On episode 11 of A Chat with Uma, inspired by my upcoming 4-year cancerversary and all that comes up this time of year - I share my full story + experience of living with cancer since I was 22. I talk you through the 6 months of misdiagnosis that led up to my diagnosis the day after my birthday, and I take you through the tumultuous journey of treatment that was shaped by further negligence, misdiagnosis, and mistreatment. I share the consequences of my delayed treatment on my prognosis, and I explain the reality of living with cancer rather than being in remission. I speak at length about the unique struggles of living with cancer as an AYA (adolescent + young adult patient), and I draw awareness to the experience of survivorship beyond treatment that is often completely overlooked by those in an AYA's life. I close with reflections about my experience, and a call to action + empowerment about sharing our true experiences in community with others - and allowing ourselves the chance to be truly seen + supported.
Topics Covered + Timestamps:
(00:00:00): Introduction to the episode, why l'm doing this episode, my upcoming 4-year cancerversary, dedication of this episode
(00:09:44): Aspiring Scientists Coalition Presentation with Dr. Ben Rein
(00:14:00): Breaking Convention Presentation
(00:17:05): Digital CancerCon Presentation
(00:19:58): Diagnosis & surgery
(00:42:56): Negligence, radiation, metastasis
(01:01:20): What my cancer looks like now
(01:07:31): The AYA cancer experience
(01:14:42): The reality of facing your mortality
(01:19:27): Closing out the episode, integrating and allowing all parts of you to exist
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