Life on Pause

Furry friends offer a lot in the way of medicine and therapy during cancer treatment. In this episode, young adults talk with Karen Casto of Canine Assistants about the role of animals as supports during cancer.

From pure entertainment to incentive to exercise to quiet, non-judgmental companionship, the young adults speak of their own pets and the Penn State Health therapy dog trained at Canine Assistants.

To learn more about Canine Assistants, visit https://www.canineassistants.org/

Listen in to Emily’s story as she walks us through her cancer diagnosis which isn’t a straightforward  one and done diagnosis.  She also describes her experience with anti-mnda receptor encephalitis, life in a rehab hospital as a young adult and shares what it’s like to re-enter life afterwards.

This episode, the young adults talk about some of the ‘unmentionable’ parts of the cancer experience. Join them as they discuss using a humor (including a dark sense of humor), pulling the cancer card, ‘cancer perks’, body functions, fears, ugly thoughts, survivor’s guilt and more.

In this episode, Life on Pause talks with Marcus about his experience with cancer and college. How do you attend college with a compromised immune system? What is studying like with the effects of chemo? Should I use accommodations from the college for support? Marcus weighs in on these questions and more.

This week the group discusses what parts of their lives were put on pause when they received their cancer diagnoses. From friendships, to college and careers, to the stepping stones of life, the group reflects on how they faced these rising obstacles and found a positive spin to life on pause. The group breaks down how they navigated having cancer as a part of their identities and how they dealt with the “hero” label and other inspirational identities that were pushed on them by the outside world. Afterwards, the group considers terms that they feel better define their battles and how they perceive cancer as part of their identities. Later, the group discusses what it was like being the focus of so many adults and experts, and the impact of spending so much extra time with their parents when receiving treatment. Finally, the group shares ways that their cancer diagnosis changed how they saw the world and what they wish the larger world knew about the cancer experience.

Life On Pause is a podcast for and by young adults living with cancer. Each month, young adult cancer patients from Penn State Health share honestly about their cancer diagnosis, treatment and life afterwards. As cancer causes the group to reflect on issues both large and small, surprisingly relatable stories and themes emerge.  From relationships to body functions, nothing is off the table.