Episode 41

Finding Holiday Joy with Cancer

with Darcie Wells
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Finding Holiday Joy with Cancer

What happens when the holidays arrive while you’re still healing from cancer?

In this solo reflection, host Darcie Wells, President and CEO of CanCare, speaks directly to cancer survivors and caregivers who feel out of sync with the “most wonderful time of the year.” She names the quiet realities of this season after cancer, including gratitude pressure, FOMO around old traditions, scanxiety before medical tests, caregiver exhaustion and the sharp ache of missing someone who is no longer here.

Darcie shares the words of survivors who describe feeling like life is happening in two worlds at once, and reminds you that your feelings are valid, even when they are messy. She offers simple tools for this season: redefine what a “good” holiday looks like, set kind but clear boundaries, create new or gentler traditions, and honor both grief and gratitude without pretending. She also suggests ways to remember loved ones with small memorial rituals while still allowing moments of peace and joy to emerge.

Above all, Darcie invites you to see your presence as the greatest gift. Your holiday does not have to be perfect. It just has to be yours, and you do not have to walk through it alone.

Tips For Managing The Holiday:

The holidays can be beautiful, but after cancer, they can also feel overwhelming or emotionally complicated. If this season feels different than it used to, you are not alone. These tips can help you move through the holidays with more peace and self-compassion.

1. Redefine What “Holiday Success” Means: Meaningful matters more than perfect. Smaller gatherings can feel deeply fulfilling. Quality time is more important than the number of events. Rest is a gift, not a weakness. Prioritize what matters and let the rest go.

2. Set Boundaries and Communicate: Your Needs Say yes only to what feels manageable. It is okay to decline invitations or leave early. Let loved ones know how they can support you. Limit conversations that may feel triggering. Prepare simple responses such as “I am focusing on enjoying today.” Redirect intrusive questions. Ask a trusted person to help shift conversations.

3. Create Traditions That Fit: Where You Are Now: Choose traditions that bring genuine joy. Include gratitude practices that feel authentic. Build in breaks and recovery time.

4. Honor Your Emotions: It is okay to feel sad, anxious, or overwhelmed. Grief and joy can coexist. Reach out for support when emotions feel heavy.

5. Care for Your Health: Stay consistent with medication. Hydrate, rest, and care for your body. Honor your physical limits.

6. If You Are Missing Someone: Create rituals that honor their memory. Light a candle, share their stories, or include something they loved. Allow space for grief and joy.

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A Gentle Reminder: Your holidays do not have to look the way they used to. Cancer changes you, and it is natural for your celebrations to change too. Make the focus presence, peace, and moments of connection. Your holiday season does not have to be perfect. It just has to be yours.

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Mentioned Resources:

CanCare- www.cancare.org

Book – www.cancare.org/hopebook

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Ep 58

Community is Medicine

with Loki Villaseñor
How can community, creativity, and support help someone keep moving forward after cancer treatment ends? Loki Villaseñor is a father of eight, health and safety professional, writer, and head and neck cancer survivor. After finding a lump on his neck in early 2025, Loki was diagnosed with HPV-positive head and neck cancer and faced seven weeks of chemotherapy and radiation. Treatment brought pain, exhaustion, feeding challenges, and emotional strain. It also changed the way Loki saw support. Through the Memorial Hermann Canopy Cancer Survivorship Center in The Woodlands, Texas, he found free programs for survivors and families, including men’s lunches, a working professional’s support group, counseling resources for his children, and virtual classes. What began as something he thought might help his family became a source of community and healing for him too. Loki also turned to writing, creativity, gratitude, faith, and service as tools for processing life after treatment. His experience taught him that progress is not always uphill and that healing can continue long after treatment is complete. His message is simple: you do not have to climb alone. Support, connection, and hope can help you take the next step. Even small steps can carry you forward each day. Highlights:  Why emotional recovery may continue long after cancer treatment officially ends. The value of finding people who understand cancer without needing every feeling explained.  Ways creativity and writing can help give grief, gratitude, and change a place to go.  How survivorship programs can support not only the person with cancer, but their family too.  Why accepting help and helping others can become part of moving forward. Memorial Hermann Canopy Cancer Survivorship Center A key part of Loki’s story is the support he found through Memorial Hermann Canopy Cancer Survivorship Center in The Woodlands, Texas. Loki first thought its services would be most helpful for his wife and children. He later found a community that supported his own life after treatment. He participated in men’s lunches, a working professionals cancer support group, Voices of Hope, and an online Spanish class. His children also received access to counseling support. Loki describes Canopy as a place where he could be heard without feeling like a burden or having to explain every part of his cancer experience. Mentioned Resources: CanCare- www.cancare.org About the Guest: Loki Villaseñor is a head and neck cancer survivor, father of eight, health and safety professional and a writer. In January 2025, he found a lump on his neck. Along the way, he found support through programs at Memorial Hermann's Canopy Survivorship Center and turned to writing and drawing as a creative outlet for healing. Today he is cancer-free and often connects with other survivors to help them through their own journeys.
Ep 57

The Gift Wrapped in Barbed WIre

with Dee Manuel
Can a second cancer diagnosis become the moment that finally leads you back to yourself? Dee Manuel is an 18-year breast cancer survivor, coach, author, speaker, CanCare volunteer, and member of the Greater Houston Sisters Network. Diagnosed with stage two breast cancer at 35, Dee faced chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and a recurrence three years later. Her story explores breast cancer recovery, caregiver support, emotional stress, authentic living, and turning pain into purpose. After her second diagnosis, a compassionate nurse urged Dee to reduce the stress in her life. Those words became a turning point. Dee began to face the emotions, fear, and people-pleasing patterns she had buried for years. She made hard choices, learned to care for herself without guilt, and found the courage to live honestly. Dee shares her “E plus R equals O” tool, which shows how our response to an event can shape its outcome. She also explains why movement, nourishing foods, emotional care, and community support became part of her healing. Now, she supports survivors and caregivers with the wisdom she gained. Her message is simple: look for the gift, even when it comes wrapped in barbed wire. Pain can reveal your strength, purpose, and hope. Highlights:  How to recognize when stress, fear, or hidden emotions may be calling for deeper care.  Why putting yourself first can help you become more present for the people you love.  A simple way to separate difficult events from the meaning you give them.  How sharing your experience can support others while continuing your own healing.  Why courage often means taking action while fear is still present. Mentioned Resources: CanCare- www.cancare.org Book – www.cancare.org/hopebook Dee’s website About the Guest: Dee Manuel is a two-time breast cancer survivor, coach, author, and speaker who helps others turn pain into purpose. After being diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer at 35, and facing a recurrence three years later, Dee discovered the connection between stress, suppressed emotion, and disease, and used that insight to rebuild her life around authenticity and self-worth. She now works with clients through her signature trifecta philosophy, guiding them from survival to purpose. Dee is deeply involved with the Greater Houston Sister Network and serves as a CanCare volunteer, walking alongside others the way someone once walked alongside her.
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