Campfires of Hope

At first, Denny “Stretch” Williams chalked up his abdomen pain to a muscle strain. But the pain worsened over the next few months, and in January of 2022, Stretch was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Though difficult, Stretch and his wife were up front with their two teenagers and kept them in the loop each step of the way. After five rounds of chemo and 28 radiation treatments, Stretch was declared NED, no evidence of disease, in the summer of 2022. Despite being free of cancer, however, his survivorship was just beginning. Scanxiety, survivor's guilt, and even anger filled his thoughts. In March 2023, Stretch attended an Epic Experience winter camp and learned to take things less seriously, be free, and “just show up and live.” His advice, especially to male cancer survivors, is that it's okay to reach out for help and to prioritize your mental health during the cancer journey.

Mike Craycraft is a testicular cancer survivor and founder of the Testicular Cancer Society. In 2006, Mike felt a lump and knew it was cancer. He decided not to go to the doctor or tell anyone about it, and instead opted to live like he was dying. He even went so far as to throw his own “going away” party. After living with cancer in the shadows for seven months, he finally went to the doctor where his cancer was confirmed. Once diagnosed, treated, and put on active surveillance, Mike flipped a switch and decided to embrace his cancer publicly. When he discovered a lack of support groups available for testicular, young adult, and adolescent cancer survivors, he took action and founded the Testicular Cancer Society in 2008. Through Mike's efforts at his nonprofit, TC survivors now have quality access to education, care, and support. In 2022, Mike was the driving force behind organizing Epic Experience's first ever TC camp. For all that he's done for TC survivors and the larger cancer community, Mike has been selected by Epic Experience as the recipient of the 2023 Epic Hero Award.

In 2010, Lee Walinchus took on a new role in addition to husband and father. After his wife, Mary, was diagnosed with cancer and started an intense chemotherapy regimen, Lee became chief caregiver to his wife and their three young daughters. The family was blessed with a helpful community, and Lee also took charge of coordinating the support efforts. To automate communications with others and process his own emotions, Lee started a blog that was both informative and humorous. His advice to caregivers is to take time for yourself, have a social outlet, and find a way to maintain some normalcy.

On this episode of Campfires of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer, we sit down with Jackie Wesley, the founder and executive director of Fighting Together to Save Lives. Jackie is a uterine and breast cancer survivor who was first diagnosed in 2003. Jackie's cancer journey inspired her to become a cancer advocate, especially to the African-American community. She discusses the challenges of providing equitable care and the importance of coming together to provide education and support to all communities. Jackie's mission is to share her story, teach other survivors how to fight, and encourage people to get tested for cancer early and often.

Megan Clifford, a.k.a. Disney, was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma when she was just 11 years old. Being diagnosed at such a young age, she often struggled to relate to her peers, find social support, and develop her own identity and voice. Once she reached her 20s, Disney took it upon herself to seek out support and found Epic Experience. At camp, she realized that she needed a community that understood what she had endured in her childhood years. Cancer has now been a part of her life for over 20 years, and Disney has taken those personal experiences and transformed them into a career in the oncology industry. 

Jessica Stapleton, a.k.a. “Tree Hugger,” is a Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor who attended an Epic Experience weeklong camp this past summer. Before camp, Tree Hugger thought she was doing just fine with her cancer journey. Through her week of trying new activities and connecting with other survivors, however, she realized she hadn't truly processed her cancer experience. Tree Hugger came home with a new "Yes I can!" attitude that she's carried into her everyday life. It wasn't until her newfound mentality of “Yes I can” did she learn how amazing it felt to live life to the fullest, connect emotionally with others, and truly process her cancer survivorship.

In honor of Giving Tuesday, the Epic Experience staff came together for a live roundtable chat to discuss their experiences working for the organization. Nancy, Mark, Colin, and Chris share their favorite mission moments, what they're looking forward to in 2023, and how donations support Epic Experience's mission to empower the cancer community.

On this episode of How to Cancer, Joanna Morales discusses how to understand your legal rights when facing cancer.  Joanna is a cancer rights attorney and also the CEO of Triage Cancer.

Brad Glassel, a.k.a. B-Rad, is a prostate cancer survivor and Epic Experience camp alumni. On this episode of Campfires of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer, Brad highlights the importance of finding community during the cancer journey. Brad shares his initial challenges with his cancer diagnosis and how reaching out and connecting with other cancer survivors empowered him to thrive in the cancer community.

Nate Krugman, a.k.a. Lemon, is a testicular cancer survivor who attended a weeklong summer camp with Epic Experience. Ever the optimist, he shares his story about taking life by the horns and finding positives in otherwise negative situations. In his own journey, Nate found healing by fundraising to help cancer survivors with their medical bills and by inspiring others during his bike ride across the country.

One of the hardest parts of the cancer journey is telling loved ones about your diagnosis. On this episode of How to Cancer, psychotherapist and cancer counselor Melanie Stachelski discusses how to tell your family and friends that you have cancer.

Colon cancer survivor Jason "The Canadian" Abramovitch shares how he discovered he had cancer, how he handled his diagnosis, and his path to recovery through surgery and treatment. Two years after his diagnosis, Jason attended an Epic Experience camp and found confirmation of what he's supposed to be doing now: bringing hope to others diagnosed with cancer. 

On this episode of How to Cancer, Matt Stinson, a Radiation Oncology Physicians Assistant at the Calaway Young Cancer Center, talks about possible scans to expect with cancer.  Matt discusses 5 common imaging modalities, what they are, and what they're used for.  

Part of living beyond cancer is finding time to appreciate the positive moments along the journey. On this episode of Campfires of Hope: How to Cancer, survivor Brad Glassel discusses “Cancerversaries” and shares ideas for how to celebrate cancer milestones.

On this episode of Campfires of Hope: How to Cancer, Sabine Schwab discusses how you, as a cancer survivor, can help others by being involved in patient research. Sabine is a brain cancer survivor, patient advocate, and member of the Epic Experience Board of Directors. She discusses how participation in surveys, clinical trials, and quality-of-life studies provides valuable feedback for researchers to improve treatment, medicine, and care options for patients in the future.

On this episode of Campfires of Hope: How to Cancer, leukemia and bone marrow transplant survivor Vanessa Hood discusses how to be your own advocate when diagnosed with cancer.  Vanessa details the 4 C's that she lives by: confidence, communication, community, and continual education.  When meeting with doctors, she recommends taking notes and recording conversations to review and process information later.  Being diagnosed with cancer is a new and overwhelming experience, so having the capacity to educate, communicate, and advocate for yourself is tremendously helpful.

On this episode of Campfires of Hope: How to Cancer, survivor Carly Weingart gives helpful tips on what to wear to cancer treatment. She discusses the importance of wearing clothes that are warm, comfortable, and accessible. Tune in to hear all of Carly's suggestions for clothing and accessories when preparing for treatment.

 On this episode of Campfires of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer, we welcome Dan Crail and Scott Hood, both caregivers to their wives who are cancer thrivers. During this episode, Dan and Scott share their successes, struggles, and lessons learned while caring for their wives during diagnosis, treatment, and beyond.

Description: On this episode of Campfires Of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer we welcome Triage Cancer CEO Joanna Morales. Triage Cancer is a national, nonprofit organization that provides free education on the legal and practical issues that may impact individuals diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers, through Joanna shares how to navigate disability insurance for the cancer community and what you need to know in how you find what fits you best.

On this episode of Campfires Of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer we welcome cancer survivor, Trevor Maxwell. Trevor is the creator and founder of Man Up To Cancer, an online support community for men facing cancer whether as a survivor or caregiver. Man Up to Cancer is a guy's roadmap to facing cancer with an open heart and a warrior spirit. Tune in and learn Trevors survivorship story and how this group empowers the male cancer community.

On this episode of Campfires Of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer we welcome cancer survivor, Dan Shapiro, Ph.D. Dan is a clinical psychologist that through the hardships of a cancer diagnosis was able to find a way to turn his story into humor and share it with the cancer community. Tune in for an entertaining episode that is full of hilarious stories but also realistic truths when facing cancer.

On this episode of Campfires Of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer we welcome Gryt Health team members Dan Platt, MD and Lauren Lastauskas. Dan and Lauren share how to get involved in clinical trials, how it can benefit your medical care and debunk some of the myths regarding clinical trials. They also share how Gryt Health empowers the adult cancer community through their programs.

On this episode of  Campfires Of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer we welcome Chris Draft. Chris has taken his experience of playing professional football in the NFL for 11 seasons to building Team Draft,  whose mission is to change the face of lung cancer.  Chris experienced lung cancer first hand through Keasha, his wife and Team Draft co-founder and her year-long struggle and passing from stage IV lung cancer.  In this episode we discuss topics such as support, education, treatment advancements, and most of all community also known as YOUR Team. 

Description: On this episode of Campfires Of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer we welcome parent caregivers Karen Hines and Susan Krapinski as they discuss caregiving for their young adult daughters and the journey of coping with their passing. They discuss topics such as self care, anxiety, coping with death, and caring on their daughters legacy's.

On this episode of Campfires Of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer we welcome Epic Experience founder and caregiver Nancy Ferro and Leanne Blackburn. These two woman will share their experience of what it was like to care for their adult child who was diagnosed with cancer. They discuss topics such as self care, anxiety, fears and successes through their cancer experience.

On this episode of Campfires of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer we welcome cancer thrivers Amanda Blackburn and Heidi Fuller to discuss Wigs and Cancer. Heidi is the founder and owner of Awakenings Boutique in Louisville, KY. Listen in and hear how Heidi empowered Amanda through her cancer journey.

On this episode of Campfires of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer we welcome Matthew Zachary as our guest. Matthew is the founder of Stupid Cancer, current CEO of OffScrip Media and host of the Out Of Patients Podcast. In 2007, Matthew founded Stupid Cancer and gave birth to the AYA, young adult cancer movement. Matthew discusses what AYA cancer is, how it is different and why it matters. 

On this podcast of Campfires Of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer we will be discussing Dating & Cancer. Our guests for this episode are cancer thrivers Michael Ferro and Carly Weingart. We will discuss their cancer diagnosis and how they have navigated dating before, during and after a cancer diagnosis. Our guests will share their initial cancer diagnosis experience, hardships of dating, fertility concerns and a variety of survivorship topics that have empowered them to live beyond cancer.

On this podcast of Campfires Of Hope: Living Beyond Cancer, we will be talking with stage 4 cancer survivors & thrivers about their diagnosis and how they live beyond their terminal cancer diagnosis. We will be speaking with lung cancer thriver Hazel, thymic carcinoma thriver Louis and metastatic breast cancer thriver Paige. Our guests will share their initial cancer diagnosis experience, life after treatment, and address a variety of survivorship topics that have empowered them to live beyond cancer.

Featured Guests: Cancer Thrivers Kelli Medina and Matt Palmer On this episode of Campfires Of Hope we will joined by Non Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer thrivers Kelli Medina and Matt Palmer. Our guests will share their initial cancer diagnosis experience, life after treatment and address a variety of survivorship topics that have empowered them to live beyond cancer. 

Featured Guest: Fertility Expert Dr Laxmi Kondapalli Fertility is a topic that impacts many young adult and adult cancer survivors and thrivers. Dr. Laxmi Kondapalli is an award-winning, board-certified reproductive endocrinologist at CCRM Fertility in Colorado. Dr. Kondapalli studies the long-term consequences of cancer therapy on ovarian function and fertility, with a particular focus on improving fertility preservation options for cancer patients.

Featured Guest: Colin Ferro – Epic Experience Director of Operations Are you new to the Epic Experience family? Are you wondering what Epic Experience is all about? Join Epic Experience Director Of Operations, Colin Ferro as he shares the past, present and future of Epic Experience and the programs they provide to empower the adult cancer community.

Coming Soon!