Need an engaging way to pass your travel time during the winter holidays? Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation, has assembled a compilation of standout episodes from Season V of our Your Stories podcast series. Your Stories showcases candid conversations between patients, doctors, and the family and friends who conquer cancer with them.

Armoring Up 

Guest: Loriana Hernandez-Aldama 

Host: Brenda Brody 

Emmy award-winning journalist Loriana Hernandez-Aldama was celebrating her five-year survival milestone after conquering leukemia when she got the call: She had breast cancer. The veteran reporter shares why she views her second cancer diagnosis as a gift, discusses ways to navigate sudden diagnoses or recurrences, and explains how staying “prehabilitated” helped her take on treatment again. 

A Conversation About Race in Cancer Care 

Guest: Dr. Karen Winkfield 

Host: Dr. Don Dizon 

One of the country’s leading experts in health equity, Dr. Karen Winkfield, discusses the sobering realities of why cancer risks are higher and survival rates are lower for Black people. She talks about the vital work being done to reverse this disparity and candidly addresses the uncomfortable truths that people from historically and currently excluded and disenfranchised communities often face when seeking medical care. 

“Thriving” 

Guest: Mai Achong 

Host: Dr. Don Dizon 

Mai Achong had dreamed of being pregnant and having a child, but for years she noticed warning signs from her body — pain, fatigue, abnormal bleeding, irregular menstruation. Her persistence with follow-up appointments and second opinions brought an answer: Mai had ovarian cancer. Though she survived and her dream of motherhood was fulfilled, the challenges of recurrence and survival continue to haunt her. From navigating health care systems to parenting while in treatment, Mai shares the life-changing lessons she learned as a patient and how these transformed her into an advocate for herself and others. 

Cancer as a Young Adult 

Guest: Carly Flumer 

Host: Dr. Mark Lewis 

Carly Flumer was a hospital primary care worker and health communication student when a few wellness exams revealed a lump in her throat. Follow-up scans forever changed her young adult life: She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at 27. Now in remission, Carly shares the invaluable lessons she learned about communication between doctors and patients. Now 32, she is helping other young adult patients with cancer navigate the unique age-relevant challenges they face during and after treatment. 

Learning How Language Saves Lives 

Guest: Dr. Jenny Ruiz

Host: Dr. Don Dizon 

Dr. Jenny Ruiz’s first experience with children in cancer care was when her younger cousin was diagnosed with leukemia. Dr. Ruiz became a translator for her family, most of whom speak Spanish as a first language; her cousin’s doctor spoke English. This experience showed her how life-threatening language barriers can be for patients. Helping her family communicate with their oncologist inspired Dr. Ruiz, a three-time Conquer Cancer grant and award recipient, to advance language-based research. She shares how this work is vital to improving care for all patients.