Overlooked is an award-winning women's health podcast that features the topics nobody talks about, and the stories that make you feel understood. The show is hosted by Golda Arthur, who writes this newsletter - subscribe for behind-the-scenes access to every episode, plus the resources and information that go deeper on the health issues the episodes tackle.
The shadow of cancer survivorship
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The story of cancer is changing quickly. Just in the last month, two news stories brought positive developments: The first was a groundbreaking new drug for advanced pancreatic cancer, which was just given approval by the FDA here in the US - it doubles the survival time for patients. And then, a new cancer vaccine for melanoma showed great results for patients in a large clinical trial. There’s hope here, for sure. But all of this has made me wonder about the nature of cancer survivorship. I saw my mom struggle with this during her cancer journey, and have talked to other survivors about their experiences too. What I saw and heard was that survivorship comes with its own weight, one that doesn't get nearly the support or attention that it deserves. Surviving a cancer diagnosis is a big deal - no doubt about it - but there’s a shadow here. And it is most definitely overlooked. “It is amazing that survival is increasing at a fairly rapid rate, and that makes it even more important to address it, because patients are going to live longer as cancer survivors than as cancer patients. So what happens after you finish your chemo, your radiation, your surgery?” - Dr Mercedes Castiel I talked to Dr Castiel for a live taping of Overlooked, at the Canadian Conference on Ovarian Cancer (CCOCR) this past spring in Vancouver, British Columbia. CCOCR was organized by Ovarian Cancer Canada, an exemplary advocacy organization, and was hosted this year at the University of British Columbia, by the Gynecologic Cancer Initiative, which is doing world-class, needle-moving work on the science of ovarian cancer. Dr Castiel and I had an in-depth conversation on cancer survivorship in front of a live audience at this conference, and we talked about the struggles survivors face, including:
I also gave the live audience prompts to share their own story, asking - what does the term 'quality of life' mean to you, and what has your survivorship entailed? You can use these prompts too, if you want to share your experience of survivorship, via email or voice memo. In this episode you’ll hear experiences from three women who shared their story: Does this newsletter slide straight into your inbox? Next week’s email offers the chance for subscribers - that's YOU! to be featured on the podcast this fall - more info coming your way in next week’s email. Get yourself on the mailing list here to make sure you don’t miss it. What to listen to next for a deeper dive Overlooked’s body of work on cancer and women's health is pretty wide-ranging, here’s a selection of resources: A full hysterectomy could prevent cancer - but it also kickstarts menopause: Pamela Esposito-Amery’s story. Pamela is also the founder of Tell Every Amazing Lady, a New York-based advocacy organization for ovarian and gynecologic cancer. Discovering a borderline tumor in your 20s, with Lucy Rudd Knowing, and facing your cancer risk, with Michelle Zimmerman Ovarian Cancer Series: Listening to the body - this episode features stories of ovarian cancer survivors, and was made possible by the Amy Krouse Rosenthal Foundation, a Chicago-based advocacy organization for ovarian cancer. HPV, cervical cancer and the at-home screening test that could save your life, with Dr Anita Lim. If you've read this recent news story about how the NHS is rolling out free cervical testing kits in England, listening to this episode will give you the background. What is cancer survivorship, with Teresa Arthur, a.k.a Mom That last one is a conversation that my mom and I had when she was alive, where she reflected on her own cancer journey and what quality of life, and survivorship meant to her. I can’t re-listen to this episode - I’m just not ready to hear mum’s voice on tape again - and anyway her voice is in my head so much these days. But if you're a Teresa fan, it's a good episode to listen to. September is ovarian cancer awareness month and this year, I approach it with a heavy heart. I’m biased of course, but she was one of the strongest, most knowledgeable advocates I know when it came to ovarian cancer. I'm committed to carrying on this work in her name. Here's a pic that makes me happy. What else is going on: I read this fascinating story on something called rapamycin: The Experimental Fertility Treatment Dividing IVF Physicians, in a piece by award-winning science communicator Kristel Tjandra. If you’re interested in how doctors think and how they’re trained (I’m gradually becoming obsessed with this btw) you’ll find this interesting: Breakthroughs, a podcast from the Feinberg School of Medicine, features conversations with the people behind the science, and this episode about ‘bedside medicine’ and why it’s important, kept me listening all the way through. Wishing you the best of health, Golda |
Overlooked: a women's health podcast
Overlooked is an award-winning women's health podcast that features the topics nobody talks about, and the stories that make you feel understood. The show is hosted by Golda Arthur, who writes this newsletter - subscribe for behind-the-scenes access to every episode, plus the resources and information that go deeper on the health issues the episodes tackle.
The inspiration for this episode comes from an incident that took place last December: a sudden, 10-out-of-10 headache brought me to the ER. Despite its severity, I found myself downplaying my pain when they asked, "How bad is the pain?" Anyway, I was given a CT scan, IV and fluids, and about six hours later, they told me it did not seem to be a dangerous condition and discharged me. That visit really triggered a bunch of questions I had about how we can advocate for ourselves better as...
The most memorable doctor’s appointment I ever had was about 10 years ago, at my first annual check-up. I had been out-of-sorts; it felt like being a puzzle where the bits were drifting slowly away from each other. I didn’t say this to the doctor, because - well, I didn’t know how to. Puzzle? Drifting bits? And it was a weird thing to bring up, since it was so generalized. But there was this one specific symptom I needed to tell him about. “I have this tightening in my chest,” I said. “Like a...
First Person Health is back, and this episode is a special, ovarian cancer edition of the workshop. Our cohort this time was Deborah Binder, Jen Johnson, Nikki Myers and Molly Goodman, all ovarian cancer patients and survivors who took part in this storytelling class. I know this looks like a ordinary zoom room, but extraordinary stories came from this cohort, as it does every time with this class. It takes a bit of courage and commitment to oneself to reexamine your health story, and find a...