#cancercandoone podcast by Mike Kinnaird
When treatment ended, Sanna Tiensuu-Piirainen was told: "You're cancer-free. Good luck."
The diary is empty. No more scans. No more treatment. That's it. You're good. So why do so many cancer patients feel depressed, abandoned and lost when surely it's time to celebrate?
"I sat in the car for half an hour and cried." His first thought; how will his new wife cope with this news? He was 30 years old with a life built on fitness and nutrition. He felt very alone.
What happens when cancer doesn’t just hit one person, but an entire family?
Tony Collier had it all—or so he thought. In his 60s, he was the embodiment of drive: building a business, checking every box for success, and clocking 60–70-hour workweeks.
Beverley is a mum to Jake, a thirty-something who still lives at home—not because of choice, but because a missed brain tumour diagnosis changed both their lives forever.
What happens when you’re diagnosed with cancer but the nearest treatment is hundreds of miles away — and there’s no radiotherapy machine? When the cost of the most basic of treatment is way beyond what your community can afford. In this episode, I speak with a quietly remarkable oncologist working in Cameroon. Dr. Sarah Adiang Mouelle explains what cancer care looks like when equipment is scarce, costs are high, and awareness is patchy. As a young oncologist she and a very small number of dedicated colleagues face a near catastrophic cancer situation with numbers only increasing.
What happens when cancer care is both the best—and the worst?
She knew something wasn't right. At all. But getting her fears recognised took far longer than anticipated.
Tired versus fatigue. Big difference. Did I know that? Absolutely not.
Breasts are a private matter. Talking about them, touching them, exposing them to examination. Photograph them? No. Absolutely not comfortable with any of that. At all. That’s not what we do.
How do you explain what cancer is to children? How to do that with facts they can understand, in an every day way they can follow and without frightening them?
Dale was at the top of his game. Literally.
We all know sleep is important. But if you have a chronic illness—or cancer—it's not just about feeling rested.
What happens when cancer gets a sense of humour? And when a late autism diagnosis changes how some healthcare professionals see cancer care?
'I wish I had understood the risks more clearly. My family made decisions they didn't fully understand...'
What we eat can shape our cancer risk and treatment—and for those undergoing treatment, food can be a lifeline.
'You're looking well. You know where I am if you need anything...'
Stay with me; it’ll make sense in the end. Trust me. Now, I’ve got to be honest. I couldn't have second-guessed some of the topics we've talked about on the #CancerCanDoOne podcast, which only began earlier this year…
Anna Rathkopf was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer. She was 37.
The extraordinary power of music and how it changes lives.
More than 24,000 cancer cases have been confirmed since the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York in 2001.
As if cancer isn't enough, life throws menopause into the mix. Not always, but it can trigger early onset.
Fear of losing their job, of being a burden to colleagues but needing to work for all kinds of reasons.
Dr Liz O'Riordan, consultant breast cancer surgeon. She was highly respected in what is still largely a male-dominated arena. Now retired, not out of choice. Back in 2015, she was appointed consultant in oncoplastic surgery in Suffolk. Two years later it's Liz who hears the words, you have breast cancer. And that's happened three times.
Turn Louth Pink. It just grew and grew...and grew.
Can a book of cancer stories ever be positive? Uplifting? Now maybe you're sceptical. And if you are then it's my very great pleasure to say that you are wrong, big time.
Question! Did you know that a cancer diagnosis could mean your household bills increase by anything between £900 and £1,000 every month? That's in the UK and is likely far higher in many countries.
When Laura posted her first Stage 4 secondary cancer update on Facebook she couldn't have known what would happen next. It was originally intended to be a way to update her family and friends on her treatment. But very quickly she noticed something unplanned and unexpected.
You'd think all ambition would be finished right there. Dreams gone. Surely that's logical?
Feeling bullied. And her anxiety attacks were often not recognised at school. She felt punished for feeling the way she did. Not all teachers reacted this way; she did get some support.
How do you tell a child their parent has cancer? What words do you use...when?
'Patients in my position finish the main hospital treatments then you are left with very little support and many patients feel uncomfortable and not certain how to pick their lives up...'
1,000 + runners, huge crowds and another record-breaker from this national flagship fundraising group in a tiny town. 18 years ago £3,000 was raised - this time around £30,000 plus gift aid. It's June 30, 2024, 7 am and the team has been there for quite a while already...
If you're showing signs of prostate cancer, it's probably too late. That's a stark fact.
Nipples and areolas. For some women who lost nipples and the areola during reconstruction following breast cancer, it can be devastating. In some cases, they no longer feel like a woman.
We spoke to NHS Patient Advocate Anna Mamwell before about long-term patient health during and after treatment. It's something she knows all about. Anna also had leukaemia. In hospital for 6 months. And she was terrified.
It will take laws and social change combined to save lives. That's the view of Gower Tan, a Fundraiser and volunteer Campaigns Ambassador with Cancer Research UK, and more recently employee in the Campaigns team.
Are we doing enough for long-term patient health during and after treatment? And for carers..? NHS Patient Advocate Anna Mamwell, in remission herself, isn't so sure...
Evenings and weekends. We join the volunteers collecting £3,500 of household items in a couple of hours. And the long haul of encouraging locals to sign up for their flagship charity summer run, on windy days in April. If they didn't do it, no funds for cancer research.
Laurence died from Non-Hodgkin lymphoma a few weeks ago. His partner, Victoria runs the Puddle Ducks Day Nursery with her sister at Alvingham in Lincolnshire. They have two children. Keeping busy is how she's dealing with the days. Because what else can she do..?
It's never happened before. And no one can quite believe it.
