Episode 38

Health Uncensored with Dr. Drew

with Dr. Drew Pinsky and Susan Sabo-Wagner
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Health Uncensored with Dr. Drew

After our national spotlight on Health Uncensored with Dr. Drew Pinsky, we’re excited to share the full extended podcast version featuring bonus conversation with Dr. Drew you didn’t see on TV.

Darcie Wells, President & CEO of CanCare, joins Dr. Drew Pinsky on Health Uncensored and Susan Sabo Wagner, VP of Clinical Innovation at American Oncology Network (and a leukemia survivor), to show why emotional support isn’t extra—it's essential to cancer care. Listeners hear how CanCare’s survivor-to-patient matching, now powered by smart tech, brings calm, courage, and practical hope to patients and caregivers nationwide. SEO: emotional support for cancer, peer support, survivorship, American Oncology Network, young adult cancer.  

Susan shares her turning point—diagnosed with AML as a teen and treated with an autologous bone marrow transplant—underscoring why hope and connection matter at every stage. Darcie highlights rising diagnoses among younger adults and how whole-family support can steady spouses, kids, and grandparents when cancer collides with daily life.  

You’ll learn how peer support integrates with clinical care, why navigation and social needs (transportation, food security) affect outcomes, and how stories of long-term survivorship sustain belief on hard days. You’ll also hear how precision medicine changes treatment paths while human connection helps people endure them. The message is simple: you’re not alone, and a survivor can stand beside you—today.

Highlights:

00:00 – The power of human connection in cancer care
Darcie Wells opens with why no one should face cancer alone and how survivor support brings calm during chaos.

02:48 – How CanCare pairs patients with survivors who’ve been there
Learn how CanCare’s matching system works and why sharing lived experience makes emotional healing possible.

04:40 – Technology meets compassion: smarter survivor matching
Darcie explains how new tools and algorithms help CanCare connect patients with the right survivor faster.

05:40 – Building emotional support into oncology care
Susan Sabo Wagner shares how the American Oncology Network partners with CanCare to meet patients’ emotional needs alongside medical treatment.

06:36 – A leukemia survivor’s journey to leadership
Susan recounts being diagnosed with AML as a teen and how that experience shaped her mission to help others through innovation and empathy.

08:05 – Whole-family support: when cancer affects everyone
Darcie and Susan explore how caregivers, spouses, and children need guidance too—and why supporting them improves outcomes.

10:15 – “Having someone who understands is priceless”
Darcie reflects on the life-changing reassurance patients feel when talking to someone who’s walked the same road.

11:34 – Hope as powerful medicine
Darcie shares research showing patients with strong emotional support often experience better survival and recovery.

12:13 – Younger patients, more treatable cancers, new hope
Dr. Drew discusses how rising diagnoses in younger adults are met with advances in precision medicine and targeted treatments.

13:05 – Why connection matters more than ever
The conversation closes with a message that technology and science may guide treatment, but compassion carries people through it.

Mentioned Resources:

CanCare- www.cancare.org

Book – www.cancare.org/hopebook

About the Guest:  

Dr. Drew Pinsky is the host of Health Uncensored with Dr. Drew, where he brings medical insight and heartfelt conversation to today’s most important health topics. A board-certified physician and addiction specialist, Dr. Drew is known for making complex issues relatable and empowering audiences to take charge of their well-being.

Susan Sabo-Wagner is the Vice President of Clinical Innovation at American Oncology Network (AON) and a leukemia survivor.  With over 25 years in oncology care and leadership, she leads clinical strategy, program innovation, and partnerships that elevate patient outcomes nationwide. Her personal experience as a survivor fuels her commitment to advancing compassionate, equitable cancer care.

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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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