MORTAL AND STRONG - The Podcast

Introducing our latest voice to be interviewed by Dr Liz Murray - the fabulous lady that is Gloria. Gloria shares so beautifully and honestly how life was feeling 'too much' with several challenges and then after being unwell for months without anyone finding a cause Gloria found a lump and skin changes on her breast. Gloria describes the classic 'orange peel' effect that can happen with certain types of breast cancer and shares the emotional responses to treatment and how she found ways to come through this. Gloria is a fierce example of someone who not just found a way to get through the most difficult of life challenges, but through coming through it has found herself a stronger and more life embracing version of herself. Gloria now is a very active member of the breast cancer community engaging with multiple charities across the UK to share her story and help promote awareness and representation. Thank you so much to Gloria for being one of our Voices and sharing her Scars of Gold for our campaign.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448).#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #art #documentary #realvoices #cancer #breastcancer #cancerpodcast #healthpodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our latest Voice - the lovely and ever optimistic Laura H sharing with Dr Liz her experience of having tracheal cancer (a rare type of cancer Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma ACC), having a tracheostomy and the impact of this on her life. Laura woke one day to have a change in her voice but no sore throat, then began having breathing difficulties. For so many people this could have been dismissed as a viral infection but thankfully she was referred early for investigations which confirmed the rare cancer obstructing her trachea (windpipe). Laura immediately needed a tracheostomy which is a breathing tube into the neck which for Laura meant for months she was unable to talk. Laura shares the impact of going through a cancer diagnosis and treatment, unable to speak and in and out of intensive care. Laura recently had the tracheostomy removed before the interview with us and shares how having something rare and visible invited so much stigma and challenging questions from strangers in public. A wonderful interview discussing how to help others going through something like this, discussing the prejudice people can have of cancers needing to be 'caused' by something when actually they can happen for no obvious cause, and how these misperceptions need addressing in society. Thank you to Laura for sharing her Scars of Gold and experience with us and being part of the campaign.Scars of Gold is a health campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions. Produced by the charity Mortal And Strong (1209448). Concept Dr Liz Murray, Photographer Sammy Weston. A campaign produced entirely with volunteers and support from organisations.#podcast #mortalandstrong #charity #mas #sog #scarsofgold #scarsofgoldcampaign #kintsugi #kintsugionscars #cancer #healthawareness #womenshealth #womenshealthinequalities #scarsofgoldtheevent #interview #documentary #pov #povcancer #tracheostomy #tracheacancer #acc #adenoidcysticcarcinoma Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our latest interview with Voice No. 80 in the Scars Of Gold campaign; Emma W. Emma shares her experienced of how finding a slight 'dent' in the skin of her breast became a life changing diagnosis of breast cancer requiring a double mastectomy. Emma is a wonderful example of how the need for humour and an optimistic but honest approach to life is needed. Emma shares with us a really important insight into how there is a profound difference between the transition from active treatment to long term treatment - a transition which society often doesn't fully understand or recognise. Emma shares how she approached remaining flat after a double mastectomy, and how she dealt with processing the adjustment to life after cancer; "You're supposed to carry on like normal - but I don't feel normal". A really lovely insight and reflection on what it is to be mortal and have life thrown upside down and how to approach it. Thank you to Emma for being another wonderful Voice and bringing so much positive energy and vibrance to the campaign.cars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448).#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #art #documentary #realvoices #cancer #breastcancer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our latest Voice to be interviewed for the Scars Of Gold campaign is the beautiful and always-smiling Jemma sharing her experience of triple negative breast cancer. Jemma is a nurse and shares how suddenly experiencing what it was to be a patient posed new perspectives. Jemma shares the honest challenges of having to make decisions quickly about fertility at a time when so much turbulence and confusion became overwhelming, but how it was with the wonderful strength and support from her family and friends that helped her get through it. Jemma's wonderful relationship with her father visiting her appointments with her, and finding humour and fun by embracing all opportunities that came her way through her journey. Jemma bought a puppy called Hope which helped give her a focus and purpose to distract her through that time of recovery and shares how important it was to her to seek support from other charities and how (in her words); the NHS treated her physically but it was the support of charities that repaired her as a person.Thank you to Jemma for being another wonderful Voice in our campaign and for being a volunteer and ambassador with the health support projects for the charity. Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448).#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #art #documentary #realvoices #cancer #breastcancer #triplenegativebreastcancer #triplenegative #tnbc Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our latest interview with Dr Liz is the next Voice - the lovely and gentle human that is Astrid. Astrid shares how she has spent her entire adult life with major life changing health issues, which actually originally started from a childhood viral illness. Astrid had a childhood viral illness called Henoch Shonlein Purport which can be a simple uncomplicated illness, but in rare cases can cause kidney damage. For Astrid the HSP did cause kidney damage which went unnoticed. At 19 Astrid was diagnosed with high blood pressure but the underlying cause wasn't picked up on for several years by which point she had kidney failure, was started on renal dialysis and listed for an organ transplant. Astrid shares openly a very rare insight into the physical and emotional journey of being an organ donor recipient and how her donor lost her life but saved more than five others, and the result for Astrid meant she was then also able to go on and have children of her own. Not long after that investigation for a suspected fibroid actually identified a rare fallopian tube cancer - Leiomyosarcoma. A slow growing cancer which eventually spread to her spine and is now incurable.Astrid's pragmatic and philosophical approach to her health conditions shares a way of approaching life changing health conditions that is really profound and inspiring; how she refuses to be defined by her conditions and is fiercely determined to embrace life, continue to seek joy in things that bring her joy and focusing on the love for her family and sons. Astrid's mindset of being 'lucky in her unluckiness' is an example of how keeping focused on the positives and the present moment can have a profound impact on how one can come to terms with such major conditions. Thank you to Astrid for sharing her Scars Of Gold for this campaign.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448).#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #art #documentary #realvoices #cancer #leiomyosarcoma #sarcoma #secondarycancer #radiotherapy #kidneyfailure #hsp #hypertension #renalfailure #organtransplant #organdonor #renaltransplant #kidneytransplant #dialysis #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our latest interview in the Scars of Gold campaign is with Hayley who shares insight into what it is to have multiple chronic health conditions and how it takes mental strength to not let the relentlessness take it's toll. Hayley has experienced cancer, endometriosis, ME, anaphylaxis and surgical complications. After experiencing an extremely rare complication during surgery whereby Hayley 'woke up' during surgery but couldn't move, Hayley developed PTSD and had to find a way to cope with the need for further surgeries given her ovarian cancer diagnosis. Hayley has such a positive and gentle life-affirming approach to life that has helped her stay focused despite the multiple health issues. Another incredible interview and we are proud to include Hayley as both Voice and artist as part of the Scars of Gold campaign.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448).#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #art #documentary #realvoices #ovariancancer #endometriosis #cancer #endo #me #chronicfatiguesyndrome #disability #diversity #inclusivity #adaptablefashion #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nikki is our latest Voice to share with us her reflections on living over 3 years with secondary breast cancer. After her close friend was diagnosed with breast cancer, Nikki had been breast aware but only thought the symptoms to be mindful of were lumps until seeing one of the Lorraine 'change and check' stickers at a hair salon. This alerted her to the fact that pain could be a symptom and prompted her to have her symptoms checked despite not having a lump. This was 5 years ago and Nikki was initially diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer (primary), after finishing treatment and receiving the 'all clear' Nikki then began to have symptoms that were initially suspicious of a stroke. After investigations, this then turned out to be brain metastases and was told her cancer was no longer curable. Nikki reflects how being given a secondary diagnosed changed her perspective on so much, whilst also sharing some humour with how the brain tumour gave her a slightly more impulsive trait to her personality leading to some home renovations which her and her husband later laughed about. Nikki's thoughts on how ;'knowing you're facing your mortality actually makes you live more' are so poignant and Nikki is a prime example of how she has strived to embrace life to it's fullest 'you can't change what's happening to you, but you can change how you react'. Nikki has gone on to do so much work with the breast cancer community, being a voice to help change the support available for women with secondary and triple negative cancer. Thank you so much to Nikki for being another beautiful Voice sharing with us her Scars of Gold.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448)#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #drliz #drlizmurray #art #documentary #realvoices #breastcancer #cancer #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another interview from a fiercely determined health advocate Roxy - also known as Multiple Sclerosis Fashionista. Roxy is the latest Voice in the 100 women sharing their story for the Scars of Gold campaign and talks about how her MS symptoms first began when she was 18 years old. Originally mis-diagnosed as Lupus and multiple other autoimmune conditions, Roxy spent 8 years feeling like something wasn't quite adding up. When Roxy finally had the confirmed diagnosis of MS she shares what many other people relate to - relief - relief at finally having answers and something that made sense for her symptoms. Roxy was unable to finish University because of her condition but shares how she has used her skillsets and has worked for many years to become 'the voice for the voiceless' as championing representation has become her mission with so much of the work she does. Roxy shares her involvement with MS Society and the work she does with organisations to drive better inclusivity and representation - emphasising the need for having voices of lived experience involved with health care decisions but also the importance of diversity and inclusivity with this, leaving us with the quote 'be the change you want to see'.Thank you to Roxy for sharing her scars of gold with us. Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448).#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #art #documentary #realvoices #multiplesclerosis #ms #msfashionista #diversity #inclusivity #adaptablefashion #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our latest voice - and number 75 out of 100 - is the beautiful and bright smiling soul that is Pretti. Pretti shares with us her experience of invasive ductal breast cancer. We interviewed Pretti just as she was finishing active treatment - a very poignant moment where many people think/presume because active treatment has finished that the individual is 'finished' with cancer and ready to 'move on' back to life. Pretti provides a beautifully honest and optimistic example of how this moment in the cancer pathway is actually, for some, as important as the active treatment. The point in time where the realisation of the enormity of the impact begins to set in, and the reflections happen and the mind begins to process the life changing diagnosis. Pretti shares all this with us and how finding a way to share this with her children, taking her health into her own hands with exercise has been so crucial for her.Thank you to Pretti for being another wonderful Voice bringing joy into our Scars of Gold campaign. Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448)#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #drliz #drlizmurray #art #documentary #realvoices #breastcancer #cancer #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing the latest wonderful Voice to share with us her experience of a chronic illness - Fiona G. Fiona was born with a rare (1 in 1 million) genetic disorder which causes an excess of tumours in the bones and tendons and has meant Fiona has had leg lengthening surgeries and debunking surgeries in her hands since the age of 4. Diagnosed at just 9 months old Fiona has only ever known a life with a chronic health condition and shares how the lack of mental health support as an adolescent impacted her as an adult. A really important and powerful interview discussing what disenfranchised grief is, how important it is to recognise the need for mental health support through a life changing diagnosis. Fiona's condition then changed and was diagnosed with Sarcoma and once again was reminded of her mortality and shares how she does live with a 'heightened realisation of what it is to be mortal' but that having her condition has given her values and taught her where to find joy.Thank you to Fiona for being another wonderful and honest Voice in the Scars of Gold campaign. Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448)#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #drliz #drlizmurray #art #documentary #realvoices #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another honest and heart warming interview with another lovely human - Daniela. Daniela shares how whilst waiting for a risk reducing mastectomy (having tested positive for the BRCA gene mutation) she found a lump not long after having her third child. Daniela was diagnosed with breast cancer in both breasts and needed a double mastectomy and reconstruction, chemotherapy and removal of her ovaries. She talks openly how she felt so many elements of what felt made her feminine were robbed from her with her breasts, hair, ovaries and the precious first year with her son. Daniela talks honestly about the transition through being angry and resentful with her diagnosis and how she is now moving forward and able to appreciate life again and is grateful for the new perspective on life it has provided. Whilst being honest of how she will always live with the fear of the unknown and fear of scans, she appreciates the new perspective and relationships it brought. The interview is another powerful reminder of the decisions and dilemmas faced with genetic testing and risk reducing mastectomy procedures, which in Daniela's words their family live by 'knowledge is power'.Thank you to Daniela for being one of our Voices and being so honest to help raise awareness of these issues. Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448)#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #drliz #drlizmurray #art #documentary #realvoices #breastcancer #cancer #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our latest Voice from the Scars of Gold campaign is Charlotte D sharing her experience of living her entire life with a life limiting heart condition. Charlotte is incredibly raw and honest about what it is like to have lived her entire life with a chronic health condition along with having experienced a cardiac arrest; having needed resuscitation and being in the small percentage of people to survive an out of hospital cardiac arrest. Charlotte has Dextrocardia - a rare congenital heart defect in which her heart anatomy is reversed/mirrored. As a result Charlotte has had countless major cardiothoracic surgeries (beginning as a baby) and is now in heart failure. Charlotte talks openly with Dr Liz about the trauma and processing of having had a VF cardiac arrest and a very real awareness of her mortality every day but how and where she finds the strength to appreciate life. Charlotte also opens up about her response when people use the phrase 'you could get hit by a car tomorrow' having lost her first husband to exactly this and how mortality is precious whether through trauma or ill-health and ultimately the reflection has the same outcome: to live for the now.Thank you to Charlotte for sharing her experience with us and being another wonderful Voice sharing her experience to help act as a beacon of hope for someone else. Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448)#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #drliz #drlizmurray #art #documentary #realvoices #dextrocardia #congenitalheartdisease #icd #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing our latest Voice in the Scars of Gold campaign - the lovely and honest soul that is Cat B. Cat shares her experience of having two different primary breast cancers and how after two years on from thinking she had recovered from primary breast cancer in one breast she then had to go through the whole process again with a different type of breast cancer in the other breast. Cat shares how she dealt with these multiple life changing challenges and found ways to thrive in spite of the diagnosis and not give in. Cat has embraced the many opportunities that have arisen since and shared her journey with different campaigns including the Bold campaign as well as becoming part of our Scars of Gold campaign. Another really poignant reflection on how breast cancer is not the same for every person and the ways of finding moments to keep focusing on the important things in life.Thank you to Cat for being another invaluable voice in our series. Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448)#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #drliz #drlizmurray #art #documentary #realvoices #cancer #cancer #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities #pmp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we interview another beautiful human - Charlotte W. Charlotte is the latest Voice in our Scars of Gold campaign and talks to Dr Liz about how her diagnosis of cancer officially began at the age of 29 whilst 20 weeks pregnant. Charlotte had had pelvic pain since she was 15 and repeatedly dismissed as having IBS and even belittled for wasting GP time over her symptoms. When pregnant a routine ultrasound identified what was thought to be a a rare ovarian tumour, but after giving birth had further scans which found her to have a very rare cancer originating in the appendix; Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP). This rare cancer occurs in only 3 people per million each year and is extremely slow growing. Despite having already spread within the abdomen the slow growing nature gave Charlotte some hope. However the type of treatment needed requires surgery to deliver heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (known as the 'mother of all surgeries) with a hospital admission of 4-6 weeks after each round. 14 years on Charlotte has had four of these treatments and each time has to revisit the mentally challenging process of finding the strength to face this. Charlotte shares how she has been determined to find meaning with her life and provides more wonderful insights and strategies on how to come to terms with a life changing diagnosis.Thank you to Charlotte for sharing her experience as part of the Scars of Gold campaign. Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448)#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #drliz #drlizmurray #art #documentary #realvoices #cancer #cancer #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities #pmp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing another wonderful voice and the bubbly and optimistic soul that is Tor. Tor shares how being a mum of two with her own business in her early 30's was brought to a halt with her primary breast cancer diagnosis. Each interview in this series offers a unique perspective and this interview shares how it was Tor's husband who first found the lump. We discuss the importance of having an open communication and discussing the awareness of red flag symptoms as sometimes it may be your partner who first notices things which could have been the difference between curable or incurable. Tor discusses at length how she approached sharing the information with her two boys and navigated hair loss and chemotherapy whilst trying to be a mum.Another important interview providing toolkits of hope, support and ways to navigate this life changing diagnosis at a young age. This is also a poignant reminder that health awareness is something to be open about within the family so that within a couple each person can feel open to raise concerns about one another's health. Thank you to Tor for being another wonderful voice in our Scars of Gold health campaign. Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions, led by Dr Liz Murray and photographer Sammy Weston. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448)#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #drliz #drlizmurray #art #documentary #realvoices #breastcancer #cancer #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another interview with Voice No. 67 out of 100 for the Scars of Gold campaign and in this episode we have Mev sharing her story of Endometrial cancer at the age of 31.Mev's experience is a poignant reminder of why knowing the red flags of even rarer cancers is important. When Mev began having new and unexpected heavy and painful bleeding, a routine procedure to remove polyps actually identified early stages of Endometrial cancer. Initially managed with hormone therapy for 3 years Mev later went on to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer with it being unclear if this was a new primary or metastases from the endometrial cancer. Eventually Mev needed a full hysterectomy putting her into surgical menopause and living with Stage 4 cancer by the age of 37. Mev shares how her entire life has been taken out of her control and where she has found strength and support to process this diagnosis. We also talk about the wonderful support provided by the spotlight charity Victoria's Promise who provide support for women experiencing cancer.Thank you to Mev for sharing her story and raising awareness as part of our campaign. Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions, led by Dr Liz Murray and photographer Sammy Weston. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448)#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #drliz #drlizmurray #art #documentary #realvoices #breastcancer #cancer #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing our latest Voice in the Scars of Gold campaign; the beautiful and loving human that is Emma P sharing her experience of Glioblastoma (brain cancer), MS and borderline ovarian tumour.Emma shares with Dr Liz her incredible experience of having multiple major health conditions one after another. After first being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), when this went into remission Emma decided to explore fertility options to become a single mum by choice. These early investigations identified the early stages of ovarian cancer requiring her to have her ovary and tube to be removed. After several miscarriages, her second round of fertility treatment was successful and Alice was delighted to welcome her daughter to her world. After returning to work and beginning the new chapter of her life, Emma then began having daily migraines. After an MRI identified a large tumour, Emma needed major brain surgery to remove this and was found to have a very rare advanced stage 4 glioblastoma which carries a prognosis of 2 years. Emma explored all options including travelling abroad to trial new vaccines. Now living with stable scans more than 2 years after her craniotomy Emma shares how she lives at peace with her diagnosis and her love of her family and friends are helping her to keep focused on the here and now.Another incredible insight into how the reality of how health does not discriminate in age or that one person can experience multiple health conditions. Emma's experience shares how the power of control can still be found and that peace and joy can be found in any circumstances. Emma shares how the support of her local charity Victoria's Promise has been invaluable in her finding a place of strength and peace and is a charity we are proud to include a spotlight on during our campaign.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions, led by Dr Liz Murray and photographer Sammy Weston. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448)#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #drliz #drlizmurray #art #documentary #realvoices #breastcancer #cancer #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another interview with another wonderful Voice - Jo who is the force behind the charity Preloved Reloved. Jo shares with our founder Dr Liz her experience of primary breast cancer. This is a really powerful interview talking about her decision to have a double mastectomy and decline reconstruction opting to stay flat. Jo shares how having gone from having larger breasts most her life it was actually liberating to become flat. This is an area so many women struggle with when faced with multiple options during an already difficult time. Jo also shares light on an impact of chemotherapy not many people are aware of; a side effect of the chemotherapy treatment she was given caused Persistent Chemotherapy Induced Alopecia, meaning her hair follicles were destroyed and so her hair never grew back which can happen in up to 30% of people given certain chemotherapies. Her experiences led her to become a fierce advocate on social media and started the charity Preloved Reloved which allows for women to re-share chemotherapy/cancer related clothing and items to help reduce the costs. Headscarfs, wigs, accessible clothing...giving a new home to avoid waste and help people share what helped them with the next person who needs them.Thank you to Jo for being Voice number 65 of the 100 women as part of our Scars Of Gold health awareness campaign. Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions, led by Dr Liz Murray and photographer Sammy Weston. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448)#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #drliz #drlizmurray #art #documentary #realvoices #breastcancer #cancer #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another lovely human being interviewed for the Scars of Gold campaign and in this interview we have the beautiful Laura CS. NB This interview was recorded 'on the road' and so the audio quality may reflect this however the content is as powerful as always!Today Dr Liz is interviewing Laura who truly knows what it is to have your life turned upside down by chronic health. Laura shares her 12 year struggle with infertility; 4 rounds of failed IVF, over 11 surgeries and the impact on her mental health and employment. Her experience of trying to advocate, being medically gaslit and then isolated by her employers is unfortunately one so many people can relate to with similar gynae health conditions. Laura shares how she has found ways to distract herself and find strength despite the immensely challenging times. At the point of filming Laura was faced with having to decide when 'enough is enough' and decide whether to have an hysterectomy or consider attempting a 5th round of IVF. A raw and honest experience of how Endometriosis and Adenomyosis can lead to avoidable barriers within the workplace and healthcare. Laura is now an advocate for change and shares her story to help others and we are grateful to have her as one of our Voices for this campaign.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions, led by Dr Liz Murray and photographer Sammy Weston. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448)#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #drliz #drlizmurray #art #documentary #realvoices #endomtriosis #adenomyois #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing our latest Voice to share her Scars of Gold… the beautiful and loving human that is Leanne. Leanne shares her scars from spending the last five years living with incurable bowel cancer. 5 years ago Leanne found a lump in her neck which led to her bowel cancer diagnosis. Through the last 5 years Leanne has had over 72 rounds of chemotherapy; and opted to have a stoma rather than have the bowel anastomosis/reversal surgery which Leanne shares was the right decision for her. Leanne's story is another powerful reminder of how to face the unimaginable whilst being a mother, a wife and someone full of ambitions in life. After her diagnosis Leanne shares how she found herself and found the strength to live a more authentic life. Thank you to Leanne for being another wonderful voice but also one of our artists for this campaign. Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions, led by Dr Liz Murray and photographer Sammy Weston. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448)#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #drliz #drlizmurray #art #documentary #realvoices #bowelcancer #cancer #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing the next Voice in the campaign; the beautiful and gentle human that is Emma H. Emma joined us in Leeds to share her story of primary breast cancer. After incidentally knocking her chest Emma noticed one breast was bigger than the other with a subtle lump. Emma tried a watch and wait approach for 6 months and shares how with hindsight she wishes she had been seen sooner. Through treatment Emma's plan was to have immediate reconstruction but when there weren't clear margins, Emma then later needed to go back for another surgery to remove the reconstruction. Another really poignant example of how no two experiences with breast cancer are the same; and how when complications occur this can be a lot more emotionally challenging than people may realise.Emma's another lovely voice to add to the collection and we are grateful to her for sharing her stunning scars of gold with us.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions, led by Dr Liz Murray and photographer Sammy Weston. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448)#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #drliz #drlizmurray #art #documentary #realvoices #breastcancer #cancer #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing our latest Voice - the lovely Josie who shares a very touching, honest and deep insight into a living a life rife with hospital appointments and the exhaustion of having multiple chronic illnesses, many of which are rare. Josie shares a unique insight into how isolating a life with rarer conditions can be; less support from the charity sector, less community support available and even within the hospitals less understanding and even more barriers through the inequalities in health as a result.Josie is a research botanist and has spent most of her life living with severe and rare subtypes of autoimmune conditions, before going on to also receiving a diagnosis of Grade 3 aggressive neuroendocrine cancer, with her primary in the oesophagus and secondaries in the liver. After having to learn to eat again and adapt her diet, the cancer is currently stable despite being given only 3 weeks to live (3 years ago).Another insightful episode where we discuss the impact and stigma of having a rare condition, plus the frustrations of an invisible disability. Josie shares her immense gratitude for the charities who support rarer conditions and her lovely philosophy on life and appreciating the little things. One of Josie's passions is her orchard in which she plants a tree for special moments and people through her journey of life and we were honoured that after our interview Josie planted a tree for the charity. It was this beautiful way of commemorating life with life that as a charity we inspired to plant one tree for every Voice interviewed with a reforestation programme -so thank you Josie for being a voice and also inspiring this legacy.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions, led by Dr Liz Murray and photographer Sammy Weston. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another wonderfully bubbly Voice from the campaign - Mags sharing her fiercely optimistic approach to life and her experience of Type 1 diabetes and Primary Breast Cancer. Mags first shares how being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at a time where syringes were glass and had to be re-used, and her journey through the change in technology and the enormous benefit this has had, along with the risks of hypoglycaemic attacks.Then Mags shares the very emotional journey of being diagnosed with breast cancer as her own mother became unwell following a stroke and how she may not have noticed her lump had her mum not become unwell. Mags brings a lot of humour to how she approached her treatments to keep positive, as well as talking about the impact of having a 3d nipple tattoo reconstruction from the Nip charity. Finally Mags shares with us a poem she wrote during her chemotherapy treatment which will be used in the exhibition.Another wonderful voice bringing hope and honest insights. Thank you to Mags for being one of our Voices in the 2024/25 Scars of Gold campaign.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign sharing the voices of 100 women facing their mortality at a young age with life changing or incurable health conditions, led by Dr Liz Murray and photographer Sammy Weston. Produced by the charity @mortalandstrong (No. 1209448)#podcast #podcastprevious #interview #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #hope #pov #dr #drliz #drlizmurray #art #documentary #realvoices #breastcancer #cancer #mortal #womenshealth #healthmatters #healthadvocate #healthinequalities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another wonderful episode with a beautifully light hearted and life-affirming soul that is Nikki. Nikki shares how her life as a mum, teacher and wife was turned upside down by her breast cancer diagnosis. Nikki is such a vibrant soul who is honest about the side effects of chemotherapy, how she took a holiday to Disneyland Florida in between chemo and radiotherapy, and how she approached limiting what information was shared with her 5 year old daughter whilst also preparing information to share with her for the future. Nikki's story is full of messages of strength and hope, addressing social stigmas of the disease and how others around someone affected can help and provide support in alternative ways. Thank you to Nikki for sharing her story and being part of our campaign.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign putting the spotlight on people facing their mortality; those living with incurable or life changing conditions at a young age. Founded by Dr Liz Murray and co-led with photographer Sammy Weston, this charity campaign aims to look at health inequalities with 2024/25 focusing on Women's Health.#mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #healthcampaign #healthawareness #womenshealth #doctor #charity #charitycampaign #healthinequalities #breastcancer #hope #strength #documentary #podcast For more information please visit the website. If you have any concerns about your own health, please always see your own GP/Healthcare provider. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing our latest Voice - the lovely Tash. In this episode (one of our first recorded) Tash shares her experiences of Endometriosis. Tash has had so much of her life dominated by this gynaecological disease in which uterine tissue grows outside of the uterus into the abdomen causing organ damage, chronic pain and a very debilitating disease.Tash shares her journey and how she felt she experienced medical gaslighting for so long before being taken seriously, which resulted in a delayed diagnosis of over a decade. Tash is still ongoing with her treatment pathway and shares how this has dominated so much of her life and fertility and talks openly about the impact on her ability to socialise and form relationships. However Tash's love for her horses and nature and how she finds other ways to keep focused and find strength are poignant and useful tools for others to hear.Thank you so much to Tash for sharing her story and being so honest about something which affects so many people. We are so grateful to Tash for being part of the Scars of Gold campaign despite still being very much in the middle of treatment.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign putting the spotlight on people facing their mortality; those living with incurable or life changing conditions at a young age. Founded by Dr Liz Murray and co-led with photographer Sammy Weston, this charity campaign aims to look at health inequalities with 2024/25 focusing on Women's Health.#mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #healthcampaign #healthawareness #womenshealth #doctor #charity #charitycampaign #healthinequalities #ibreastcancer #hope #strength #documentary #podcast For more information please visit the website. If you have any concerns about your own health, please always see your own GP/Healthcare provider. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we share our latest Voice to the Scars of Gold campaign; Georgi. Georgi shares two insights within one episode as her story begins with how she was a carer to her husband who died of a rare cancer (chemotherapy resistant, gastrointestinal stroma tumours). Following the traumatic experience of caring for him, Georgi was then diagnosed with Focal Nodular Hyperplasia, benign tumours within the liver. However when surgery to remove and biopsy these went wrong, Georgi spent weeks in intensive care and needing recurrent surgeries for sepsis. The process of which caused significant pain and her story is a poignant reminder of careful prescribing and monitoring of pain relief as Georgi then became opioid dependent. We talk for a moment on the difference between drug dependency (the body's physical reliance upon a medication) vs drug addiction, and how both can be devastating for a patient. Just as Georgi began to resume some 'normality' in her life, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. An incredible insight into how survival mode kicks in and Georgi talks openly about emotional triggers of PTSD, the importance of emotional wellbeing and how Georgi has spent so much of her time supporting other charities following all the experiences within her family. Thank you to Georgi for sharing her Scars of Gold with us and touching on so many rare and vitally important topics of awareness.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign putting the spotlight on people facing their mortality; those living with incurable or life changing conditions at a young age. Founded by Dr Liz Murray and co-led with photographer Sammy Weston, this charity campaign aims to look at health inequalities with 2024/25 focusing on Women's Health.For more information please visit the website. If you have any concerns about your own health, please always see your own GP/Healthcare provider.#mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #healthcampaign #healthawareness #womenshealth #doctor #charity #charitycampaign #healthinequalities #ibreastcancer #hope #strength #documentary #podcast #kintsugi #kintsugiforscars #art #cancer #secondarycancer #breastcancer #primarybreastcancer #focalnodularhyperplasia #sepsis #livertumours #carer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our latest Voice sharing her story and the wonderfully witty and beautiful soul Trish. Trish has multiple myeloma (extra medullary) which is a rare form of (incurable) blood cancer. After feeling unwell and then developing a non blanching rash Trish found herself under haematology being diagnosed with the rare form of blood cancer and needing a stem cell transplant. Trish shares with us how she navigated through the challenges of having a stem cell transplant, which the aim of treatment being to keep the cancer in remission for as long as possible. Still in remission presently, Trish talks openly about the impact of having an incurable cancer whilst being a busy mum of two and trying to embrace life and the simple things. Another unique interview full of how Trish finds joy in the simple things, nature and her family and how she approaches an incurable condition. Thank you to Trish for bringing your bubble energy and gentle humility to another impactful interview.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign putting the spotlight on people facing their mortality; those living with incurable or life changing conditions at a young age. Founded by Dr Liz Murray and co-led with photographer Sammy Weston, this charity campaign aims to look at health inequalities with 2024/25 focusing on Women's Health.For more information please visit the website. If you have any concerns about your own health, please always see your own GP/Healthcare provider.#mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #healthcampaign #healthawareness #womenshealth #doctor #charity #charitycampaign #healthinequalities #invisibledisability #hope #strength #documentary #podcast #kintsugi #kintsugiforscars #art #cancer #secondarycancer #myeloma #multiplemyeloma #emd #emm #emdmyeloma #bloodcancer #stemcelltransplant #chemotherapy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing our next wonderful Voice, the lovely Emily sharing her journey with secondary breast cancer. Two years after being given the all clear following a lumpectomy for primary breast cancer, a trip to A&E led to an unexpected secondary (metastatic breast cancer) diagnosis. Emily is now 5 years on living with secondary breast cancer and has a very pragmatic approach to the journey. Emily has found that confronting her mortality directly has been cathartic and given her a sense of control back and approaches the topic with a sense of calmness, dark humour and honest reflection on the impact on her family. Another raw and honest conversation that touches on sensitive topics but raises an important insight into previously considered taboo discussions. Emily's love for her family and having a new focus on what's really important in life shines through in another poignant and valuable episode. Thank you to Emily for being one of our Voices.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign putting the spotlight on people facing their mortality; those living with incurable or life changing conditions at a young age. Founded by Dr Liz Murray, this charity campaign aims to look at health inequalities with 2024/25 focusing on Women's Health.For more information please visit the website. If you have any concerns about your own health, please always see your own GP/Healthcare provider.#mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #healthcampaign #healthawareness #womenshealth #doctor #charity #charitycampaign #healthinequalities #invisibledisability #hope #strength #documentary #podcast #kintsugi #kintsugiforscars #art #cancer #secondarycancer #breastcancer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing our latest thought-provoking Voice providing a spotlight on more important topics of conversation; the wonderful and bubbly Maria. Maria first had primary breast cancer which responded well to treatment. A few years later Maria was found to have lung cancer which had already spread beyond the pleura of the lungs during the surgery and so was Stage 4 (NSCLC). Maria talks so much about such important social stigmas that need addressing; having been asked so many times within the healthcare and society where she 'was a smoker'. Maria was confirmed to have an underlying genetic abnormality which put her at greater risk of lung cancer, which also meant she was able to have a more targeted drug therapy. Now, Maria lives life to the fullest 'Live for today' and says she doesn't need a Living List because the most important thing to her is spending time with her family. Maria's love for for her family, passion for supporting the charities that mean something to her and helping people around her is so evident in this interview and we are honoured to have Maria as another one of our incredible Voices.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign putting the spotlight on people facing their mortality; those living with incurable or life changing conditions at a young age. Founded by Dr Liz Murray and co-led with photographer Sammy Weston, this charity campaign aims to look at health inequalities with 2024/25 focusing on Women's Health.For more information please visit the website. If you have any concerns about your own health, please always see your own GP/Healthcare provider.#mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #healthcampaign #healthawareness #womenshealth #doctor #charity #charitycampaign #healthinequalities #invisibledisability #hope #strength #documentary #podcast #kintsugi #kintsugiforscars #art #cancer #secondarycancer #breastcancer #lungcancer #stage4lungcancer #nsclc Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

*This episode was recorded on location at the start of the campaign before we had professional audio equipment*Introducing another wonderful Voice to the campaign, and Sophie is sharing her journey with secondary breast cancer. 6 years ago Sophie was a mum, working and after feeling tired for a year then went on to find a craggy lump. Initially diagnosed as primary cancer and told a double mastectomy was all that was needed (no chemotherapy or radiotherapy) Sophie was discharged. However two months later Sophie was then told she did in fact have multiple metastases to the liver, pelvis and spine. At that point Sophie was told it was incurable and likely had 2 years to live. 6 years later Sophie is living well and travelling and making every day count. We discuss the dangers of being told a predicted 'time frame' when given a secondary diagnosis, because whilst she is grateful for far exceeding her original given time frame, this comes with the counter issues of constantly feeling like living on borrowed time. We also discuss how the importance of asking for a second opinion can be life changing in terms of trusting in the care being offered and treatment plans. Thank you to Sophie for sharing her story, where she finds strength and hope and her Scars of Gold.Scars of Gold is a health awareness campaign by the charity Mortal And Strong (Charity No. 1209448) Founded and led by Dr Liz Murray, with photographer Sammy Weston. For more information please visit our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Voice No. 51 is also our Scars of Gold photographer and campaign co-director - the wonderfully bubbly and positive Sammy Weston. Sammy's journey with chronic illness began when she was 11 years old and is a story that until recently Sammy has struggled to talk about publicly because of the social stigma of disease. Sammy was still only a child when she developed meningitis which then led to significant post-infection complications seeing her housebound for several years having to be home schooled. Consequently Sammy missed out on the majority of her teenage years and what is often a crucial developmental stage of someone's life and finding their self identity. Meningitis is a life threatening infection around the brain and spinal cord and left Sammy with life long complications. When Sammy struggled to recover fully it took years of trying to advocate for herself to eventually get a diagnosis of ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. A post-infection autoimmune response which is only now since Covid becoming a more understood complication but still carries significant stigma in society. As a result of the devastating impact of the infection and complications, the inevitable toll on Sammy's mental health became another secondary complication. Sammy talks openly and honestly about the stigma of chronic disease and having an invisible disability, on how there is not a day she does not feel limited by the pain, immense fatigue and other ongoing effects. However Sammy's eternal optimism and hope shines through and she shares how she manages to find a way to listen to her own body to continue doing the things she loves. Whilst recovering from being housebound Sammy found a love for photography which helped her confidence grow and re-integrate into society. This eventually led her on the path to finding Mortal And Strong, going on to become our photography and campaign co-director. Sammy shares how through the campaign she has grown in confidence at masking less, feeling more open at sharing the daily effects of brain fog, fatigue, and other symptoms which for so long so many people try to mask for fear of judgment. Sammy's journey can resonate with so many, particularly how the mental toll of chronic fatigue can be grossly underestimated but does not mean you have to lose your identity and that there can be hope still found.Thank you to Sammy for sharing her story, being another essential Voice in our campaign (and for being our amazing photographer at bringing the Scars of Gold series to the impactful collection it is proving to be!).For more information on anything discussed in this episode, please visit our website.Mortal And Strong is a registered charity (No. 1209448) providing education and support for people facing their mortality - those experiencing life changing/incurable conditions at a young age. Scars of Gold is our debut health awareness campaign sharing messages of hope and strength. Founded by Dr Liz Murray. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing Voice No. 50 as we hit the halfway point through Season 1 of the Scars of Gold health campaign. At the half way point we share the founder of Mortal And Strong - Dr Liz Murray - and her story. Liz's chronic health issues began at the age of 18 when, just as Liz began University to study Medicine, on the road to becoming a doctor, Liz lost the ability to walk and found herself in a wheelchair by the age of 19. Liz shares the classic decade-long tale of having random symptoms and medical problems overlooked or dismissed, despite needing a very rare surgery on both her hips and a year long process to learn to walk again, before eventually getting her diagnosis. Liz was eventually diagnosed with multiple autoimmune conditions include Lupus SLE and Stage 4 Endometriosis with significant bowel and bladder damage and diabetes inspidus, following a 3 year process of having 6 miscarriages and multiple surgeries. When Liz was finally diagnosed and fell pregnant, further inequalities in health led to a premature traumatic delivery of her son which resulted in her first experience of mental health - facing PTSD and Postnatal Depression. It was whilst recovering from this with a severely unwell premature baby, facing the stigma from society whilst experiencing PND, that Liz began to formulate an idea of using art to share messages of hope and strength, which 5 years later would become the charity and campaign that is Mortal And Strong/Scars of Gold.Liz returned to work as a Dr for the pandemic, having worked for over a decade as a medical doctor, predominantly in Emergency Medicine. However Liz had to step back from her clinical-facing role in 2023 because of her incurable health conditions. Her autoimmune conditions are incurable, the endometriosis means she has no function of her bowel and bladder, was forced into menopause at 34, and faces a very uncertain future of reduced mobility, chronic pain, kidney damage and multiple organ dysfunction. Her autoimmune conditions leave her immunocompromised, losing the vision in one eye and hearing in one ear. However despite all this, Liz is a fierce advocate for not letting a diagnosis define you - for embracing life to the fullest and not letting the stigma of disease and prejudice of society hold you back from living an authentic life. Liz strongly advocates for awareness and education of the impact of chronic health conditions whilst now leading the charity Mortal And Strong, turning her own journey personally and professionally into something that can help others.For more information visit our website www.mortalandstrong.comMortal And Strong is a UK registered charity (1209448) presenting its debut health awareness campaign Scars of Gold. Founded by Dr Liz Murray, photographer Sammy Weston. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

**Trigger Warning - Sensitive conversations discussing end of life reflections.** In this one-off episode we revisit Voice No. 1 from the 2024 campaign. The decision to revisit Amy's journey at this point was after careful consideration with Amy, who is also a Trustee for the Mortal And Strong charity. This episode was filmed from a Norfolk hospice where Amy is currently in the final weeks of her life, after reaching the end of the treatment options available for her secondary breast cancer. Amy's fierce messages of hope and strength from her first interview still resonate, and she still has such hope and positivity even in these final weeks. Amy is fiercely passionate about addressing the stigma and taboo of society not wanting to talk about end of life, and so wanted to be interviewed at this stage of her journey to help shed a more positive life on how nearing the end of life can be done well.Amy has been in treatment for secondary breast cancer and sarcoma for 4 years. Initially triple positive, in the last 6 months the disease had spread to her lungs and switched to triple positive. When we first filmed Amy in March, Amy was one of the first voices to be interviewed and spoke of the importance of finding positivity in each day and finding a way to live life well in the precious time one has. Over the last 6 months Amy believed she still had several years of treatment left and was even accepted for a place in the London marathon next year. In the last month Amy lost her cousin and mum to cancer within weeks of each other before discovering herself that her disease had spread within her lungs and had become resistant to treatment.Amy is presently in a hospice and has experienced all the grief stages, and is a fierce advocate for how her approach to her mortality over the last few years has brought her to where she is now - a place of peace, calm, in control and now making the most of every day whilst in a hospice. Amy is passionate about changing the stigma of palliative care; that palliative care services are there to maximise and improve the quality of life for someone with a chronic/incurable condition. They have helped build a relationship with her over the last few years and allowed her to travel and make the most of her time with her family. Amy strongly believes that this has helped prepare her so that now the time has come for a hospice, the team know her well and Amy was not fearful of entering the hospice but actually grateful and content, feeling safe supported and at a place of peace. In the interview we discuss how 75% of UK hospices are funded by charities rather than the NHS, and how the stigma of palliative care services, the fear of hospices prevents more people from accessing the enormous benefits that these services have to offer in providing a positive, controlled and calm journey when the time is needed. Our immense gratitude to Amy for being a Voice for our Scars of Gold health awareness campaign, a trustee of the charity, being an incredible friend to so many people and a fiercely strong beacon of light for always managing to find joy in the hardest of times. We support Amy in her hope that by sharing this interview on such an emotive topic, will help raise awareness on the options available and support for those who are approaching this stage of their journey. Mortal and Strong is a registered charity and presenting our debut campaign Scars of Gold™️. A health awareness campaign using art to shine the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease but sharing messages of hope and strength. Founded by Dr Liz Murray, Photography by Sammy Weston. Charity No. 1209448. For more information visit our website.#mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #art #artist #doctor #charity #campaign #womenshealth #cancer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a special episode - a recording of an interview with Dr Liz Murray on how Mortal And Strong came to be, and where it is heading and the vision of the team. A special one-off as we reach 50 of the 100 Voices in the 2024/25 Scars of Gold health awareness campaign. 7 months since the first podcast episode was released we are now half way through our first campaign. Mortal And Strong is a registered charity, founded by Dr Liz Murray after having to leave her career as a doctor for over 10 years due to chronic health issues.In this episode Liz reflects on the rapid growth of Mortal And Strong, along with reflecting on the journey of interviewing 100 women for the Scars of Gold campaign...the highs, the lows and the important messages learnt from the incredible women met along the way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our latest episode interviewing another beautiful and inspiring Voice - Jules Stone. Jules Stone is not only a Voice but also one of our artists. Here she shares her journey of being diagnosed with breast cancer not once, but twice. In her 40's Jules was diagnosed with primary breast cancer (triple negative, DCI) and after having treatment, not longer after reaching the 5 year all clear mark, Jules had a new primary in the other breast. Jules then had to go through the whole treatment of mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy for a second time. When the cancer returned in the scar of her first cancer, Jules opted to go flat and had a bilateral mastectomy, remaining flat.Since then Jules has remained clear, and the experience of having cancer twice instigated a career change for Jules. Jules returned to college and studied fine art. Taking her down a path as a successful artist in ceramics, Jules also went on to be a successful published author of fiction. We talk about her work as an artist, and how she is inspired by listening to some of the other voices to produce artworks to contribute to our exhibition which is due next year.Jules philosophical approach to life is partly inspired by her background in psychology. We talk about how she finds joy in raising her ducks, living in the country and getting lost in creative processes. Another wonderful voice and addition to our campaign.Mortal and Strong is a registered charity and presenting our debut campaign Scars of Gold™️. A health awareness campaign using art to shine the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease but sharing messages of hope and strength. Founded by Dr Liz Murray, Photography by Sammy Weston. Charity No. 1209448. For more information visit our website.For more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another beautiful soul sharing her story with us - the adorable loving Siobhan. Siobhan shares with us her recent journey of being diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer just 3 years ago and how despite initially being a primary diagnosis, within months of finishing the treatment a recurrence to the lymph nodes quickly became metastases to her liver. Siobhan has spent the last 3 years going through treatment and living with the life changing diagnosis of cancer, and more recently knowing the disease is incurable. Siobhan shares the emotional journey that goes along with a stage 4 diagnosis; in particular addresses the much needed topic of changing the stigma of palliative care; and how so many people avoid the services for fear of the connotation of an imminent end. Siobhan talks about how living life for the moment, for the here and now is so important. Despite being at the end stages of her journey, Siobhan's love for her friends, for life and for raising awareness of so much stigma and social attitudes is humbling and we are so grateful to have her as one of our Voices. Another beautiful, humble Voice to share messages of strength and resilience to our Scars of Gold campaign.Mortal and Strong is a registered charity and presenting our debut campaign Scars of Gold™️. A health awareness campaign using art to shine the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease but sharing messages of hope and strength. Founded by Dr Liz Murray, Photography by Sammy Weston. Charity No. 1209448. For more information visit our website.For more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #art #artist #doctor #charity #campaign #womenshealth #cancer #nonhodgkinslymphoma #thyroidcancer #breastcancer #stemcelltransplant #lupus #autoimmunedisease #ms #fibroids #endometriosis #adenomyosis #miscarriage #ectopicpregnancy #infertility #menopause #mastectomy #opticneuritis #disability #trauma #sepsis #hysterectomy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing our next interview with Voice number 47 of 100 and the gentle, lovely soul Sophie. Sophie was just 22 years old when she was diagnosed with stage 4 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma a type of blood cancer. It took over 9 months to get a diagnosis and by this time Sophie had a 15cm tumour growing on the inside of her chest. After going through chemotherapy, radiotherapy Sophie then got married and was hoping to find some normality again. Just weeks after her honeymoon Sophie found a neck lump and was then diagnosed with a second primary cancer - thyroid cancer. Soph has been told these are unrelated and that having two cancers by the age of 25, both with lymph node spread, is just 'bad luck'. However Sophie shares how being a chronic patient facing her mortality, being under 6 different hospital specialists, with heart damage from the treatments and facing a future of more treatments to get her thyroid cancer under control is at times exhausting and relentless. Sophie shares some really important insights and messages that society could benefit from hearing to help change the stigma of disease. A fierce football supporter, and determined to try and find some normality amidst the ongoing health complexities, Soph has been another incredibly lovely Voice to our Scars of Gold campaign.Mortal and Strong is a registered charity and presenting our debut campaign Scars of Gold™️. A campaign using art to shine the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease but sharing messages of hope and strength. Founded by Dr Liz Murray.For more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #art #artist #doctor #charity #campaign #womenshealth #cancer #nonhodgkinslymphoma #thyroidcancer #breastcancer #stemcelltransplant #lupus #autoimmunedisease #ms #fibroids #endometriosis #adenomyosis #miscarriage #ectopicpregnancy #infertility #menopause #mastectomy #opticneuritis #disability #trauma #sepsis #hysterectomy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing the next Voice from the 100 Scars of Gold campaign; the wonderfully optimistic and bubbly soul that is Kathryn H. Kathryn's story is another incredible story of how someone has overcome facing their mortality at a young age and finding a way to live life to the fullest.Kathryn has only ever known what it is to live with a chronic condition, having started her journey as a patient at just 18 months old when an unfortunate accident left her with severe burns and in hospital for 3 months needing skin grafts down one leg. Then at the age of 8 was eventually diagnosed with a severe autoimmune condition Autoimmune Haemolytic Anaemia, seeing her as a familiar resident at Great Ormond Street needing regular blood transfusions before eventually needing a Splenectomy at the age of 19. Then after a missed miscarriage, finally giving birth to her wonderful daughter, it was whilst breast feeding Kathryn discovered a breast lump. After being diagnosed with triple negative cancer, and initially responding well to treatment, just shy of 3 years later Kathryn was confirmed to have secondary cancer in her throat.For two years now Kathryn has lived with the knowledge her secondary cancer is incurable, and has gone through the inevitable journey of trying to process this. She shares with us how she truly embraces life wherever she can with a living list for herself, a horse living list and a living list for her daughter. Kathryn shares the key messages of where she finds strength, how she takes back control whilst facing her prognosis and how having an holistic approach to her wellbeing, embracing nature and 'loving the miracle of life itself' brings her joy. Another wonderful soul sharing some relatable and invaluable lessons, thank you to Kathryn for sharing her story.Mortal and Strong is a registered charity and presenting our debut campaign Scars of Gold™️. A campaign using art to shine the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease but sharing messages of hope and strength. Founded by Dr Liz Murray @lizmurrayart For more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #art #artist #doctor #charity #campaign #womenshealth #cancer #nonhodgkinslymphoma #thyroidcancer #breastcancer #stemcelltransplant #lupus #autoimmunedisease #ms #fibroids #endometriosis #adenomyosis #miscarriage #ectopicpregnancy #infertility #menopause #mastectomy #opticneuritis #disability #trauma #sepsis #hysterectomy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing the incredible health advocate for menstrual health and our latest Voice - Gabz. Gabz is one half of the pair who founded the charity Menstrual Health Project. In this episode Gabz talks with Dr Liz about her journey of chronic illness which began as a teenager as she began puberty around age 10. As like so many women with Endometriosis, Gabz was put straight onto oral contraceptive tablets as a teenager to manage heavy painful periods without exploring the underlying cause. In Gabz own words, Endometriosis 'robbed her of a career' and spent all of her 20's consumed by chronic illness. When Gabz finally found a GP and Endometriosis specialist consultant who recognised her symptoms, a laparoscopy confirmed she had severe endometriosis affecting her bowel and causing multiple organ complications. We discuss the impact of this severe progressive disease on every aspect of life, including fertility and the future of the unknown for her health. Despite all this, Gabz has turned her pain into power, trauma in triumph and founded the charity Menstrual Health Project, using her own experiences to do some good and help others experiencing gynaecological health conditions. Gabz is so real and honest, whilst also being so witty and light hearted. Another incredible Voice in our Scars of Gold campaign.Mortal and Strong is a registered charity and presenting our debut campaign Scars of Gold. A campaign using art to shine the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease. Founded by Dr Liz Murray.For more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #art #artist #doctor #charity #campaign #womenshealth #cancer #nonhodgkinslymphoma #thyroidcancer #breastcancer #stemcelltransplant #lupus #autoimmunedisease #ms #fibroids #endometriosis #adenomyosis #miscarriage #ectopicpregnancy #infertility #menopause #mastectomy #opticneuritis #disability #trauma #sepsis #hysterectomy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Honoured to have a very special guest as our latest Voice - Team GB Retired Paralympic Gold Medalist in rowing (Beijing Paralympics) 2008- Helene Raynsford. Helene has a truly rare perspective on navigating not only multiple very complex health conditions and living life as a wheelchair user at a young age, facing breast cancer, an ileostomy with a stoma...but how she used her mental training to win Gold in the Paralympic Games as a 'blueprint' to approach each new health challenge. Helene does an incredible amount of advocacy work that isn't always publicly visible; supporting multiple charities, being Chair of the Athletes Commission for the Paralympics GB, a Non-Executive Director for Sports England. Her career in public health reinforces her outreach work at trying to address major health inequalities that still exist - for example the fact that mobile MRI breast screening units are on the whole not wheelchair accessible. Such a humble, modest person who sets the gold standard of what genuine advocacy work is about, using her health conditions to truly help and support others for greater and lasting change. We are honoured to share her health journey as one of our Voices in the Scars of Gold campaign, and for Helene to be Patron to our charity and support our mission here at Mortal And Strong. This interview provides unique and new perspectives on how to prepare mentally for new health challenges and how to keep focused on the end goal (or finishing line). A gold medalist sharing her Scars of Gold, but more importantly a humble human being who has reflected a lot on what it is to be mortal and how to make the most of life and not be defeated by any health challenges.Mortal and Strong is a registered charity and presenting our debut campaign Scars of Gold. A campaign using art to shine the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease. 100 artworks produced by artists across the country along with a powerful photography series ‘Scars of Gold' inspired by kintsugi. 100 Voices sharing messages of hope and strength through our podcast. Building a platform to provide health awareness, support and education to change the face of disease in young people. Founded by Dr Liz Murray. For more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. #paralympicsGB #paralympics #olympics #goldmedalist #teamgb #sportsengland #scarsofgold #mortalandstrong #breastcancer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this particular episode we are delighted and honoured to have not just one but two Voices sharing their story. All the way from Miami, Florida (USA), Bethany and Hannah are the forces behind the American charity Heartcharged, and are infamous for their advocacy work on all things cardiac. They are both sisters and were diagnosed as teenagers with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). Hannah was 14 and lived for sports, whilst Bethany was on the road to become a professional ballet dancer at 17. At diagnosis they were told how lucky they were to not have had a cardiac arrest already and had to drastically change their lifestyle because of the risk of sudden cardiac arrest. One year later Hannah was first to be fitted with an ICD, an implanted defibrillator device to provide an electric shock instantly if the heart goes into cardiac arrest or a life threatening rhythm. 6 months after having it inserted, Hannah had a cardiac arrest in her sleep and was shocked by the ICD twice. Shortly after Bethany went on to also have an ICD inserted. The profound life-changing and life threatening diagnosis made both of them determined to dedicate their lives to doing incredible work to help save lives for others. From raising awareness of the need for early screening in children of this genetic condition, to education about CPR and the use of AEDs, along with peer support for other young people needing ICD implants… the work they have done has already saved so many lives and now have an international following and community. We are so glad to be able to include their story and share the awareness of such an important topic.Mortal and Strong is a registered charity and presenting our debut campaign Scars of Gold. A campaign using art to shine the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease. 100 artworks produced by artists across the country along with a powerful photography series ‘Scars of Gold' inspired by kintsugi. 100 Voices sharing their story through a podcast & documentary. Founded by Dr Liz Murray. Photographer Sammy Weston.#mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #art #artist #doctor #charity #campaign #womenshealth #cardiomyopathy #hcm #hypertrophiccardiomyopathy #cardiacarrest #icd #cpr #aed #sca #chdawareness #chd #dcm #ohcm #getheartcharged #heartcharged #podcast #hearttransplant For more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another wonderful interview with not only Voice No. 41 but Emma R is also one of our artists for the upcoming exhibition. Emma is sharing her very moving story of how she went from being a carer two children with complex needs, to having a very major brainstem stroke at the age of 41. Whilst driving on a 70mph motorway Emma had a stroke and was initially dismissed as having a panic attack. After 6 months in a neurorehabilitation unit Emma had to wait to find out if her vision or use of her hands would return. The delay in stroke diagnosis meant a delay in treatment and is now left unable to walk unaided. 8 years later after the stroke Emma then went on to be diagnosed with primary breast cancer. Through all this Emma shares the powerful importance of how her friends and the kindness of people helped her recover, including how art was so crucial in her recovery. This is such an incredibly moving story and Emma's reflections on life and keeping optimistic is as moving as her artwork itself. Thank you to Emma for sharing her story but also for contributing to the campaign and being an artist for our upcoming exhibition. Mortal and Strong is a registered charity and presenting our debut campaign Scars of Gold. A campaign using art to shine the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease. 100 artworks produced by artists across the country along with a powerful photography series ‘Scars of Gold' inspired by kintsugi. 100 Voices sharing messages of hope and strength through our podcast. Building a platform to provide health awareness, support and education to change the face of disease in young people. Founded by Dr Liz Murray. For more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Honoured to have another incredible Voice sharing her story with us and this is a unique story raising the awareness of the dangers of environmental triggers causing life threatening disease. Sarah has an interstitial lung disease called Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis as a result of over a decade exposure to a small amount of mould in her house. After living for just over a decade in a housing association flat whereby there was a very small (less than a 30cm ruler) amount of mould in her wardrobe Sarah began getting short of breathe. When this continued to progress and not responding to 'asthma treatment' eventually she was diagnosed with the incurable lung disease. Sarah needed 7 months of chemotherapy and has been on steroids for over 6 years to stabilise the disease. Sarah will likely need a lung transplant and requires oxygen every day to move around, all from a preventable disease which could have been avoided through no fault of her own. This story truly is an important reminder of the dangers of environmental hazards and Sarah does a lot of awareness work to educate people on the importance of taking damp and mould seriously, and to change legislation to help tenants affordable housing have safer living conditions. Despite this, Sarah shares a wonderful positive outlook on life and how she finds joy in the simple things. Thank you to Sarah for bringing to light such an important topic in our campaign.Mortal and Strong provides a campaign using art to shine the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease. 100 artworks produced by artists across the country along with a powerful photography series ‘Scars of Gold' inspired by kintsugi. 100 Voices sharing messages of hope and strength through our podcast. Building a platform to provide health awareness, support and education to change the face of disease in young people. Founded by Dr Liz Murray. For more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another insightful voice with the wonderfully articulate and fierce Diabetes Type 1 advocate Faye. Faye was diagnosed as a baby at just 16 months old with Type 1 diabetes which is an incurable endocrine disorder whereby the body can not produce its own natural insulin. We talk about the lack of awareness in the public (and associated stigma) of the difference between Type 2 and Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 carries far more life risks and Faye talks openly about growing up with the disease, and how she manages needing at least 4 injections every single day, along with the frightening risks of life-threatening hypos. However Faye is a very good advocate for how to not let your disease define you, how she continues to live life well. Faye works with young adults newly diagnosed with T1DM and has helped create the first adapted Duke of Edinburgh award to make it more accessible for people with diabetes to take part. Another brilliant example of someone proving that even when facing your mortality, and living with a relentless condition that in Faye's words 'every single day there is no escaping' - Faye still continues to live her life on her terms. A brilliant voice and grateful to have Faye join our campaign and share her story with us.Shining the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease. 100 Voices sharing messages of hope and strength through our podcast with a powerful photography series ‘Scars of Gold' inspired by kintsugi. Building a platform to provide health awareness, support and education to change the face of disease in young people. For more information visit our website.#mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #art #artist #doctor #charity #campaign #womenshealth #cancer #nonhodgkinslymphoma #thyroidcancer #breastcancer #stemcelltransplant #secondarycancer #ovariancancer #germcelltumour #germcellcancer #ca125 #leydigsertolicancer #sarcoma #pcos #gynaecancerFor more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another wonderful voice and the vivacious and bubbly soul that is Michelle C. Michelle shares her story of primary cancer and as with every one of our voices, her story offers very poignant insights into breast awareness. It was through the fantastic rare opportunity that a brilliant nurse took the opportunity during a routine smear to have a discussion about breast examination with Michelle. More importantly - the nurse educated Michelle on the importance of also examining lying down as well as upright. The very next month Michelle implemented this technique and found a lump. What transpired was three different cancer tumours in the same breast but were found before any spread. After a mastectomy, reconstruction, chemo/radiotherapy Michelle went on to get the all clear one year later. We also talk about the very rarely spoken about topic of women's choice on having children and the right to choose and take ownership of our bodies. A brilliant, light hearted chat about health awareness, giving advice to men about being breast aware from behind the bar at Michelle's pub and how to be grateful to your body for fighting to protect you. Thank you to Michelle for being another incredible voice in our campaign.Mortal and Strong is a registered charity 1209448 regulated by the Fundraising Regulator. Shining the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease. 100 Voices sharing messages of hope and strength through our podcast with a powerful photography series ‘Scars of Gold' inspired by kintsugi. Building a platform to provide health awareness, support and education to change the face of disease in young people. For more information visit our website.For more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #art #artist #doctor #charity #campaign #womenshealth #cancer #nonhodgkinslymphoma #thyroidcancer #breastcancer #stemcelltransplant #secondarycancer #ovariancancer #germcelltumour #germcellcancer #ca125 #leydigsertolicancer #sarcoma #pcos #gynaecancer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here we have another insightful and poignant episode with the wonderful human that is Laura W. Laura is a leading volunteer behind the Nipple Innovation Project (Nip) charity and has a very unique story to share. Laura first experienced a rare cancer as an infant, developing Sarcoma of the uterus. After growing up not expecting to have any cancer recurrence, she then went on to not only develop another rare form of cancer but the journey of her cancer was a very atypical one which led her on a long road to emotionally come to terms with her experience. Laura experienced ovarian cancer, more specifically a Sertoli-Leydig Cell Tumour on one of her ovaries, which is a germ cell cancer. Although she had subtle symptoms of ovarian cancer (which are commonly missed because of their subtlety), her lack of periods and gut instinct pushed her to have a scan. a 7cm tumour was found but the expected cancer tumour markers were not raised. Laura went into surgery and the build up repeatedly being reassured it was unlikely to be cancer. When Laura was finally diagnosed, she was at the same time already cured and received the required treatment. Laura shares with us the emotional journey that then pursued; how the absence of chemotherapy and the expected 'cancer journey' made it difficult to find acceptance. This is a really poignant story of how important it is not to compare one's journey of cancer or any medical problem with anyone else; that everything is all relative. Laura turned her experienced into a life changing positive when it put her on a path of volunteering where she found her calling in life and place within the Nip charity. We loved interviewing Laura and are proud to have her share such a unique story with us as one of our Voices in the Scars of Gold campaign.Mortal and Strong is a registered charity 1209448 regulated by the Fundraising Regulator. Shining the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease. 100 Voices sharing messages of hope and strength through our podcast with a powerful photography series ‘Scars of Gold' inspired by kintsugi. Building a platform to provide health awareness, support and education to change the face of disease in young people. For more information visit our website.For more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #art #artist #doctor #charity #campaign #womenshealth #cancer #nonhodgkinslymphoma #thyroidcancer #breastcancer #stemcelltransplant #secondarycancer #ovariancancer #germcelltumour #germcellcancer #ca125 #leydigsertolicancer #sarcoma #pcos #gynaecancer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing our latest Voice to the campaign - the beautiful, energetic and full of humour Stephanie. Stephanie shares her story of being a nurse working as a senior sister in the NHS in her 20's who was just beginning her full life of being a mum to four boys, newly married when her world was turned upside down when she received two major diagnosis's in quick succession. In her 20's Stephanie was diagnosed with Crohn's disease and talks about how she navigated that whilst at work, and how having this left her conscious of her increased risk of bowel cancer. However it came as quite a shock when Stephanie noticed her nipple becoming inverted and how she then went on two be diagnosed with breast cancer with an underlying genetic cause meaning she needed a double mastectomy. At the time of the interview Stephanie is still in active treatment and talks openly and with a wonderful poignant sense of humour about how being a mum changes how you face your mortality, and how as an overthinker she has learnt to navigate her thought process to come to terms with the things that are beyond her control.Another really insightful interview full of messages of hope, and lessons on how to face being confronted with your mortality at such a young age and how having a healthy approach to your own mental wellbeing is so vitally important for keeping a hold on the positive and the light to get you through the darker days. Thank you to Stephanie for sharing your story with us and being another incredible voice to our campaign.Mortal and Strong is a registered charity campaign using art to shine the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease. 100 Voices sharing messages of hope and strength through our podcast with a powerful photography series ‘Scars of Gold' inspired by kintsugi. Building a platform to provide health awareness, support and education to change the face of disease in young people. For more information visit our website. Founded and presented by Dr Liz Murray, photography Sammy Weston. For more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of our special Charity Spotlight episodes...with Mortal And Strong founder and podcast host Dr Liz Murray interviewing the wonderful Lisa Allen from the Pink Ribbon Foundation. Lisa Allen has been with the Pink Ribbon Foundation charity since its launch 24 years ago and in that time has watched/helped it grow into the incredible entity that it is. The Pink Ribbon Foundation helps countless charities each year across the UK who are working within the breast cancer community. The PRF fundraise and collaborate with amazing companies, then provide a grant-making scheme to charities who are working to help anyone with breast cancer. Their outreach is phenomenal and the leading lady Lisa Allen has done so much to make this the incredible, impactful charity that it is. In this episode Liz speaks with Lisa about how the Pink Ribbon Foundation started, some of the amazing projects they have funded and campaigns they have supported, including the power of using art to raise awareness. Mortal And Strong is currently running its 2024/25 Scars of Gold campaign, focusing on women's health and through this campaign we are featuring a number of Spotlight Charities. Whilst we raise awareness of so many health conditions affecting young people with life changing or incurable disease, we want to signpost to specialist charities who are available for the individual communities we are covering. With breast cancer being the most common cancer to affect women, and affecting so many across the UK, several of our Spotlight Charities are breast cancer related to try and raise as much support and awareness for this life changing disease which kills one person every 45 minutes on average in the UK. Thank you to Lisa Allen for all her incredible work with the PRF, and for working with us to raise awareness of our Scars of Gold Campaign.Mortal and Strong is a registered charity (Reg No. 1209448) supporting people facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing/incurable illness or disease. 100 Voices sharing messages of hope and strength through our podcast with a powerful photography series ‘Scars of Gold' inspired by kintsugi. Building a platform to provide health awareness, support and education to change the face of disease in young people. Founded by Dr Liz Murray. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here is another incredible Voice in the campaign - Sarah Doherty sharing her journey to being diagnosed with MS (Multiple Sclerosis) at the age of 27 after having several episodes of optic neuritis. MS is an autoimmune condition that attacks the brain/spinal cord/nervous system causing demyelination - a neurological condition which manifests differently for each person and affects women more than men. Sarah's story is a true example of the need for patient's to do their own research and know how to self-advocate the right way. MS has a wide range of treatment options which vary greatly depending on postcode, and when Sarah discovered she had 'patient choice' of where to be treated and to make informed decisions about her treatment, this massively influenced her journey. Sarah is currently about to start Stage 2 of the HSCT journey (stem cell transplant) which hopes to greatly reduce the chances of her having any more relapses, and has currently undergone 'conditioning chemotherapy' in preparation for this. Sarah is a wonderfully light hearted soul who is full of humour and emphasises the importance of staying positive through a difficult diagnosis.Mortal and Strong is a charity-run campaign using art to shine the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease. 100 Voices sharing messages of hope and strength through our podcast with a powerful photography series ‘Scars of Gold' inspired by kintsugi. Building a platform to provide health awareness, support and education to change the face of disease in young people. Founded by Dr Liz Murray. For more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #art #artist #doctor #charity #campaign #womenshealth #cancer #nonhodgkinslymphoma #thyroidcancer #breastcancer #stemcelltransplant #lupus #autoimmunedisease #ms #hsct #conditioningchemotherapy #opticneuritis #disability #trauma #sepsis #podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing Roisin - another unique Voice to the campaign sharing several poignant reflections and experiences on her journey to secondary breast cancer. Roisin was 34 weeks pregnant when diagnosed with primary breast cancer ager 32. Her journey shares a rare viewpoint of how the early days of having a new baby were conflicted by the immense fear of having a mastectomy with a 6 day old baby and having chemotherapy during her maternity leave. After initially having primary breast cancer, Roisin began the adoption process for baby number two when her world was shattered. After being, in Roisin's words - belittled, dismissed and even mocked for trying to raise concerns about new pains, eventually Roisin was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer and told it was Stage 3C. Roisin was desperate for messages or stories of hope but was initially told to 'manage her expectations' and was given 3 years to live. Roisin's story is so fundamentally important as it is proof that advocating for yourself can actually be the difference between life and death. After doing her own research and asking for a second opinion, Roisin was offered aggressive treatment and surgery (that was initially refused)...and ultimately went into remission. 6 years on and Roisin is still living well, thriving and started her own business. Even after being told she wouldn't be able to adopt, the end of the treatment for the secondary cancer marked the arrival of her adopted son. Both children provided beacons of light during dark times and Roisin has a fierce passion and love for life itself.Mortal and Strong provides a campaign using art to shine the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease. 100 artworks produced by artists across the country along with a powerful photography series ‘Scars of Gold' inspired by kintsugi. 100 Voices sharing messages of hope and strength through our podcast. Building a platform to provide health awareness, support and education to change the face of disease in young people. Founded by Dr Liz Murray.For more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #art #artist #doctor #charity #campaign #womenshealth #cancer #nonhodgkinslymphoma #thyroidcancer #breastcancer #stemcelltransplant #lupus #autoimmunedisease #ms #fibroids #endometriosis #adenomyosis #miscarriage #ectopicpregnancy #infertility #menopause #mastectomy #opticneuritis #disability #trauma #sepsis #podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing Voice No. 33 - Lucy Thompson; the incredible strength that is the founder of the charity Nip (Nipple Innovation Project). In this episode Lucy is talking to us as a Voice - sharing her journey with some very rare conditions and discussing topics very rarely spoken about but that may resonate with so many people. Firstly Lucy shares her experience of being born with a congenital hip disease - Developmental Dysplasia Hip (DDH) and how despite having hip surgery as a baby, she will inevitably need surgery again in the future. However this means that every day she is faced with debilitating pain, mobility issues needing occasional mobility aids. We talk openly about the stigma of needing a mobility aid as a young person, and the immense battle as a young working woman and mother to adjust to having a hidden disability. We then continue to talk about a condition which very few people know about but probably affects a lot more people than they realise - PMDD which is Premenstrual Dysphoric disorder. This is a severe form of PMS, whereby the hormone imbalance during the menstrual cycle becomes so severe that it can cause irrational and overwhelming mood swings, including suicidal ideation that can be difficult to manage. We do have an honest and in-depth conversation about how there is greater need for a supportive society that recognises that mental health is not a choice, nor a personality trait and that better understanding is needed to help people adjust and recover. Lucy is a brilliant example of the need to become self-aware as she shows how learning to listen to her body has helped her find a way to live the best life she can by making adjustments to knowing her own limitations. Including how she discovered the life-changing benefits for her of cold water dips and how these have had a profound impact on her mental health. A truly honest and inspiring Voice that covers some lesser-talked-about health conditions.Mortal and Strong provides a campaign using art to shine the spotlight on women facing their own mortality - those affected at a young age by a life changing illness or disease. 100 artworks produced by artists across the country along with a powerful photography series ‘Scars of Gold' inspired by kintsugi. 100 Voices sharing messages of hope and strength through our podcast. Building a platform to provide health awareness, support and education to change the face of disease in young people. Founded by Dr Liz Murray. @lizmurrayart and led with photographer @samwestonphotography For more information on support available for these issues discussed in todays episode, including direction to medical information, visit our website. This episode is not intended as specific medical advice, always see your own GP/physician if you have any concerns regarding your own health. #mortalandstrong #scarsofgold #kintsugi #art #artist #doctor #charity #campaign #womenshealth #cancer #nonhodgkinslymphoma #thyroidcancer #breastcancer #stemcelltransplant #lupus #autoimmunedisease #ms #fibroids #endometriosis #adenomyosis #miscarriage #ectopicpregnancy #infertility #menopause #mastectomy #opticneuritis #disability #trauma #sepsis #podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.