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 62

Blossoming Beyond Breast Cancer"

with Galina Slavova
How do you find hope when cancer leaves you feeling completely alone? Galina Slavova is a former competitive judo champion, actress, model, author, and breast cancer survivor whose life has tested her strength many times. Born in Bulgaria, Galina survived a devastating car accident, left home in search of freedom, and rebuilt her life in the United States. In 2023, breast cancer brought a different kind of fight. Far from her family, she faced treatment and profound isolation without the support system she desperately needed. Galina shares how cancer changed her body, challenged her identity, and forced her to discover who she was beyond appearance and achievement. Writing became a way to cope, while connecting with other cancer survivors helped her find the community she had been missing. Those experiences inspired her to create peer support for others facing cancer and begin documenting survivor stories. Her documentary, Still Here: I Am Not Cancer, and memoir, The Wrong Side of Freedom, carry that mission forward. Galina’s story reminds patients, survivors, and caregivers that strength can appear when it feels impossible to find, and no one should have to face cancer alone. Highlights: Finding strength beyond survival Discover how resilience can change as life asks different things of you. The hidden weight of isolation Learn why emotional support can matter deeply during a cancer journey. Meeting yourself after cancer Explore what it can mean to rebuild identity when your body and life change. The power of shared experience Hear why peer connection can offer something even loving family members cannot. Turning pain into purpose Discover how lived experience can become a way to support someone walking behind you. Mentioned Resources: CanCare- www.cancare.org Galina’s website - https://www.galinaslavova.com/ About the Guest: Galina Slavova is an award-winning author, actress, model, former Bulgarian national judo champion, and breast cancer survivor. After her 2023 diagnosis left her facing treatment largely alone, she founded the Blossoming Beyond Foundation, which offers free therapy and support to patients, survivors, and caregivers. She also began filming survivors' stories for her upcoming documentary, Blossoming Beyond, and built a peer community for survivors and caregivers.
Ep 61

Making Joy the Reflex

with Jenna Schutt
How do you hold on to hope when treatment, uncertainty, and fear become part of daily life? Jenna Schutt’s diagnosis is different, but the terrain will feel familiar to many facing cancer. A cardiac nurse and mother of two, Jenna was diagnosed at 30 with systemic mastocytosis, a rare blood disorder affecting roughly one person in a million. Her medical journey is similar to many cancer journeys included more than eight rounds of IV chemotherapy, repeated procedures, long periods of isolation, and a stem cell transplant. Knowing the medical system from the inside didn’t make being a patient easier. Jenna still had to advocate for herself when something felt wrong, ask harder questions, and eventually seek different care when she wasn’t being heard. She also faced treatment during COVID, when the support she needed most often couldn’t be in the room. Through those years, Jenna learned that hope doesn’t require ignoring what is hard. Her Joy Reflex framework grew from learning to recognize fear, anchor herself in what is true, and take the next faithful step instead of trying to solve everything at once. Her story offers a reminder for anyone facing illness or uncertainty: fear may come first, but it doesn’t have to decide what comes next. Highlights: Advocate Without Apologizing: Ask questions and speak up when something feels wrong. Focus on the Next Step: Keep moving without needing the whole plan. Let Fear Be Present, Not in Charge: Choose how you respond to uncertainty. Find People Who Understand: Lean on support that doesn’t require explanation. Create Meaning from Hard Seasons: Turn what you’ve lived through into hope for others. Mentioned Resources: CanCare- www.cancare.org Jenna’s website - https://www.jennaschutt.com/ About the Guest: Jenna Schutt is a cardiac nurse, homeschooling mom of two, and creator of The Joy Reflex. At 30, weeks after her second son was born, she was diagnosed with Systemic Mastocytosis — a one-in-a-million blood disorder treated like a blood cancer. After eight rounds of chemo and a stem cell transplant from her brother, she now teaches others to make faith, peace, and joy their reflex instead of fear.
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