"Big A" and "Little a" Advocating for Cancer Parents with Lead OPACC Parent Liaison, Susan Kuczynski

How to Tell Your Story as a Cancer Parent with Bestselling Author Tara MacLean

In this episode, Sam sits down with her close friend, award-winning songwriter and bestselling author Tara MacLean to explore the importance of parents telling their own story in the context of childhood cancer. This conversation moves beyond the clinical version of events—the timelines, the treatments, the updates—and into something deeper: the lived experience of being a parent inside it. What it felt like. What it changed. What it took to endure it. Together, Sam and Tara talk about storytelling as a fundamental human instinct—something we’ve always used to make sense of the unimaginable and to find connection with others who have lived through something similar. They explore how, when parents begin to put words to their experience, it not only helps them process what has happened, but also creates a bridge for the families coming behind them. Using the framework of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey as a loose guide, they walk through the arc many parents recognize: the moment of diagnosis as the call, the depth and disorientation of treatment, and the quiet return—when parents begin to find language for what they’ve lived and share it with others. Tara brings a rare ability to help articulate the most complex emotional experiences, offering insight into how to approach telling your story in a way that feels honest, grounded, and true. This episode is an invitation for parents to begin exploring their own narrative—not as a retelling of events, but as a way to understand, connect, and support others. At its core, this conversation is about the power of story to create meaning, reduce isolation, and offer something steady to those just beginning their own experience. You can learn more about Tara here https://www.taramacleanmusic.com/ [https://www.taramacleanmusic.com/] And purchase her best selling memoir Song of the Sparrow here https://www.amazon.ca/Song-Sparrow-Memoir-Tara-MacLean/dp/1443465127 [https://www.amazon.ca/Song-Sparrow-Memoir-Tara-MacLean/dp/1443465127] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Infant Cancer and Becoming a Voice for Your Baby with Jackie Didio

Infant cancer is rare—so rare that many physicians may never encounter it, especially outside of major centres. And because of that, parents are often required to step into a role they never expected: becoming the voice for a baby who can’t speak, and advocating within a system that is still learning in real time. In this conversation, I speak with Jackie Didio, mom to twin girls, Hannah and Maddie. Maddie was diagnosed with leukemia as a baby, and Jackie shares what it means to navigate treatment with instinct, confidence, and the willingness to question and push when something doesn’t feel right. When the condition is rare, your awareness as a parent matters - it has to. We also talk about the dynamics of caring for a baby through cancer, how infancy can shape the roles of each parent, and the layered reality of raising twins while grieving the loss of one. I deeply admire Jackie - her clarity, her openness, and the way she has turned her experience into meaningful support for others. Through the Madelyn James Foundation, she and her husband provide wraparound care to families with babies aged 0–3, supporting them not just during treatment, but in the critical months after. It’s the kind of care our system often misses but our families so deeply deserve. You can learn more about the Madelyn James Pediatric Cancer Foundation here https://madelynjames.org/ [https://madelynjames.org/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Starting a Non-Profit After Loss - How Kerri Steele Used Her Lived Experience to Fill a Gap in Cancer Support

When Kerri Steele’s husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she was at home with three young children—just two, four, and six—trying to navigate his care, her own grief, and the impossible task of helping her kids understand what was happening. What she quickly realized was that their words and their behaviour didn’t always line up. They couldn’t fully express what they were feeling, but they were absorbing everything—the fear, the tension, the shift in their world. And it highlighted something we don’t talk about enough: young kids don’t always have the language to tell us when something feels scary or unsafe, but they feel it deeply. On this episode, Kerri shares how that experience led her to create Little Hearts of Hope—a Christian nonprofit supporting children in homes impacted by cancer. With no background in social work, she followed a clear pull to build what didn’t exist: free, home-delivered “hope packages” centered around emotions like anger, sadness, loneliness, and embarrassment, giving kids a way to play through and process what they’re living in real time. We talk about parenting through crisis, communicating hard realities to young children, and what it looks like to build something meaningful out of loss—especially when you’ve lived the gap you’re trying to fill. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

When They’re Ready to Move On and You’re Not - Parenting a Teen Through Cancer with Psychologist and Mom Kelly Stein-Marcus

When your child is diagnosed with cancer, everything changes — instantly. And when your teen wants to move on while you’re still trying to process it, the experience can feel isolating, overwhelming, and surreal. In this episode, I sit down with my friend Kelly Stein-Marcus, an extraordinary mom and clinical health psychologist, to talk about her family’s journey through her teenage son Dylan’s Ewing sarcoma diagnosis. Kelly’s husband, a pediatric radiologist, delivered the scan that changed everything — and together, they found themselves navigating the impossible space between professional expertise and parental helplessness. We explore: * The surreal shock of the days immediately after diagnosis, when there’s no plan and it feels like life has paused. * What it’s like to parent a teenager through cancer, when many teens just want to “move on” and leave the experience behind. * The tension between what parents need to process and celebrate, and what a teen is ready to share. * How Kelly’s background in psychosocial oncology shaped her perspective, but didn’t protect her from the raw, emotional reality of living it. This episode is intimate and honest — two moms sharing their experiences, unfiltered, and reflecting on what it really means to hold your child through trauma while trying to stay afloat yourself. Whether you’re a parent, a professional in the cancer world, or someone who wants to better understand the emotional journey families face, this conversation is a reminder that you’re not alone — and that even in the darkest, most disorienting moments, there is strength, resilience, and love. Key Topics: Teen Cancer, Pediatric Oncology, Ewing Sarcoma, Parenting Through Trauma, Parental Helplessness, Psychosocial Oncology, Family Resilience, Adolescent Experience ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

"Big A" and "Little a" Advocating for Cancer Parents with Lead OPACC Parent Liaison, Susan Kuczynski

Today I speak with Susan, founder of OPAAC (Ontario Parents Advocating for Childhood Cancer), about the development of parent-led advocacy in pediatric oncology. Susan shares how her daughter’s diagnosis in 1995 led to her becoming a parent liaison at SickKids Hospital and eventually establishing OPAAC in 1997. Today, it remains the only parent-led childhood cancer advocacy organization of its kind in Ontario. Our conversation explores how advocacy often begins with lived experience and evolves into structured, system-level engagement. Susan explains the difference between “Big A” advocacy — policy work, formal partnerships, and participation in hospital decision-making — and “Little a” advocacy, which includes peer support, attending appointments with parents, and staying connected to families during and after treatment. We talk about why parents can feel overlooked within the healthcare system, how support needs change significantly once treatment ends, and why relationship-building with healthcare teams is essential for sustainable change. The episode offers a practical look at how parents can move from emotional response to effective advocacy, and how organizations like OPAAC create meaningful support for families across the treatment continuum. You can find out more about Susan and OPACC here: https://www.opacc.org/ [https://www.opacc.org/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.