care Story.

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In his new book, Life After the Diagnosis, Dr. Steven Z. Pantilat puts the spotlight on the essential needs of patients during this often difficult time, and details the ways in which palliative care can help immediately. Inspired by Dr. Pantilat’s book, we talked to palliative care specialists and seriously ill patients who are receiving palliative care to get a full picture of how this medical specialty can help them right away.

Hosted by Dan Altano