Trust your inner voice

06/24/21 • 35 min

Angel shared how being a nurse has affected her experience with her mom’s cancer care and why it’s crucial for caregivers to honor their own needs during and after the caregiving journey.
Want to hear other stories from cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, or family members like this one? Want to share your story? Get in contact with me at: https://talkaboutcancerpodcast.com/
Please follow the podcast if you are enjoying the show. Would also be awesome if you can leave an honest rating and review so I know if I am serving the interests and needs of you listeners out there.
Have topic suggestions or feedback about the show? Contact me on Instagram or email me at [email protected].
Thank you for listening!
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My reflections on the episode:
I loved hearing and actually seeing the transformation Angel is experiencing in her life during our conversation. It was obvious that when we talked about her experience with her mom’s cancer care, there was still a mix of sad emotions there. But when we started to talk about this new path she is on toward healing and new possibilities, everything changed. She smiled and laughed, moved around in her seat with excitement, gesturing with her hands. The enthusiasm for the future was palpable and it’s truly wonderful to see.
As we kept chatting after the recording, it became more clear to me that the thing that brought some of the repressed emotions to the surface was Angel’s experience working in the hospital during COVID and having to witness so many families say goodbye under awful circumstances. For those of us not in the medical profession, we knew that things were awful for people working in hospitals this past year, but Angel’s story made it more real for me what a struggle it has been, and how much the medical professionals have had to endure, not just the explosion in the number of patients to take care of, but the emotional trauma and triggers that came with the experience.
I’ve been saying this elsewhere but I am going to take a moment to say thank you again to the medical professionals who have been taking care of our communities during this crisis. I hope all of you are listening to your inner voices and finding a way forward like Angel has.

Previous Episode

A second chance at life

Marlene told the story of how she first heard about her cancer diagnosis not from the doctor, but in a message from her grandfather who she’s never met, and why her cancer journey has ultimately transformed her life in a positive way.
You can listen to more of Marlene’s and others’ stories about surviving trauma on her podcast called Surviving Trauma: Stories of Hope and follow her page on Facebook at My Centered Life.
Want to hear other stories from cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, or family members like this one? Want to share your story? Get in contact with me at: https://talkaboutcancerpodcast.com/
Please follow the podcast if you are enjoying the show. Would also be awesome if you can leave an honest rating and review so I know if I am serving the interests and needs of you listeners out there.
Have topic suggestions or feedback about the show? Contact me on Instagram or email me at [email protected].
Thank you for listening!
++++++++++++
My reflections on the episode:
Listening to Marlene talk about getting her cancer diagnosis through her spiritual medium gave me goosebumps! As someone who did not grow up in a religious or spiritual environment, it was very fascinating and a privilege to hear Marlene share her experience. The image she described stuck in my mind - that she had a loving family at the hospital with her, but she also had her family from the spirit world watching over her. I found that idea to be very comforting, because there is similarity to how we pray to our ancestors for protection from bad things in the Chinese culture.
Also, her message about gratitude and what we do with our time was super important. As Marlene said, cancer is a terrible disease but Marlene recognized that she was fortunate to have had a very slow growing cancer so it actually gave her the chance to reevaluate and reset her priorities in life. That resonated with me because while I lost my dad to cancer and the last few months of his life were incredibly hard, one of the really important things I took away from that experience was to spend more of my time doing things that matter to me and propel me towards a greater purpose in life.

Next Episode

The real side effects of cancer

Dorothy explained what it was like to be diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 26 and how being at high risk for developing ovarian cancer within the decade made major life decisions incredibly complicated for her.
You can find Dorothy on Instagram or at the Atrium Foundation website. Check out her book 26 & Fu¢ked where you can get her full story.
Want to hear other stories from cancer patients, survivors, or co-survivors like this one? Want to share your story? Get in contact with me at: https://talkaboutcancerpodcast.com/
Please follow the podcast if you are enjoying the show. Would also be awesome if you can leave an honest rating and review so I know if I am serving the interests and needs of you listeners out there.
Have topic suggestions or feedback about the show? Contact me on Instagram or email me at [email protected].
Thank you for listening!
++++++++++++
My reflections on the episode:
Before speaking with Dorothy, I didn’t fully understand the unique challenges young adults face when they are diagnosed with cancer. Because my dad was already in his 60s, he didn’t have to deal with how cancer could have impacted big life decisions like finding a partner or having children. Retirement was the only key decision on the horizon for him and that was really a no-brainer.
So it’s been really eye-opening and humbling for me to hear about how cancer has complicated Dorothy’s young adult years - having to live with fear, anxiety, and guilt. It’s amazing how she has moved through all of that and is now channeling her energy towards doing things she wants to do in life, like writing a book and starting the foundation to help others dealing with cancer.
The other thing I really appreciated about Dorothy is how perceptive she is of the experience for her husband as a co-survivor (which BTW is a new term for me). It’s very apparent that she cares deeply about how he’s impacted by the experience of her cancer journey and this incredible empathy really has served as the foundation on which they continue to have tough conversations and grow together.