Epic Experience director Colin Ferro was a special guest on Travel...Adventure...Wellness on WTBQ Radio to discuss how travel and adventure can benefit cancer patients/survivors physically and emotionally.   Learn more about how Epic Experience empowers cancer survivors to live beyond cancer at www.epicexperience.org ..read more

When Sara Marian Lucking was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in 2022, she was on maternity leave from her career as a dermatologist. She shares that being a healthcare professional going through cancer had its pros and cons. While her background knowledge helped her get to a diagnosis faster, it was scary to know so much about the uphill battle she would face with her specific diagnosis and the side effects of her treatments—knowledge she told herself to “unlearn.” As a doctor, she was very familiar with the burnout that many healthcare professionals experience as a result of not put ..read more

Brad Glassel, a stage three prostate cancer survivor, returns to the Campfires of Hope podcast for an episode of Keepin’ It Real. He discusses life following completion of cancer treatment and the difficulty of figuring out how to move on. After attending supportive communities like Epic Experience and local story slams, he discovered the importance of moving forward by embracing new challenges. Brad explains that while challenges may seem daunting at first, they can be overcome by taking small steps. He used that mentality to compile a series of short stories about hi ..read more

In the inaugural Keepin’ It Real episode on the Campfires of Hope podcast, we dig deeper into the mental and emotional side of a cancer diagnosis with Dana Shelton Lee, who is living with stage 4 colon cancer. Dana discusses the impact that multiple recurrences, surgeries, and over 40 rounds of chemotherapy has had on her psyche. She keeps it real by sharing her rock-bottom moments and how she finds strength in self-care, living with intention, and helping others. Dana’s advice is to “find your tribe and learn to live a meaningful life with cancer,” and hopes her story will ..read more

Nils Palsson is a father, author, educator, and testicular cancer survivor. Nils was diagnosed in 2021 and by 2023 was declared to have no evidence of disease. He describes his cancer journey as dance, not a battle. Fittingly, the memoir he is currently writing is titled Cancer Dancer. For Nils, the hardest part about cancer survivorship was thinking about the “what if…” part of his future, something he calls “future tripping.” He’s saved from these thoughts by his daughter’s requests to go play, where he is reminded to be present in the moment. Nils gives us ..read more

Stephanie Luning was just 24 years old when she was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2005. Following surgery and treatment, she was in the clear for six years. Then, in 2011, her doctor noticed a suspicious spot on her regular scan. Stephanie details how she navigated getting several second opinions, all of which provided different options. With so much information to process and a very important decision to make, Stephanie relied on her own intuition, research, and trust in her doctors. After deliberating, she opted not to pursue treatment, which she learned was the correct decision w ..read more

Manny De La Cruz was diagnosed with testicular cancer in January 2022. After several surgeries and four rounds of chemotherapy, he showed no evidence of disease in March 2023.  Manny describes his cancer journey as “riding a wave”: every time something good happened, it was shortly followed by something bad. Through this wave-riding, Manny has gotten better at asking for help and leaning on others. “I had no idea how much I needed other people. But I had no choice, so I allowed myself to open up to others, which was probably one of the most difficult things to do.” In September 2023 ..read more

Gretchen Simpson was shocked when she was diagnosed with stage 2 triple positive breast cancer in early 2021. She ate healthy, exercised regularly, and had no family history of cancer. She was subsequently surprised by how much love and support she received from her friends and community throughout her cancer journey. Friends picked her up at 5 a.m. for the two-hour drive for treatment and doctor’s appointments, spent the day with her, cooked her meals, and supported her in the form of visits, texts, and cards.  In the summer of 2022, Gretchen attended summer camp with Epic ..read more

Lena Rutherford was just 24 years old when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, in the prime of her social life. After receiving the news, she left Chicago with a moment’s notice and headed back home to her family in Colorado, leaving behind her apartment and friends. There, she started six months of chemotherapy. During that time, she often felt lonely and isolated, partly because she was stuck in the house dealing with side effects and partly because she didn't have many friends in Colorado. With the help of her family, Lena found ways to rebuild her social life during this time. Toget ..read more

Emma Reese was two weeks from her 28th birthday when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2016. She had just been married the year prior and her daughter was six months old. At first, she was numb to the news, but she pushed through and went into “go mode” because she had treatment to start and a baby to care for. After completing chemo and beating cancer for five years, Emma had a recurrence in 2021. Fortunately, she fought through it and has been in remission since 2022.  The biggest challenge for Emma has been post-treatment survivorship, particularly the feelings of anxiety an ..read more