Season 2

Nov. 7, 2023

Natasha Update: Recurrence is a Nonstop Obsessions

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 to other areas that aren’t being checked....

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 other side. Still unsure what to do...

May 11, 2023

Alicia’s DIEP Flap Reconstruction [Part 1 - Before Surgery]

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 to nursing school. Nine...

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 living alone and is back...

April 14, 2023

Defeating Stage 3 Breast Cancer: Kristen Vengler’s Courageous Battle on Cancer U Thrivers with Andrea Wilson Woods

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...

Feb. 9, 2023

Kristen Update: The Last of the Post-Treatment Horrors and Indignities (We Hope)

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 the heels of a brand new...

Jan. 26, 2023

Day 295: The Trauma Has Made Me Softer [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]

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...

Jan. 5, 2023

Day 246: Here, Have Another Biopsy [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]

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. Three and a half weeks of...

Dec. 15, 2022

Day 203: I Still Choose to Show Up [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]

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...

Dec. 1, 2022

Day 175: Healthcare Nonsense and Red Tape [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]

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 nodes in the armpit. Down to...

Nov. 17, 2022

Day 160: Cancer Free But Now What? [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]

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. The day of surgery was long and a little emotional from the anesthesia, but recovery has...

Nov. 3, 2022

Day 146: Covid Ruins Everything Again [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]

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. Because there’s nothing visible on her most...

Oct. 27, 2022

Day 111: Covid Ruins Everything [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]

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. Meanwhile, everything else is falling apart. Plans to celebrate at a fancy restaurant are wrecked...

Oct. 20, 2022

Day 100: Fake Celebrations & IV Hydration [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]

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. Because food tastes even...

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. Support the podcast by ordering your AnaOno favorites through our links! As an...

Guest: Dana Donofree

Sept. 29, 2022

Day 79: How to Win Yourself a Trip to Urgent Care [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]

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 fluids. Wondering if she metabolizes...

Sept. 22, 2022

Day 43: Things Are Unraveling [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]

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...

Sept. 15, 2022

Day 20: Oh Wait, It Might Be Stage 4 [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]

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 MRI. The...

Sept. 9, 2022

Day 1: Chemotherapy and Cold Caps [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]

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. After meeting her oncologist Dr. Chen, a specialist in HER-2 positive breast cancer, the...

Sept. 1, 2022

Day 0, Part 2: The Pathologist Never Calls With Good News [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]

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 away, her doctor sent her for a mammogram. It took...

Aug. 25, 2022

Day 0: I Found My Own Tumor and Ignored It [Natasha Curry, RN, NP]

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 her friends she...

June 14, 2022

Natasha’s Story: Nurse Becomes Patient [Season 2 Trailer]

Natasha Curry is not your everyday average nurse. As a palliative care nurse practitioner at San Francisco General Hospital, she cares for the poorest and most vulnerable at what is often the most challenging time of their lives. Many patients are...