When We Had Cancer

Foster mom of puppies, spin class extraordinaire and excellent storyteller Kate Franklin sits down with me to tell us about her Leukemia diagnosis at age 4 and life since. Listen and learn about how cancer survivorship can be thought of as a pizza topping along with other parts of your life, and many more pockets of insight from my UVA School of Medicine classmate, Kate!

Full of energy and youthfulness, LaTonya is a natural storyteller with the perspective and story to match. One of the best things about having breast cancer was the self realization of her tenacity (immediately after being diagnosed LaTonya drove to the grocery store to buy everything organic, sparking a radical lifestyle change) and the worst thing by far was her chemotherapy treatment. Yet to be mentioned in this podcast, the long-lasting impact of chemotherapy, including neuropathy in your hands and feet and random bouts of dizziness, has LaTonya constantly being reminded of her 2017 breast cancer treatment.

Brenda is a bit more soft spoken than past cancer survivors on this podcast, her journey a bit more private and her circle a bit more intimate. Nonetheless, Brenda had a challenging but ultimately triumphant journey battling breast cancer and looks forward to her five-year survivorship celebration this summer. Initially fearful and in disbelief, Brenda found support in her doctors, children, and God. 

Sheri is a 10-year breast cancer survivor. Sheri is also a quadriplegic after a diving incident at age 16.  Injury coupled with illness, Sheri's challenging journey ten years ago was wrought with disability accommodations, familiarity with recurrent appointments (she calls herself a “frequent flyer”), and theories about cancer onset. A frequent storyteller, herself, Sheri shares the story of her battles with health.

Jacqueline is your unconventional cancer survivor- true alone from the fact that throughout our conversation about her breast cancer diagnosis she sat across from me with a beaming smile, giggling between anecdotes. Losing her mother and grandmother to breast cancer and brain cancer, respectively, convinced Jacqueline to approach her own cancer diagnosis years later with positivity including love, laughter, and stories with happy endings, including her own happy ending: almost 18 years of being a survivor.

Ify is an immigrant health advocate (and an African immigrant herself) who founded and serves as director of the organization, The African Women’s Cancer Awareness Association. Her spirituality, family, friends, and gentle spirit have gotten her through what has become five surgeries since her difficult decision: to do a lumpectomy in her right breast only or do a double mastectomy to essentially eliminate her risk of breast cancer reoccurrence. On the one hand Ify had only stage 0 breast cancer diagnosis, on the other, Ify had lost her friend and mother to breast cancer. Her decision to do a double mastectomy has tragically led to five surgeries due to complications, all on her left breast, which was void of cancer to begin with. Infections, pain, bleeding, ER visits, and last-minute surgeries have motivated Ify to fight even harder for her and others with illness. “Get a second opinion” Ify advises. Keep going, she says, for a third, fourth, or fifth if you have to.

Ms. Reid-Sillah is a current D.C. resident who advocates on behalf of the underserved communities of the metropolitan area. In episode #4 of "When We Had Cancer," Ms. Reid-Sillah approaches her breast cancer journey from a unique perspective, believing it was the best thing that could have happened to her. Listen to this week's episode to hear why.

A kindergarten teacher born and raised in Chester, South Carolina, “Tesha” Bouler moved to the D.C. area seven years ago. At age 36, she found a lump in her breast and assumed it was a benign cyst. The breast cancer diagnosis came as a devastating shock that was followed by fears of death, the freezing of eggs, the loss of beloved curls, and a powerful spiritual journey. Now a survivor, Tesha shares her remarkable story on Episode #3 of “When We Had Cancer.”

Not a “survivor" and technically not said to be in remission either, Susan has been N.E.D. ("no evidence of disease") since her last surgery in January 2017. A local from northwest D.C. and the mother of Sarah’s childhood friend, Isabel, Susan shares her story about how a rare breast cancer diagnosis days after President Trump’s election was tackled pragmatically with the support of family, friends, and the January Ladies.

Dr. Jehan "Gigi" El-Bayoumi is the founder and director of the GWU Rodham Institute, a clinical professor and internal medicine physician at GWU Hospital, and 15 years in remission since her double-mastectomy.