Heal Mary

In this episode, we chat with Rhonda Smith, the dynamic Executive Director of the California Black Health Network. With a career marked by leadership in health organizations and impactful community initiatives, Rhonda brings a wealth of experience and unwavering passion to our conversation. Join us as we delve into Rhonda's remarkable journey, exploring her work, her vision for healthcare advocacy, and the evolving landscape of health equity. 

In this episode, we're diving deep in with Scout from the National LGBT Cancer Network to embark on a conversation delving into some of the projects and initiatives led by Scout and the Network, the challenges faced by the LGBT community in the realm of research and healthcare, and how acts of allyship are important in this current legislative landscape.

Join us for an exploration of advocacy, resilience, and community on the Heal Mary Podcast!

Michelle Morand is the Co-Founder of Cancer Treatment Options and Management (CTOAM). Michelle is on a mission to revolutionize cancer care by providing swift and personalized protocols for patients.

Join us as Michelle tells us what’s new in cancer treatment, we explore the vital role of tailored treatments in the face of a cancer diagnosis, and discover how CTOAM can provide personalized care accessible to all.

Tune in for an insightful conversation that sheds light on the exciting future of cancer care. 

Contact Info:

Email: info@ctoam.com

Toll-Free Phone Number: 1-833-493-5463

In this episode, we have Karen Fisher, a Pharmacist and the President of the Citrus Colorectal Cancer Foundation, who faced an unexpected diagnosis of stage 2a colon cancer in May 2020 at the age of 54.

Karen's journey began with a startling revelation during a colonoscopy. As she navigated the complex world of cancer diagnosis and treatment, she found herself in search of a comprehensive support system. Despite her background as a pharmacist, Karen realized the need for specialized guidance beyond her knowledge. This inspired the creation of the Citrus Colorectal Cancer Foundation, with the support of her medical team.

In this episode, Karen shares her journey of transformation from a colon cancer patient to a dedicated advocate - join us as we explore her story.

Contact Info

Email: citruscrc@gmail.com

Brandi Kurka has a background in exercise science and is the Executive Director for the organization conquer paralysis now. The organization was started by racecar driver Sam Schmidt who sustained a spinal cord injury after crashing into a wall at over 200 mph in January of 2000. That same year he started  Conquer Paralysis Now. 23 years later, Brandi Kurka has taken the organization to new heights including DRIVEN a program devoted to the lifestyle needs a person living with paralysis has - especially around personal goals and social networks. They've also expanded their support of paralysis from injury to include those from conditions like MS, stroke and other neurological conditions. The organization has one big dream to fill “a world where there is a cure for paralysis and people with neurological conditions can live entirely independent.”

At 32, Shanlee was excelling at her career as a lawyer, met the love of her life and moved cities to start new. It's then that she gets a breast cancer diagnosis. In part 1 of this podcast, we spoke to Shanlee about what it was like to get diagnosed, how her life changed in that moment and how she decided to move forward as an active player in her healthcare.

In this episode, we go deeper into views on life and death and how to heal after the trauma. More importantly, we talk about hope.

Want to get in touch with Shanlee?

Imagine not being able to afford healthcare, coming from underrepresented or newcomer communities, and trying to manage your family, your financial and time resources and trying to complete the medical paperwork to try and get treatment for cancer. We talk to the  President of Angelmira Maricarmen Planas Silva who has been both a scientific researcher and an advocate for women with advanced cancers for decades . We talk about what they do to help women diagnosed with advanced or metastatic cancer improve their quality of life and outcomes through education, companionship, scientific research and integrative support.

Every so often you meet someone who has overcome such a huge life challenge that it makes you really embrace your life and how precious and challenging and wonderful it can be. You’re going to be so inspired by Shanlee’s story. It really starts at the age of 32 when a lot of us begin really excelling at our careers, she had moved companies and cities and met the love of her life. It's then that she gets a breast cancer diagnosis.

What I love about this story and what I hope you get to hear from it is yes, she had cancer but it’s not about the cancer it’s about how she took action in her own health care, by being an active participant, how she came to terms about living in the present for the future and defines her relationship between life and death.

Want to get in touch with Shanlee?

Roberta Lombardi is the President and CEO of Infinite Strength, an organization that supports single mothers from underrepresented communities. Roberta started the inspiring organization as she herself was going through her own breast cancer experience when she saw the financial, emotional and mental it took. Her own experiences of losing her hair, side effects from treatment and dealing with depression caused her to step into a new role in her life, one that would help the lives of so many others.

Listen in on how she shares her growing organization, the impact they're having in 17 states and what she says is the biggest burden to single moms dealing with cancer. 

We're talking all about respiratory health (aka stuff to do with your lungs) and you'll never guess what everyday items are major contributors to respiratory health problems! We sit down with Kelly Nichols from the RHA (respiratory health association) to find out just what is lung disease (like COPD, COVID, lung cancer), why it's such a growing problem for us and what we can do about it.

With a diverse career serving in various roles that started in performing arts, Kelly took a turn to science and research, and is now focused on community and environmental activism and outreach. She is a passionate, and dynamic mission-driven leader who is making an  impact and creating positive and meaningful change in her community.

Starting off in corporate America, Nancy pivoted to the non profit world and has been with A Breath of Hope for 10 years as their first Executive Director to advance their mission in the world of Lung Cancer.

Her depth of knowledge and empathy for such a difficult and sad disease, brings a lens that we hope changes the stigma against lung cancer and helps patients get the treatment and support they need and deserve earlier.

Find out how a stop smoking campaign led to the false narrative that lung cancer is caused by smoking (60% of cases are NON-SMOKERS). And did you know almost 2x as many women die of lung cancer than breast cancer?!

Take a deep breath and listen in. 

Hannah Sharpe from the life science team joins us to talk about all the new clinical trial treatments available for blood cancers (hematological cancer) like leukemia and lymphoma. She covers targeted gene therapy, immunotherapy and combo therapy while talking about advances in chemotherapy.