Episodes

Nov. 7, 2023

Recurrence: Natasha’s Nonstop Obsession

About to turn 60, Natasha is in a dark place thinking of other things that can go wrong with her health if she’ll have to go it alone. Even though a routine MRI is clear, she obsesses about cancer spreading …

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Oct. 23, 2023

Alicia’s DIEP Flap Reconstruction [Part 2 - After Surgery]

5 months after her DIEP flap reconstruction surgery, Alicia returns with an update. Although the original plan was to do a DIEP flap on both sides, it didn’t turn out that way and she still has an expander on the …

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May 11, 2023

Alicia’s DIEP Flap Reconstruction [Part 1]

With the BRCA mutation and a family history of breast cancer, the “clock” started ticking for Alicia with biannual screenings at age 30. She tried to keep up with the screening schedule, but had young children and decided to go …

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May 2, 2023

Natasha Update: Out, Dang Port!

Natasha’s port is out and is huge, resembling a miniature computer mouse. She still believes getting a port was the best decision she’s ever made and now that it’s gone, she can wear her old clothes again. While she enjoys …

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April 14, 2023

Defeating Stage 3 Breast Cancer: Kristen Vengler’s Courageous Battle …

In this episode of Cancer U Thrivers, hear Kristen’s interview with author, speaker, entrepreneur, and patient advocate Andrea Wilson Woods on her podcast Cancer U Thrivers. Kristen walks Andrea and her audience through her experience with stage 3...

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Feb. 9, 2023

Kristen Update: The Last of the Post-Treatment Horrors and Indignitie…

After a hard fall, Kristen breaks several ribs and at a scan to check for a ruptured implant, the radiologist sees a Skittle-sized spot near her breast implant just in time for the two year anniversary of her diagnosis. On …

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Jan. 26, 2023

Day 295: The Trauma Has Made Me Softer

Natasha adjusts to post-treatment daily life, continuing with hormone blockers and finally seeing a mental health professional. While working with less fortunate patients who don't have mittens or cold caps, Natasha looks back with gratitude on how privileged her treatment …

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Jan. 5, 2023

Day 246: Here, Have Another Biopsy

After a scan shows a 1.2 cm nodule on her thyroid, Natasha goes for a biopsy which comes back with complicated results. Not wanting any more surgery or radiation right now means there’s a difficult decision to make.

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Dec. 15, 2022

Day 203: I Still Choose to Show Up

The radiation oncologist sends Natasha to a psycho-oncologist (did you know that was a thing?) because her antidepressants aren’t working, making self-care too hard. This forces her to confront the mental health struggles caused by the abrupt end of her …

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Dec. 1, 2022

Day 175: Healthcare Nonsense and Red Tape

Natasha is given three options for radiation treatment, but it’s a challenge since everyone has been making decisions for her up to this point. She decides on three and a half weeks of radiation to the breast and the lymph …

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Nov. 17, 2022

Day 160: Cancer Free But Now What?

It’s been two weeks since Natasha’s lumpectomy and because no evidence of cancer was found during surgery, she has been declared “cancer free” by her surgeon.

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Nov. 3, 2022

Day 146: Covid Ruins Everything Again

After Natasha and friends travel to Mexico to celebrate the end of chemo, it’s her turn to catch COVID which delays her lumpectomy surgery for a week. Her nerves are shot from constant fear of the unknown.

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Oct. 27, 2022

Day 111: Covid Ruins Everything

Thanks to the incredible cold cap technology, Desert Essence shampoo, and seldomly using a brush, after six rounds of chemo Natasha still has her hair.

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Oct. 20, 2022

Day 100: Fake Celebrations & IV Hydration

With five sessions down, Natasha feels less like a nurse and more like a patient. Her final chemo treatment is next Wednesday, and the planned end-of-chemo celebration feels fake because surgery and radiation are still ahead.

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Oct. 13, 2022

Things You Need For Surgery with Dana Donofree

Dana Donofree & Kristen outline the essential shopping list for surgery and recovery, from what to bring to the hospital through the different stages of recovery.

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Sept. 29, 2022

Day 79: How to Win Yourself a Trip to Urgent Care

After her 3rd chemo, Natasha is too tired to eat. All food loses its flavor and only texture remains, so peaches and sushi taste the same. She becomes so dehydrated that she wins herself a trip to urgent care for …

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Sept. 22, 2022

Day 43: Things Are Unraveling

Natasha attempts a somewhat normal life by continuing to work and dating someone new. But behind the scenes, things are unraveling. She receives news about the alarming masses on her liver and thyroid. After her second chemo, unusual and disturbing …

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Sept. 15, 2022

Day 20: Oh Wait, It Might Be Stage 4

Horrific acid reflux is keeping Natasha up at night. None of the remedies recommended by her doctors make a difference, except for handy dandy marijuana. Radiology detects spots on her liver and thyroid and calls her in for an emergency …

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Sept. 8, 2022

Day 1: Chemotherapy and Cold Caps

On the eve of her first chemotherapy infusion, Natasha hauls a pile of new prescriptions home and questions why so much harm must be done to be “healthy” again.

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Sept. 1, 2022

Day 0, Part 2: The Pathologist Never Calls With Good News

As a nurse, it was easy for Natasha to think of all the things the almond-sized lump in her armpit could be other than cancer, so she moved along with her busy life. When she realized it was not going …

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Aug. 25, 2022

Day 0: I Found My Own Tumor and Ignored It

While leading a Doctors Without Borders mission in Malawi, Natasha’s husband of 25 years blindsided her by ending their marriage in a text message. She returned home, fell into bed for a few weeks, and eventually with the help of …

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Aug. 4, 2022

Day 549: If This Is What Kills Me, At Least I Lived a Good Life

Persistent foot pain caused by chemo forces Kristen to spend hours each day on physical therapy, taping, and stretching her feet at home. Wowing her friends with her ingenuity, she reveals that flesh-colored socks with the toes cut out are …

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July 8, 2022

Day 526: The Last Night Before The Last Surgery

On the eve of the final reconstructive surgery, which coincides with the 1-year anniversary of her mastectomy, Kristen reflects on how far she’s come and how many things are different from what she expected.

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June 23, 2022

Day 463: Porn Star Sized Breast Implants Were Never On My Bucket List

Six weeks after the (evil) expanders are out and new 700cc “porn-star-sized” breast implants are in, Kristen shares what it feels like to be on the other side of the painfully long process of stretching her skin to make room …

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