The Deep C – Details, episodes & analysis

Claire from Strong Like Sloane talks about how her daughter Sloane was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma when she was 5 years old and how Sloane's diagnosis threw her into a place where she felt compelled to use her marketing and advocacy skills to fight for other families just like theirs. Claire discusses her coping mechanisms and advocacy work. She shares how she turns her pain into purpose and finds hope in the midst of difficult circumstances. Claire emphasizes the importance of giving oneself credit for showing up and choosing to cope. She encourages parents to find what fuels them and turn their pain into purpose, whether it's through advocacy, self-care, or other activities. Claire also highlights the strength and capability that parents discover when faced with challenging situations. Claire shares her journey of finding purpose and hope in the midst of her daughter's cancer diagnosis. She emphasizes the importance of channeling the strength and focus that comes from such a difficult experience into something positive that can help others. Claire discusses the therapeutic power of writing and how it has helped her cope with her emotions. She also talks about the Strong Like Sloan initiative and its goal of raising funds for pediatric cancer research and treatment. Claire shares her experience organizing the Heartbeats for Hope event and the Calgary Marathon, which raised over $100,000 for pediatric cancer.

@stronglikesloane

Why Write Love Poetry in a Burning World by Katie Farris

To train myself to find, in the midst of hell

what isn’t hell.

The body, bald, cancerous, but still

beautiful enough to

imagine living the body

washing the body

replacing a loose front

porch step the body chewing

what it takes to keep a body

going –

This scene has a tune

a language I can read a door

I cannot close I stand

within its wedge

a shield.

Why write love poetry in a burning world?

To train myself, in the midst of a burning world

to offer poems of love to a burning world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we chat with Rose Marie and her two incredible sisters Lisa and Tonia about caring for her while she cares for her son during his cancer treatment. Rose Marie’s 16yr old son was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in December 2023, which means they are still in very active treatment. Her son’s tumour was on his lower right tibia and, despite Rose Marie researching and trying everything under the sun to prevent it (and I mean everything) his lower right leg had to be amputated.

This conversation really made me see caregiving in a whole different way. For the first time it was so clear how MUCH our family, sisters, brothers, parents, not only WANT to help, but that it brings them endless joy and a feeling of genuine purpose when we allow them to. So often as parents going through this we aren’t even thinking about ourselves, our needs, if we’ve eaten or showered or changed our clothes - and we have such a hard time accepting help because we forget that we even exist. All eyes are on our child and what they need, so it feels counter intuitive to accept any help for ourselves. It was so beautiful to hear how desperate Rose Marie's sisters are to help HER. Yes, of course her son too, but they want to carry Rose Marie while she carries her son.

Please share this episode with your family, your siblings, your circle. There are some expletives in this episode, Rose Marie and her sisters are passionate and very comfortable, as they should be, so just a heads up there is cursing throughout. If you’d like a cleaned up version of our chat, just send a message to thedeepc@gmail.com and we'll send one your way.

So, let's dive deep with Rose Marie, Lisa and Tonia.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode we meet Jeff who's daughter Lily was diagnosed with an astrocytoma when she was four months old. In sharing about Lily's cancer treatment, Jeff turns the focus from his daughter towards his incredible wife Julie and the heroic efforts she took to save Lily, and then in turn, the realization that she needed to save herself.

Jeff shares the intimate and vulnerable details of how his wife supported their daughter for years throughout her treatment, and the toll it takes on a parent, particularly a mother. WIth respect and pride, Jeff details Julie's breakdown and subsequent breakthrough, and shares the ways they have both healed from the battle of a childhood cancer diagnosis.

This episode is for every single parent who is struggling to stay afloat, and it will give you permission to ask for a life preserver when you're drowning. There is nothing more brave, or loving, than knowing when it's time to save yourself.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In recognition of Brain Cancer Awareness Month, today’s episode features Cole who was diagnosed with medulloblastoma when he was 12yrs old. Today, Cole is a 22 yr old soon to be college graduate who dedicates his time, energy and passion to raising awareness and advocating for childhood cancer research.

Cole shares his memories of his life before cancer, what it felt like to be diagnosed, and how his family and God carried him throughout his treatment. Cole is vulnerable, honest and so generous with his insights into what it’s like from a child’s perspective to be treated for such an aggressive and life changing diagnosis.

Cole’s story is featured in a new book by legendary ESPN sportscaster Dick Vitale called “Until My Last Breath: Fighting Cancer with My Young Heroes.” Dick, battling cancer himself, shares in Until My Last Breath the resilient stories of kids who have battled pediatric cancer, with all the proceeds benefiting the V Foundation’s Dick Vitale Paediatric Cancer Research Fund. Cole has his own chapter where you can read more about the incredible work he’s done, and I know will continue to do.

Until My Last Breath - Dick Vitale (Amazon link) 

V Foundation

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oncology parents instantly connect on so many levels because our experience is so nuanced and unique, but it's especially familiar and comfortable talking to a parent whose child has the exact same diagnosis as yours. Under the absolute worst circumstances, it turns out that it IS possible to find people who can make you feel seen and supported.

In this episode, we share our experience with our kids Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma - through diagnosis, treatment and scans, we relate on every single level. It was like talking to an old friend, Ebony was so easy and willing to share.

We go deep into hope, support and Ebony's faith in God to carry her through her son's treatment.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we speak with Jasmine Miller, a Child Life Specialist at the UF Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville, Florida. Jasmine gives parents her strategies on working with kids to face the really big scary feelings that come with a cancer diagnosis, and she shares some vulnerable truths of what children confess to her about their treatment when their parents aren’t in the room.

Jasmine has her bachelor's degree in music therapy and has a masters degree in child development. She has been working with children with chronic illness in the hospice world since she was 18 yrs old, and she is the child of a stage 4 lung cancer survivor.

Jasmine talks about the importance of the mental and emotional health of a child during their cancer treatment, and ways she can support the entire family to find joy and connection during a dark and scary time.

https://www.floridaproton.org/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When I first met Julie, I felt this deep enduring strength inside of her. The kind of an embattled solider who had seen war many, many times. I knew she was the perfect person to talk about the roller coaster of this disease, how totally unpredictable and out of control it can be, and how difficult (I actually think we use the word impossible in our conversation) it is to ride it. How do you get comfortable knowing your world could be thrown upside-down in an instant? How do you do life, how do you function, how do you buy your child shoes for the next season when you’re not even sure they’ll be alive to wear them? And that’s what I loved and appreciated so much about Julie, she didn’t shy away from these questions and instead spoke honestly and candidly about her struggles, her anger, and what it feels like to take knock after knock and just keep going against the fiercest storm.

Julie’s 6 yr old son Carson was diagnosed with Leukaemia when he was two, with a rare genetic mutation called the Philadelphia Chromosome that makes his treatment more complex. He relapsed during maintenance, received a bone marrow transplant with his big brother Reid as his donor, and it worked - for over 2 years Carson was cancer free. This past Christmas, literally on Christmas Day, Julie received the devastating news that Carson had relapsed for a second time, catapulting them back into the world they thought was behind them. So behind them in fact, that Carson barely remembered his first treatment and was now reentering the cancer world as a very alert, aware and reluctant 6 year old who wanted none of this.

Julie and I talk about the armour we wear during our kids' treatment and if it ever feels safe to take it off. If you’re in a relapse or if you feel like everywhere you turn there’s just another blow, another complication, another setback, take a listen because Julie is proof that we can survive in uncertainty, and that we have more to give than we sometimes believe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My conversation with Erin was special from the second she opened her mouth. She is the most gentle, warm and beautiful soul, and so willing to share and get vulnerable about what life was like after her daughter Arden passed 4 years ago.

At Arden’s 12 month check up, Erin mentioned to her paediatrician that Arden had a small bump on her chest, and her doctor brushed it off as a lipoma. But Erin knew that Arden hadn't been herself, she was pale, bruising and, as we ALL know, something just didn’t feel right. After many more trips to the doctor, Erin finally brought Arden to the ER with the firm intention of not leaving until she had answers.

After ultrasounds and scans, Erin was brought back into a very sterile ER hospital room, I know you know the room, and with her baby in her lap, the doctors said they found a grapefruit sized tumour in Arden’s abdomen and tests would later indicate she had Neuroblastoma.

I don’t take conversations about our kids lightly. When a parent is opening up and sharing the details of their child’s life, I consider it an honour to be trusted, and I do everything to create a space that feels safe to do that. In my conversation with Erin, we do talk about Arden’s EXTENSIVE treatment that involved surgeries, chemo, a tandem bone marrow transplant, radiation and relapse.

I don’t include these details in the episode you’ll hear today because Erin’s gift to us is how she describes walking through the time after Arden passed, the signs she's received, what’s brought her comfort, what she believes, and the ways she’s tried to process Arden’s loss.

I’ll also add for context that Erin found out she was pregnant towards the end of Arden’s life, and she graciously and openly shares how she mothered Arden as well as the baby growing inside her.

I’m telling you, Erin will enter your heart and never leave.

This episode is for Arden, and Griff 💛

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin’s son Asher was diagnosed at 3 months old with LCH when it was still a very rare cancer diagnosis with minimal research and a trial and error treatment plan. Kevin’s wife Katy became the “medical” parent while he was the parent who kept life running. Kevin speaks candidly about their division of roles and how they kept an open and consistent line of communication with each other throughout Asher’s treatment as a way to stay connected and make sure the other was feeling supported and cared for.

Kevin shares his eternally optimistic attitude about Asher’s diagnosis, and how committed he and his wife Katy were to getting to the other side of treatment. Kevin also opens up about his feelings about their daughter who was 5 years old when Asher was diagnosed. He shares how painful it is to remember how his daughter felt during that time, and how she was the “forgotten sibling”, a pain so many parents with multiple children feel when one child has medical needs. Kevin is so gracious with his open and vulnerable feelings around his regrets, and by sharing his honest account of Asher's treatment, he connects us all because we know these exact feelings.

This conversation is both heartbreaking and also heart affirming, Kevin is an incredible dad to both his kids, and the way he describes the impenetrable bond he and Katy have on the other side of Asher’s treatment is absolutely beautiful.

This episode covers parenting dynamics through a cancer diagnosis, the roles we adopt, how we parent multiple children, and what it feels like to go back to normal too fast after treatment is done.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My husband and I are VERY different, like we're about as opposite as it gets, but somehow we’ve found a way to intersect where it matters the most to us. We have our outside life where people at parties would think we're strangers, and our inside life where our roots grow so far and widespread you will never find where they end. 

When our daughter was diagnosed, our differences for some reason worked in our favour. He became our pillar of strength and I became our pillar of action. While he was holding her hand, I was holding our life. Both equally important. 

Our conversation in this episode exposes our differences in a way I think a lot of partnerships will relate. My husband, an internal processor, was head down, steady strokes, with a firm as hell resolve that we would make it to shore. I, on the other hand, the external processor, had to feel and experience everything - the drowning, the gasping, the sinking, and the darkness. Lots of darkness (still some darkness). But also the blinding light that inevitably follows - light like I've never, ever known. 

The different ways parents move through their child's diagnosis can be so complex and unique, both as individuals and partners, but the one common unwavering thread is the love we have for our children. 

There are no differences among us when it comes to that. 

McNabb family blog fromlandtoc.com

Email and reach out at thedeepcpodcast@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.