Writer, humorist, previvor, survivor, and breast cancer prevention advocate Gila Pfeffer joins Leah for a thoughtful, funny, and deeply honest conversation about loss, resilience, and finding humor in the most unlikely situations.

Gila talks about her memoir, Nearly Departed: Adventures in Loss, Cancer, and Other Inconveniences, how humor can be a survival tool during cancer treatment, and her cheeky Feel It on the First campaign that raises awareness of breast cancer screenings and risk reduction. Gila shares her experiences from undergoing a risk-reducing double mastectomy as a BRCA+ previvor to becoming a cancer survivor who is a powerful voice in breast cancer awareness.

This wide-ranging interview moves between generations—Gila’s experience as a daughter watching her mother go through cancer, and later as a mother facing her own diagnosis—highlighting the power of storytelling to help us make sense of what feels impossible. Honest, insightful, and refreshingly human, this episode is for anyone navigating cancer.

Follow Gila on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gilapfeffer/

Subscribe to her Substack

Send your Feel It On the First pictures to Gila! gilawrites@gmail.com

Things mentioned in this episode:

Read Gila’s first publication in McSweeney’s An Open Letter to Tiffany & Co. About Their Advertising Campaign for the Ring That Helps Women Remember They Survived Cancer

The Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Calculator

Koning-Vera, compression-free mammography

Eleonora Deplinsky, MD Gynecologic medical oncologist https://www.instagram.com/drteplinsky

Robyn Roth, MD breast radiologist https://www.instagram.com/theboobiedocs

Sharsheret, a nonprofit dedicated to providing personalized support, education, and community for Jewish women facing breast and/or ovarian cancer.

Support the show

Become a member of The Cancer Pod Community! Gain access to live Q&As, exclusive content, and so much more! Join us today!

Check out our website! Looking for more information? We have blogs, merch, and all of our episodes listed by season and category.

Shop our favorite reads! We've joined with Bookshop.org to offer some of our fave books!

Have a comment or suggestion? Email us at thecancerpod@gmail.com

Follow us wherever you browse. We're always @TheCancerPod:

• Instagram
• Bluesky
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

THANK YOU!!

Dr. Tina Kaczor and Dr. Leah Sherman discuss new diagnostic tools that can tell benign tumors from cancer in the pancreas, highlight the growing concerns over microplastics, and explore the link between ultra-processed foods and early colorectal cancer. They also highlight some amazing inventions by teenagers, like a melanoma-detection app and a skin-cancer-reducing soap. Last, they cover the benefits of hypnosis before breast cancer surgery and the health impact of commonly used chemicals in dry cleaning. This episode provides valuable insights for anyone interested in cancer prevention, early diagnosis, and overall wellness.

Soap for skin cancers invented by TIME's Kid of the Year, Hemen Bekele

A skin cancer detecting app invented by Richmond, VA high-schoolers

The dramatic increase in glyphosate use across the Midwest in the USA

The rising rates of cancer in young people around the world

Exposure of rat fetuses to glyphosate levels led to early cancer development

The rising rate of glyphosate exposure over time

Support the show

Become a member of The Cancer Pod Community! Gain access to live Q&As, exclusive content, and so much more! Join us today!

Check out our website! Looking for more information? We have blogs, merch, and all of our episodes listed by season and category.

Shop our favorite reads! We've joined with Bookshop.org to offer some of our fave books!

Have a comment or suggestion? Email us at thecancerpod@gmail.com

Follow us wherever you browse. We're always @TheCancerPod:

• Instagram
• Bluesky
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

THANK YOU!!

In this special November episode, we are swapping podcasts with Charlotte Bayala of the Cancer Caregiver Podcast. Charlotte explores the complexities of meeting expectations of gratitude during the holidays when you or your loved one is dealing with cancer. Listeners will hear an honest, grounded discussion of the mixed emotions that arise, and a breathing tool to help you deal with them in real time. By the end, listeners will have strategies for expressing gratitude authentically in difficult times.

Links to Charlotte's bio and social media

https://www.cancercaregiverpodcast.com/

Support the show

Become a member of The Cancer Pod Community! Gain access to live Q&As, exclusive content, and so much more! Join us today!

Check out our website! Looking for more information? We have blogs, merch, and all of our episodes listed by season and category.

Shop our favorite reads! We've joined with Bookshop.org to offer some of our fave books!

Have a comment or suggestion? Email us at thecancerpod@gmail.com

Follow us wherever you browse. We're always @TheCancerPod:

• Instagram
• Bluesky
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

THANK YOU!!