Cancer doesn’t just change your calendar, it changes your sense of self in a single sentence: “You have cancer.” Host Brian Triger sits down with Tarah Green from Tenaciously Teal to talk about what happens after that moment, when fear, grit, and community all show up at once, and survivorship starts with the next step out the door. Tarah shares her journey from child welfare work to a stage four ovarian cancer diagnosis in 2012, and how she learned to carry both hope and the heaviness that comes with losing friends along the way.
We get practical about the chemo experience too, including a myth many people don’t realize: treatment can mean sitting in an infusion chair for most of the day. Tarah explains what fills those hours, why chemo rooms run cold, and how tiny comforts can become lifelines. That reality becomes the spark for Tenaciously Teal, an Oklahoma City nonprofit that builds ovarian cancer support through care packages packed with real-world essentials and a handwritten note that tells a stranger, clearly, someone cares.
From there, we dig into what it takes to grow a survivor-led organization, build a team, and create community that isn’t trapped in cancer talk. Tarah highlights Tenacious Together events for survivors and caregivers, new fundraising events, and ways partners and neighbors can help, from donating to showing up for care pack parties. If you’re looking for ovarian cancer resources, cancer care packages, or meaningful ways to support patients during treatment, this conversation points to action. Subscribe, share with someone who needs a lift, and leave a review so more listeners can find stories like this.
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