The Intersection of Cancer and Life with Emily Garnett

Episode 7 of the Intersection of Cancer and Life features one of my wonderful college friends, Annelise Cohon. Anna is an education specialist and innovative leader, with more than eight years of professional experience in advancing quality education for all children. She is passionate about the intersection of education and health. She is driven to ensure that all students have the social and emotional support needed to be successful.

Shortly after my own cancer diagnosis, Anna reached out to me and shared her own cancer story. Hearing her experience gave me the first beginnings of community in the world of cancer, and she and I have been able to reconnect over our shared health challenges. In this episode, Anna talks publicly for one of the first times about her thyroid cancer diagnosis at age 30, subsequent recurrence the following year, as well as how it has both challenged her and given her the opportunity to find new focus on helping kids who have been impacted by trauma and share her love of yoga and mindfulness with others.

In 2015, Anna experienced a panic attack, and at that time, the doctor found a few nodules in her thyroid. After multiple ultrasounds and needle biopsies, she underwent a total thyroidectomy. In April 2016, while Anna and her husband were planning to travel the world for a year, an ultrasound revealed that her thyroid cancer had returned. She underwent another surgery and radioactive iodine treatment, and her trip was canceled. Her recurrence showed her that she was not getting the support that she needed, and she sought out a more specialized, experienced team, teaching her how to be a better advocate for her health.

Having her thyroid removed changed a lot of things in Anna's life and forced her to focus on her health and herself. While the experience was incredibly hard, scary and humbling and she will be on medication for the rest of her life, this experience has pushed her to focus on the things and people that matter most to her.

Anna and I had the opportunity to discuss the importance of finding our own voices as both women and patients in order to advocate for our own health needs. We talked about so many of the unexpected turns that life has taken us, and how she has found so much space for herself as a children's yoga teacher.

Here's where to find Anna on social media:

Twitter

LinkedIn

--------

Follow Emily to get the latest updates on the show!

Blog: emilyrgarnett.com

Instagram: @beyondthepinkribbon

Facebook: @beyondthepinkribbonblog

Twitter: @emrgarnett

Website: theintersectionofcancerandlife.com

Mouth Off Network: mouthoffnetwork.com

Email: [email protected]

Episode 6 of the Intersection of Cancer and Life features Emily Hopper, the mama, artist, advocate, and breast cancer survivor behind alternative breast cancer awareness apparel brand, EMPOWERHAUS. She is also the founder of Flatties Unite, the popular Facebook group for women living with fewer than 2 breasts. Emily was diagnosed with stage III triple negative breast cancer at 31 years old, after being misdiagnosed 14 months earlier. Emily has recently completed 13 rounds of IV chemo, a double mastectomy with flat reconstruction, 30 rounds of radiation, and 8 cycles of oral chemotherapy and lives in Wisconsin with her husband and young daughter.

Emily and I talked a lot about the challenges of navigating a breast cancer diagnosis with young children, as well as the recent publicity surrounding the flat community, both from Catherine Guthrie's new book FLAT: Reclaiming my Body after Breast Cancer, and an article featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine detailing the rampant sexism in breast reconstruction decisions. 

As a special gift to listeners, EMPOWERHAUS is offering 15% off with the code EMPOWER15 - orders need to be in by November 30th in order to assure delivery in time for Christmas.

You can find Emily on social media here:

EMPOWERHAUS:

Website: www.empowerhaus.co

Instagram: @empowerhaus

Twitter: @empowerhausco

Facebook: @empowerhausco

Flatties Unite:

Facebook Group: Flatties Unite

Instagram: @flattiesunite

Twitter: @flattiesunite

Personal:

Website: Mrs. Emily Hopper

Instagram: @mrsemilyhopper

Twitter: @mrsemilyhopper

 ------------

Follow Emily to get the latest updates on the show!

Blog: emilyrgarnett.com

Instagram: @beyondthepinkribbon

Facebook: @beyondthepinkribbonblog

Twitter: @emrgarnett

Website: theintersectionofcancerandlife.com

Mouth Off Network: mouthoffnetwork.com

Email: [email protected]

On this episode, we talk with Radiant Racheli Alkoby, who was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma at age 21, during her senior year of college. After her diagnosis, she started video blogging under the handle Radiant Racheli and recorded her entire diagnosis and treatment journey in it's most raw form. In her videos, she laughs, she dances, she cries and, most importantly, she maintains her mantra: "everything is going to be okay." Racheli endured 12 rounds of chemo and endured some harsh complications, including blood clots in her lungs and chronic lung toxicity due to one of her chemo treatment regimens. Racheli has continued to be an advocate for young adults with cancer for the last 2.5 years since she finished treatment. In addition, she is a newlywed, having gotten married in March of 2018.

You can find Radiant Racheli on social media here: 

--------- 

Follow Emily to get the latest updates on the show!

Blog: emilyrgarnett.com

Instagram: @beyondthepinkribbon

Facebook: @beyondthepinkribbonblog

Twitter: @emrgarnett

Website: theintersectionofcancerandlife.com

Mouth Off Network: mouthoffnetwork.com

Email: [email protected]

Robin Browne is 31 years old and is a stage IV breast cancer survivor and a regular contributor to Amy Poehler's Smart Girls website. She's also the co-host of the podcast "That's the Spirit" and is fascinated by all things spooky and dark. She has one cat and can usually be found watching reality TV in bed.

---------- 

Follow Emily to get the latest updates on the show!

Blog: emilyrgarnett.com

Instagram: @beyondthepinkribbon

Facebook: @beyondthepinkribbonblog

Twitter: @emrgarnett

Website: theintersectionofcancerandlife.com

Mouth Off Network: mouthoffnetwork.com

Email: [email protected]

Marianne Duquette Cuozzo is an artist, mother, three-time cancer survivor, and most of all, a dreamer! 

Marianne was first diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma at age 28, as a newlywed, and was told that she could never have children. She felt very alone, as this was before the internet, and she knew no one with cancer. Her entire life, including her decorative painting business, was put on hold for treatment, and slowly, as she began to reclaim her life after treatment, she had a Lymphoma recurrence again at age 32.

She was treated with chemotherapy and joined a support group of other young people undergoing cancer treatment at the time. A number of years later, she was given the go-ahead to try to have a child, and her miracle baby, Leonardo, was born. He is now a freshman in college. In 2014, Marianne was diagnosed with breast cancer, a side effect of the mantle radiation she underwent in 1994 as part of her Lymphoma treatment.

She underwent a double mastectomy with reconstruction and chemotherapy, but after six infections, her implants failed and had to be removed. she is currently living flat, and has been a tremendous force for breast cancer advocacy, and for the flat movement in particular, and has found tremendous therapy and blessing in her art. 

SHOW NOTES:

In Memoriam - Maggie Van Duyn

Website:  www.marianneduquettecuozzo.com

Facebook: Marianne DuQuette Cuozzo Artist

Instagram: @Marianneduquettecuozzo9128

I Am Whole Documentary

New York Times Article - Going Flat

Breast Cancer Art Project

CBS Sunday Morning - Going Flat

NBC With Joan Lunden - Meet 3 women who decided against breast reconstruction after mastectomies

Survivornet

LymphaDivas HOPE Sleeve, designed by Marianne, to benefit METAvivor and Metastatic Breast Cancer Research

-----

Follow Emily to get the latest updates on the show!

Blog: emilyrgarnett.com

Instagram: @beyondthepinkribbon

Facebook: @beyondthepinkribbonblog

Twitter: @emrgarnett

Website: theintersectionofcancerandlife.com

Mouth Off Network: mouthoffnetwork.com

Email: [email protected]

Justin Birckbichler is a men's health activist, a testicular cancer survivor, and the founder of aBallsySenseofTumor.com. From being diagnosed in November 2016 at the age of 25 to finishing chemo in January 2017, to being cleared in remission in March, he has been passionate about sharing his story to spread awareness about testicular cancer and promote open conversation about men's health.

His work with the awareness of men's health has been featured by Healthline, Ball Boys, and various other organizations. In 2017, ABSOT won an award for the Best Advocacy and Awareness Cancer Blog in 2017 and Justin was recognized as one of 15 People Who Raised Cancer Awareness in 2017. In 2018, Justin was selected as a finalist in the Hilarious Patient Leader Category in the 2018 WEGO Health Awards.

C 101 Health Ed video for high school students

Survey about testicular cancer self-exams

How to do a self-exam

-------

Find Justin online at:

Blog - http://www.aballsysenseoftumor.com/ 

Instagram - https://instagram.com/aballsysenseoftumor/ 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/absotTC 

Facebook - http://facebook.com/aballsysenseoftumor 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0JTY6aXRGRRwPFAxoxJuzg 

Email - [email protected]

-----

Follow Emily to get the latest updates on the show!

Blog: emilyrgarnett.com

Instagram: @beyondthepinkribbon

Facebook: @beyondthepinkribbonblog

Twitter: @emrgarnett

Website: theintersectionofcancerandlife.com

Mouth Off Network: mouthoffnetwork.com

Email: [email protected]

------

The Intersection of Cancer and Life is a conversational look at the lives we rebuild for ourselves after a cancer diagnosis. Host Emily Garnett and guests discuss the changes, challenges, and unexpected shifts that have occurred while living with cancer. These conversations emphasize the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to rebuilding a life after diagnosis, and creates a space to better understand the lives we lead with cancer. This podcast lets listeners know that they are not alone, whether they themselves have been diagnosed with cancer, or have a friend or loved one navigating treatment. Emily Garnett is a mother, wife, and elder law attorney in New York. She was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in November 2017, the same week as her fifth wedding anniversary and her son's second birthday.

Nora was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 39 years old in March of 2015. After undergoing a hysterectomy, oophorectomy, and debulking surgery, she endured 4 months of aggressive chemo. Nora founded Cancer Grad, an online platform for young adults with cancer to share their stories and unique perspectives surrounding their diagnoses.

Find Nora online at:

Cancer Grad website

Cancer Grad Facebook Group

Instagram - @CancerGrad

-----

Follow Emily to get the latest updates on the show!

Blog: emilyrgarnett.com

Instagram: @beyondthepinkribbon

Facebook: @beyondthepinkribbonblog

Twitter: @emrgarnett

Website: theintersectionofcancerandlife.com

Email: [email protected]

-----

The Intersection of Cancer and Life is a conversational look at the lives we rebuild for ourselves after a cancer diagnosis. Host Emily Garnett and guests discuss the changes, challenges, and unexpected shifts that have occurred while living with cancer. These conversations emphasize the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to rebuilding a life after diagnosis and creates a space to better understand the lives we lead with cancer. This podcast lets listeners know that they are not alone, whether they themselves have been diagnosed with cancer, or have a friend or loved one navigating treatment. Emily Garnett is a mother, wife, and elder law attorney in New York. She was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in November 2017, the same week as her fifth wedding anniversary and her son's second birthday.

The Intersection of Cancer and Life is a conversational look at the lives we rebuild for ourselves after a cancer diagnosis. In each episode, host Emily Garnett and guests discuss the changes, challenges, and unexpected shifts that have occurred while living with cancer. These conversations emphasize the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to rebuilding a life after diagnosis and creates a space to better understand the lives we lead with cancer. This podcast lets listeners know that they are not alone, whether they themselves have been diagnosed with cancer, or have a friend or loved one navigating treatment. Emily Garnett is a mother, wife, and elder law attorney in New York. She was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in November 2017, the same week as her fifth wedding anniversary and her son's second birthday.

Follow Emily to get the latest updates on the show!

Blog: emilyrgarnett.com

Instagram: @beyondthepinkribbon

Facebook: @beyondthepinkribbonblog

Twitter: @emrgarnett

Website: theintersectionofcancerandlife.com

Email: [email protected]