Over 25 years ago at age 37, Kathy was given the news that she had 3 years to live due to a diagnosis of a rare blood cancer. But Kathy, a self-described “impatient patient,” turned her death-sentence into a decades-long crusade. Not only did she save her own life; she’s gone on to disrupt and galvanize our deeply broken healthcare system and transform care for millions. She founded the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), has worked with three U.S. presidents, was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, and one of Fortune magazine’s 50 Greatest Leaders in the World.

Now in her soul-baring, empowering book FATAL TO FEARLESS: 12 Steps to Beating Cancer in a Broken Medical System, Kathy delivers a playbook for any patient, survivor, or caretaker to take ownership of their wellbeing and maximize the chances of survival. 

During our conversation, Kathy shares what led to her diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma, how her background prepared her for what was to come, how she advocated for insurance coverage of a drug she believed would help her, the decision to become pregnant eight months after her diagnosis, the blessing of her twin sister being her stem-cell donor, what she recommends asking for when doing a diagnostic workup, how people can learn which tests are appropriate to optimize their treatment plan, and the important lesson she learned about caregiving when her twin sister was diagnosed with breast cancer.

To learn more, go to kathyguisti.com

The Cancer Liberation Project is sponsored by thekarlfieldcenter.com