Marie shares her experience of being pregnant and giving birth while her son, Ezra, was undergoing treatment for leukemia. She discusses the common occurrence of parents having a baby during their child's treatment and the complex emotions that come with it. Marie also opens up about feeling jealous of families who have made it through unscathed and the challenges of caring for a child with a chronic condition post-treatment. She talks about the impact of graft versus host disease (GVHD) on Ezra and the ongoing management of his condition.

Despite the difficulties, Marie remains resilient and focused on providing love and care for her children. In this conversation, Marie and Sam discuss the experience of being a parent of a child with cancer and the challenges they face during and after treatment. They reflect on the strength and resilience they have shown throughout their journey and the importance of self-love and self-care. They also discuss the power of advocacy and giving back to the cancer community. Marie highlights the need for more awareness and education around stem cell donation and blood donation. The conversation ends with a discussion about the ongoing journey of parenting a child with cancer and the hope for the future.

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Curtis Vallier is a bereaved dad, a childhood cancer activist, and the podcast host of The Childhood Cancer Perspective where he provides a unique perspective on pediatric cancer from a father's point of view. In January 2020 when Curtis' daughter was six, she was diagnosed with Choroid Plexus Carcinoma Brain Cancer, which she passed from in July 2021.

In our chat, Curtis discusses the lack of representation of fathers in the pediatric cancer community and the societal expectations that prevent them from expressing their emotions. Curtis left his job to focus on his nonprofit Battlecorn and his podcast, using the platform to share stories and connect with others in the community. He emphasizes the importance of authenticity and raw emotion in his podcast, allowing guests to share their experiences without filters. Curtis shares his advocacy efforts to bring attention and funding to pediatric cancer research. He discusses his initial outreach to senators and representatives, the challenges of getting support, and the need to make the cause meaningful for politicians. Curtis emphasizes the importance of creating a tissue database in Wisconsin and utilizing the state's college system for research. He also talks about his persistence in advocating for change and his desire to see his daughter's name on research. Curtis reflects on the regrets and healing process after his daughter's passing and the different ways families cope with grief. Curtis discusses the impact of his organization's care packages and their investment in funding clinical trials for pediatric cancer drugs.

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Leahann’s son was diagnosed with stage 3 nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkins lymphoma when he was 16yrs old. Like a lot of us, it’s so hard to talk about what this is all like during treatment, so we often find ourselves after our children are done frontline trying to make sense of what just happened. So many of our chats start here, and today’s is no exception.

Leahann and I jump right in to how it felt the day she left the hospital after her son rang the bell, and how confusing it was. You’ll hear Leahann call it an “attack on her senses” and I couldn’t agree more. When you’re in treatment, your senses are operating at a whole other level. Everything is heightened and hyper vigilant, and we get so used to being in that state of adrenaline. As soon as Leahann left the hospital after the bell ringing, it was like her body was slowly shedding and loosening from this heightened state and for the first time since diagnosis, her nervous system was trying to regulate - and that felt strange and abrasive and foreign.

This is such a great chat with an incredible mom who is SO easy to talk to, and feel calm and safe and warm beside. We shared a coffee during this chat, sitting at her table that made me feel so comfortable and seen and not alone. I invite you, wherever you are, whether it’s bedside with your child or sitting in a waiting room, or driving, or maybe you have a chance to be outside for a walk - wherever you are, to let yourself feel like you’re sitting with us and let yourself know that wherever you are in your child’s treatment, we’re right beside you.

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