Talk About Cancer
Talk About Cancer is a podcast of stories from cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and family members. The host, Serena Hu, talks to her guests about their emotional journeys with cancer and what happens to the relationships in their lives after a cancer diagnosis. They will often explore how culture and faith shape each person's experience of cancer and grief. You will find diverse perspectives, honesty, and wisdom in these stories to help you deal with cancer and its aftermath. http://talkaboutcancerpodcast.com
Talk About Cancer
Fast forward your life
Babz walked us through how he reacted when he first got his diagnosis and how he quickly realized that dealing with cancer was mostly a mental game.
You can check out Babz's Community Interest Company Freshrb, which uses video production to highlight marginalized health issues.
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Thank you for listening!
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My reflections on the conversation:
Babz mentioned the idea of “fast-forwarding your life” a few times during our discussion, and I thought it’s a pretty succinct way to describe a critical part of people’s experience with cancer because in an instant, a cancer diagnosis forces you to answer all the major life questions you haven’t yet answered with nearly no time to thoughtfully understand the issue and think through all the options and potential outcomes. Too many have had to deal with lasting consequences because they were either not fully informed, or not informed at all.
I also thought it was very interesting for Babz to share that it wouldn’t have made a big difference if his medical team was more direct in their communication while Babz was waiting for his diagnosis. I know it would have driven me crazy to have to wait six months to get a confirmation and all the while experiencing strange symptoms. But that’s also what I love about making this podcast, is that it challenges my assumption about other’s experiences and perspectives!
I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t know anything about Nigerian culture even though I lived in NYC for 7 years and it has one of the largest Nigerian populations in the US. But it was so interesting to hear about the similarities between the Nigerian and the Chinese cultures, such as not talking about illnesses and being suspicious about non-traditional careers!