In this episode of The Cancer Project we are joined by Tenaciously Teal Board Chair and attorney Brooke Unruh. Brooke shares how her experiences with her close friend and law partner Anna, her mother’s cancer diagnosis, and her work with Tenaciously Teal have shaped the way she understands cancer, caregiving, family, and the importance of being there for others.

Brooke reflects on walking alongside Anna through her breast cancer journey while balancing their friendship, partnership, and the responsibilities of keeping their business running. After Anna passed away in 2016, Brooke continued her involvement with Tenaciously Teal, an organization that supports cancer patients with some of the everyday expenses and challenges that can become overwhelming during treatment.

Brooke also shares her family’s experience when her mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. She talks about the uncertainty that comes with waiting for answers, the overwhelming amount of information patients and families receive, and the importance of having someone alongside you during appointments to take notes, ask questions, and help process what the doctor is saying.

As an attorney who focuses on estate planning, Brooke explains why planning ahead can be especially important for cancer patients and their families. She discusses healthcare directives, powers of attorney, wills, and other steps that can help families navigate difficult situations while also encouraging people to have the conversations they may be tempted to put off.

Through her personal experiences, Brooke offers a thoughtful perspective on how cancer can change the way we see life and what matters most. From supporting someone through treatment to preparing for the unexpected, she reminds us that sometimes the smallest acts of compassion, preparation, and support can help carry some of the burden that comes with cancer.

Episode Resources:

Oklahoma Proton Center

https://www.okcproton.com/

https://www.instagram.com/okprotoncenter/

https://www.facebook.com/OKProtonCenter

The Cancer Project Podcast

https://www.instagram.com/the_cancerproject

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581844363126

https://www.tiktok.com/@protonguy

The time after an engagement is typically filled with excitement, wedding planning, and dreaming about the future. But for Morgan Lunardi and her fiancé, AJ, that exciting chapter quickly took an unexpected turn when Morgan was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.

Shortly after their engagement, Morgan began experiencing troubling symptoms, including intense headaches and facial swelling. Scans revealed a 13-centimeter mass in her chest. Because of the tumor’s location, doctors warned that a biopsy could require opening her chest to obtain a sample. As Morgan and AJ traveled to their wedding venue in Cabo to plan their special day, the possibility of such a serious procedure weighed heavily on them.

Fortunately, doctors were able to complete the biopsy without opening Morgan’s chest. However, another complication meant she needed to begin chemotherapy a week earlier than planned. With their wedding less than a year away, Morgan decided to try cold capping during treatment in hopes of preserving her hair. The process uses extremely cold temperatures to restrict blood flow to the scalp and reduce hair loss during chemotherapy.

Alongside chemotherapy, Morgan also underwent radiation while continuing to work full time and plan her wedding. She shares what it was like to navigate cancer treatment while preparing for one of the biggest days of her life, and how quickly she went from thinking about wedding details to becoming a cancer patient.

Throughout her journey, Morgan leaned on other cancer survivors for advice, support, and answers to the questions that came with her diagnosis. Now, she is passionate about paying that support forward by helping others facing cancer, particularly when it comes to navigating treatment, fertility, and cold capping.

Today, Morgan is cancer free and living the life she fought so hard to get back to. She and AJ are married and are now the parents of two beautiful daughters.

Episode Resources:

Oklahoma Proton Center

https://www.okcproton.com/

https://www.instagram.com/okprotoncenter/

https://www.facebook.com/OKProtonCenter

The Cancer Project Podcast

https://www.instagram.com/the_cancerproject

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581844363126

https://www.tiktok.com/@protonguy

Twenty-three year old Valentina Prince was preparing to start veterinarian school in the fall when she experienced a sudden itch in her breast. Valentina thought nothing of it until she felt a new lump in her breast. She quickly made an appointment to have it looked at and suddenly found herself receiving a mammogram and being told this mass looks very abnormal and you need to schedule a biopsy as soon as possible. After difficulty finding a facility that could see her soon, her dad’s new job in Houston connected her to an oncologist that diagnosed her with stage three breast cancer.

Valentina quickly began treatment at MD Anderson as the cancer had already spread to her lymph nodes. She received sixteen rounds of intensive chemotherapy, and jokingly referred to it as her “strawberry margarita” while trying to take a positive approach to treatment, determined to one day achieve her dream of becoming a veterinarian. In addition to chemotherapy, Valentina received immunotherapy, radiation, and had surgery as a part of her treatment plan. She shares honest details about the many complications she had throughout treatment including allergic reactions, burns from radiation, and lymphedema.

After completing her intensive and exhausting treatment, Valentina rang the bell and spoke about the tidal wave of emotions she felt. She provides insight into what she wished she knew before undergoing treatment and her advice and mindset to those who are just beginning their cancer battle. Today, Valentina is cancer free and in her second year of veterinarian school at Michigan State University, continuing her dream of becoming what she affectionately refers to as a ‘dogtor’.

Episode Resources:

Valentina’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dogtorprince/

Oklahoma Proton Center

https://www.okcproton.com/

https://www.instagram.com/okprotoncenter/

https://www.facebook.com/OKProtonCenter

The Cancer Project Podcast

https://www.instagram.com/the_cancerproject

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581844363126

https://www.tiktok.com/@protonguy

What exactly does a medical physicist do, and how does their work impact a cancer patient's treatment? On this episode of The Cancer Project Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Ali Fatemi, a board-certified medical physicist specializing in radiation therapy and MRI physics, to explore the technology and people working behind the scenes of modern cancer care.

Dr. Fatemi breaks down how medical physicists help ensure radiation treatments are delivered safely and accurately, and explains why MRI could play an increasingly important role in radiation therapy, particularly proton therapy. We also discuss the potential of combining MRI and proton therapy to better identify tumors and deliver highly precise treatment.

The conversation also looks toward the future of cancer care and artificial intelligence. Dr. Fatemi shares why he believes AI won't simply replace doctors and medical physicists, but instead could change how they work, accelerate research, and give medical professionals more time to focus on solving complex problems. He also discusses the importance of validating and carefully testing new technology before it reaches patients.

Finally, Dr. Fatemi shares his journey from Iran to Canada and the United States, his transition from researcher to clinical medical physicist and entrepreneur, and his passion for taking innovative ideas out of the laboratory and bringing them into the clinic where they can ultimately make a difference for patients.

Episode Resources:

Smart Medicine Podcast:

https://www.youtube.com/@SmartMedicinePodcast

Oklahoma Proton Center

https://www.okcproton.com/

https://www.instagram.com/okprotoncenter/

https://www.facebook.com/OKProtonCenter

The Cancer Project Podcast

https://www.instagram.com/the_cancerproject

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581844363126

https://www.tiktok.com/@protonguy

This week on The Cancer Project Podcast, we are honored to be joined by former ProCure Treatment Center President and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) cancer survivor, James Williams. In 2012, James and ProCure began the process of opening the ninth proton therapy center in the United States. In his role as President, James also assisted in the oversight and development of ProCure proton therapy centers in Oklahoma, New Jersey, and Washington.

James describes his time working with ProCure and making proton therapy more accessible to cancer patients as one of the most rewarding and fulfilling roles he has ever had. He reflects with The Cancer Project Host and long time friend David Raubach on the beginnings of ProCure and the detail-oriented work that went into the managing of what is now the Oklahoma Proton Center. James provides insight on what his day-to-day was like at the centers, and practices he used that made all the difference in elevating patient care and experience.

Later in life after transitioning out of cancer care, James began to notice some troubling symptoms including shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, and eventually collapsing before going to the emergency room. After bringing in Mayo, James was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome, also known as MDS. This cancer occurs when blood-forming cells in the bone marrow become abnormal and fail to grow into healthy, mature blood cells. James quickly needed chemotherapy that was followed up by a STEM cell transplant from his son to enable proper blood cell populations and growth.

James courageously shares the full MDS journey from diagnosis, extensive time in the hospital for treatment, and how he continues to live with MDS today. After getting the myelodysplastic syndrome under control, James developed a relationship with the MDS foundation and speaks about his passion for what they do and his involvement on their board of directors. To learn more about myelodysplastic syndrome and the MDS Foundation please visit their website listed in resources below!

Episode Resources:

MDS Foundation:

https://www.mds-foundation.org/

https://www.instagram.com/mdsfoundation/

https://www.facebook.com/MDSFoundation

Oklahoma Proton Center

https://www.okcproton.com/

https://www.instagram.com/okprotoncenter/

https://www.facebook.com/OKProtonCenter

The Cancer Project Podcast

https://www.instagram.com/the_cancerproject

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581844363126

https://www.tiktok.com/@protonguy

With over twenty years of experience, Dr. Ajay Bhatnagar joins The Cancer Project Podcast to discuss low-dose rate (LDR) Brachytherapy. His practice utilizes this unique procedure to treat localized prostate cancer for patients from all over the country.

Dr. Bhatnagar shares where his passion for brachytherapy began back in medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, and how at his practice, patients can receive localized anesthesia for LDR brachytherapy and even drive themselves home after. He highlights the advantages of no operating room, no going under advanced anesthesia, reduced toxicity, and short recovery times, which can be very beneficial to the older demographics.

Low-dose rate brachytherapy utilizes small rice-sized radioactive seeds that are planted near the tumor to give off high concentrations of radiation to cancerous cells while mitigating toxicity to healthy tissues. These seeds can stay permanently in the body, eventually losing all radioactivity. Dr. Bhatnagar explains this procedure and why he is so passionate about it for localized prostate cancer. He also touches on the three different types of radioactive seeds offered at his practice and the difference between each.

While brachytherapy has become less common in the last two decades, Dr. Bhatnagar speaks on its continued value and the importance of always getting a second or third opinion. Advocating and educating for yourself has never been more important as new information from untrustworthy sources continues to show up in social media feeds and online. Host David Raubach and Dr. Bhatnagar discusses the mission of providing trustworthy information to those going through a cancer diagnosis, especially prostate cancer, which has many options for viable treatments and can be especially difficult to determine the best fit.

Episode Resources:

Dr. Ajay Bhatnagar’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Dose-Brachytherapy-Prostate-Cancer/dp/B0DGD483V2

https://prostatecancerusa.com/

Oklahoma Proton Center

https://www.okcproton.com/

https://www.instagram.com/okprotoncenter/

https://www.facebook.com/OKProtonCenter

The Cancer Project Podcast

https://www.instagram.com/the_cancerproject

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581844363126

https://www.tiktok.com/@protonguy