This episode is about cancerversaries, as Kristine just surpassed her 4th cancerversary (it's on her birthday). It's from my perspective as a care partner - what I've learned and hopefully things that are helpful. I'm very fortunate that Kristine has reached this important milestone and hoping for many, many more.
Colorectal cancer (CRC), particularly Stage 4 MSS (Microsatellite Stable) CRC needs more everything. And the executive branch of the United States federal government is trying to take away quite a large chunk of funding from cancer research. (Yes, that comes up in THIS episode - because there can't be cancerversaries without cancer research.) Fortunately, the US Senate Appropriations Committee voted bipartisan (26-3) to give MORE money to NIH than last year. Not the 40% slashing that the executive branch wanted. Hopefully this will include fully staffing the NIH as well.
https://www.fightcancer.org/releases/us-senate-appropriations-committee-shows-strong-bipartisan-support-cancer-research-funding
That doesn't mean we're out of the woods - because it hasn't passed the full Senate and there are still so many questions. Please continue to contact your Senators and Representatives about how important cancer research funding is. Many lives depend on it.
Here is a form from AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) that lets you send a personalized message to your senators and representative.
https://www.aacr.org/professionals/policy-and-advocacy/aacr-legislative-action-center/
You can also directly help to fundraise for individual NCI (National Cancer Institute) centers. For example, Johns Hopkins has a fund where 100% of the money raised goes directly to research. They have specific trials that have been run directly from this fundraising.
This episode is the 2nd of a 2 parter!
Listen to S2Ep4 for the 1st part of this 2 part podcast.
Lora Silver, MS, RDN, CSO, CDN, CNSC an oncology dietitian from Yale Smilow Cancer Center joined me in a conversation about why it's important to have a dietitian on your care team. Food is complicated in all cancers, but particularly CRC. And there is a lot of misinformation out there about it.
Join me in learning how dietitians (and care partners!) can help cancer patients eat better, and feed that gut microbiome too.
In this episode, we talk more specifically about foods to eat in Cancerland, including talking about a session out of the ASCO conference about anti-inflammatory foods and colorectal cancer. And how as care partners, we can help our loved ones in a very meaningful way, through food and nutrition.
Show Notes:
Other resources that Lora wanted to share:
Editing to add -
This episode is a 2 parter!
Lora Silver, MS, RDN, CSO, CDN, CNSC an oncology dietitian from Yale Smilow Cancer Center joined me in a conversation about why it's important to have a dietitian on your care team. Food is complicated in all cancers, but particularly CRC. And there is a lot of misinformation out there about it.
Join me in learning how dietitians (and care partners!) can help cancer patients eat better, and feed that gut microbiome too.
Then, join us for part 2 when we talk more specifically about foods to eat in Cancerland, including talking about a session out of the ASCO conference about anti-inflammatory foods and colorectal cancer.
Show Notes:
Helpful Links that Lora wanted to share:
Thank you to my incredible wife Kristine for helping me to edit these episodes!
Here are links to some of the information talked about in the episode:
Research:
- MSK article (April 2025) on exercise as cancer therapy
- MSK article (Jan 2017) on cancer patients being less active
- ASCO25 press release about the international CHALLENGE trial where early stage colorectal patients who had an exercise "coach" and exercised regularly had a better disease free survival
- American Cancer Society article on Weight Loss
Exercise Programs:
- MSK Integrative Medicine at Home - virtual exercise classes for cancer patients and care partners - $20/mth and you do not need to be a MSK patient
- Exercise Programs at Wellness House (Chicago) - free exercise programs, some in-person and some virtual
- Wellness Programs at Hirsch (Greensboro, NC) - free exercise programs, some in-person and some virtual
- Livestrong Program at the YMCA (national) - close to 800 YMCA locations across the country participate in this 12 week program for cancer survivors
- American College of Sports Medicine - Cancer and Exercise Research and Resources
which includes a Moving Through Cancer directory of some of the local and regional exercise oncology specialists and programs, searchable by city or state
Host, Producer, Composer, Editor: Elsa Lankford
This episode is called Home is Where the Healthcare Is (Sometimes).
In October 2024, my incredible Kristine (💙💙) had a major surgery - CRS/HIPEC. Over the last few months, she has had some temporary members added to her care team.
In this episode, I talk about the importance of a nutritionist, home wound care nurse, and a home physical therapist.
*** If you are in the United States, please join me in continuing to advocate for fully funded and staffed cancer and medical research, from the NIH, NCI, FDA, CDC, to local, regional, and national cancer centers.
Colorectal cancer, and all of the other cancers, needs more hope and options. Those come directly out of cancer research.
Please check out Fight CRC - https://fightcolorectalcancer.org/advocacy/public-policy/federal-policy/ or https://5calls.org/issue/nih-nsf-funding-cuts/ ***
This episode is truly from the heart, not just because I recorded it and am uploading it on Valentine's Day 2025, but because cancer research means the world to me. It offers hope in cancerland, which is necessary.
Here are some ways that you can help save cancer research in the United States:
This is a rapidly evolving issue that is very time sensitive. Please share and call your representatives, go to their town halls, let them know how important cancer research is to you, your family, and your loved ones.
Welcome to the eleventh episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC where I talk with my best friend for over 30 years, my wife Kristine about healthy distractions.
Kristine was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer on her 49th birthday in July 2021. We have had to come up with a lot of coping mechanisms to deal with this cancer diagnosis, and we have a number of healthy distractions. From walking, puzzles, dancing, doing fun spontaneous things, exercise, meditation, and sometimes just being silly.
Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)
Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford
Kristine - You are incredible 💙
Please remember to share, subscribe, like, and rate the podcast.
Helpful links related to this episode:
Welcome to the tenth episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC where I talk with friend and fellow stage 4 care partner Liz from Vancouver.
Liz's daughter Haley was diagnosed with advanced stage 4 colon cancer in June 2022 at the age of 19. Liz talks about all the different ways she and her family were able to say yes to opportunities and to make memories with Haley. As Liz explains, cancer makes life and planning so uncertain, so you need to take every opportunity that you can.
Kristine and I had been planning on visiting Liz later in the summer, but when Kristine needed to go back to chemo, we pivoted (again) and are so glad that we said yes, let's travel across the country next week (and that Liz said yes to being our incredible tour guide).
Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)
Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford
Kristine - I love you. 💙
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Welcome to the ninth episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC where I talk about my wife Kristine's liver surgery.
Her liver surgery was in January 2022. There is a lot involved in a loved one getting to surgery, and care partners can help them prepare for this challenging time. I also talked about staying in the hospital room to help her (and help distract) as well as during recovery and healing.
Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)
Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford
Kristine - You're so much more than chopped liver to me (ba dum bah!) ❤️
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Helpful links related to this episode:
Welcome to the eighth episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC where I talk to medical librarian Carrie Price about how to find reliable medical information online.
I know I learned a lot from Carrie during this episode (including how awesome medical librarians are!), I hope that you do too.
Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)
Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford
Guest: Carrie Price, Research Impact & Health Professions Librarian at Towson University
Kristine - here's to doing fun stuff - I love you ❤️
Please remember to share, subscribe, like, and rate the podcast.
Helpful links related to this episode:
fruquintinib site:.gov
(first result is sponsored but rest of results are .gov sites)
Welcome to the seventh episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC where I talk about my wife Kristine's very recent immunotherapy trial and all that it entailed.
This is the first episode where I talk about something that is so recent (spoiler alert, she exited the trial officially this weekend). So I don't have the benefit of time and other experiences for comparison. It's still very fresh, and upsetting. But, that's how stage 4 cancer works. As a care partner, you make sure that your loved one has all the information that they need to make an informed decision, and then back them up and care for them.
Cancer is hard. And change is hard. But having options is everything. We just need a lot more of them. Hence, trials. There will be a future episode on how to find trustworthy information, and also how to search for trials.
Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)
Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford
Kristine - I know this was difficult. But I know that the immunotherapy and chemo are going to work together to kick some cancer butt.
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Welcome to the sixth episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC where I talk about the importance of a team of... teams?
It's so difficult to go through CancerLand by yourself - as a stage 4 patient, or even as a care partner. In this episode I talk about the importance of a good medical team (local and when you get multiple opinions), the importance of oncology nurses and all of the techs and phlebotomists and staff that work at the cancer centers, supportive teams, and a team for the care partners. We need people to talk to, to do fun stuff with, and to listen to us. Those people might change over time. It's never too late to start or join a team.
Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)
Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford
Kristine - by the time this goes live, we'll know what the next step of the plan is. You're incredible 💙
Please remember to share, subscribe, like, and rate the podcast.
Helpful links related to this episode:
Welcome to the fifth episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC with the 2nd episode of chemo.
This episode is what happened after the 1st pivot (Episode 4) and 3 liver mets popped back up and had to be dealt with using FOLFIRI and EGFR inhibitors (specifically panitumimab or Vectibix). Supporting your loved one while they are on chemo, especially one with such visible side effects, can be challenging.
Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)
Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford
Tina - thank you so much again for all your help. Getting your feedback is so helpful.
And to Kristine (now she knows that I put a little message for her in the podcast info), I love you so much. I'm not being very creative with this, I just love you more than anything.
Please remember to share, subscribe, like, and rate the podcast.
Helpful links related to this episode:
Welcome to the fourth episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC on The Pivot (part 1).
Having backup plans, and being able to pivot quickly is essential, especially with a stage 4 colorectal cancer diagnosis.
In this episode, I talk about the need to pivot, what that entails, and some tips not just for care partners, but for friends and family. (Spoiler alert: Be there to listen and also do fun things)
Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)
Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford
And all the thanks and hugs in the world to Kristine. You are amazing.
Please remember to share, subscribe, like, and rate the podcast.
Helpful links related to this episode:
Welcome to the third episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC on biomarkers.
I am joined again by CRC patient advocate and friend Annie Delores, whose information can be found here or through the podcast's website.
In today's episode, we talk about the basics and importance of biomarkers and colorectal cancer.
Full transcription can be found on the website.
Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford
Guest: Annie Delores
And all the thanks and hugs in the world to Kristine. I can never tell you often enough how incredible you are.
Please remember to share, subscribe, like, and rate the podcast.
Helpful links related to this episode:
Welcome to the second episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC.
In today's episode, we'll look at my wife Kristine's first line chemo (FOLFOXIRI) for colorectal cancer as I trace some of the earlier steps of her stage 4 colorectal cancer journey and what it is like for a stage 4 care partner. Chemo is important in stage 4, as it gives the best chance to get to a procedure with curative intent. Second (and third, fourth, etc.) opinions are also incredibly important.
Full transcription can be found on the website.
Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford
Helpful links related to this episode:
Welcome to the first episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC.
In today's episode, we'll look back at the beginning of the my wife Kristine's stage 4 colorectal cancer journey, the diagnosis.
I am joined by CRC patient advocate and friend Annie Delores, whose information can be found here or through the podcast's website.
Full transcription can be found on the website.
Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford
Guest: Annie Delores
Special thanks to Tina for her feedback and friendship.
Helpful links related to this episode:
Trailer and introduction to Care Partners Compass: Navigating CRC podcast.
Short introduction to the podcast. New episodes will start to be released in March 2024, Colorectal Cancer Awareness month.
Host: Elsa Lankford
Production: Elsa Lankford
Music by: Elsa Lankford
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Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation.
This podcast does not contain medical or legal advice. Please consult your medical professional about any medical questions or concerns.
