An urgent care visit for her son led to a shocking cancer diagnosis for actress Annabelle Gurwitch during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite feeling healthy and having no symptoms aside from a minor cough, testing revealed Stage 4 lung cancer. She reflects on the emotional trauma of the diagnosis and describes how she uses humor to cope. Gurwitch emphasizes her plight to not become a “performative cancer warrior” and the importance of finding joy in small things when living long term with an incurable disease.
Guest: Annabelle Gurwitch, actress and author of The End of My Life is Killing Me: The Unexpected Joys of a Cancer Slacker
Palliative care
What if palliative care were introduced not at the end of life, but at the beginning of a difficult diagnosis? A palliative care physician describes what it means to live well for those navigating a serious and potentially life-ending illness. She combats the misconceptions surrounding the specialty, arguing that palliative care should be introduced sooner to patients navigating critical illness.
Guest: Dr. Maisha Robinson, neurologist and palliative care physician, Mayo Clinic