Tiffany McConathy, an oncology nurse practitioner in Arkansas, tells the sombering story of her infant daughter’s battle with pediatric brain and spinal cancer. She details Nora’s course of events, including the long pathology and diagnosis journey, the decision to move forward with treatment, and the months of good responses that followed prior to her passing. Tiffany also shares how Nora’s COVID-19 diagnosis during treatment pushed back her transplantation and eventual autopsy, just 9 days before her passing. This deeply saddening discussion will inspire you to think differently about pediatric cancers, just as the experience has inspired Tiffany to create the non-profit organization “Princess Nora’s Warrior Foundation.”
Read about and donate to this foundation here: https://noraswarriors.com/
Dr. Simrit Parmar, founder of Cellenkos, joins the show to discuss her journey from the lab to the biotech startup world, detailing the inspiration behind launching her company, the challenges of securing funding, and the resilience required to overcome rejections. She shares insights into Cellenkos’ lead product, its progress toward market approval, and the rigorous
Carol Rausch—a healthcare professional, cancer researcher, and former patient with lymphoma—shares how her journey from researcher to patient transformed her understanding of medical language. She discusses the impact of word choice on patients, why certain battle and war metaphors can be harmful, and how language used in clinical settings differs from what resonates with those
Drs. David Braun and Toni Choueiri join to discuss a groundbreaking Nature study on a personalized neoantigen vaccine for adjuvant renal cell carcinoma. They explore the inspiration behind the trial, how the vaccine was developed and administered, and its safety profile. The conversation also covers patient outcomes after 3-4 years, including immune responses and disease
