Episode 54

When Medicine Meets Compassion

with Susan Sabo-Wagner and Isabel Verastegui
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When Medicine Meets Compassion

What if one of the most powerful forms of cancer support comes from someone who has already walked the path before you?

Darcie Wells sits down with Susan Sabo-Wagner, Vice President of Clinical Innovation at the American Oncology Network (AON) , and Isabel Verastegui, Manager of Care Coordination at AON, to explore how personal cancer experiences can shape the way patients are supported. Susan shares how a leukemia diagnosis at age 17 influenced her lifelong career in oncology nursing, while Isabel reflects on being diagnosed with triple-positive breast cancer at 41 while working in the oncology field herself. Both women open up about fear, uncertainty, treatment, and the support systems that helped them move forward.

Their conversation highlights the importance of community oncology, the value of receiving care close to home, and the life-changing impact of peer support. Isabel explains how finding CanCare during treatment helped ease her anxiety and inspired her to become a volunteer for others facing cancer. Susan shares why emotional support is just as important as clinical care and how hope can help people navigate even the most difficult moments.

This episode is a reminder that no one should face cancer alone. Whether you're in treatment, supporting a loved one, or navigating survivorship, there is strength in connection, comfort in shared experience, and always hope ahead.

Highlights:

1. Why peer support often provides reassurance that even the best medical team cannot offer.

2. How community oncology is helping more people access high-quality cancer care closer to home.

3. Practical ways to manage fear, uncertainty, and anxiety after a cancer diagnosis.

4. What survivors learn about gratitude, perspective, and living one day at a time.

5. How healthcare organizations are expanding support beyond treatment to address emotional well-being.

-Mentioned Resources:

CanCare- www.cancare.org

AON - https://www.aoncology.com/

About the Guest:

Susan Sabo-Wagner is an oncology-certified nurse executive, Vice President of Clinical Innovation at the American Oncology Network, and a living testament to the resilience that defines the cancer journey. Diagnosed with leukemia as a teenager, Susan faced the fear and uncertainty that comes with a diagnosis that changes everything and came out the other side with a calling. She has spent her career transforming how cancer patients experience care across the country, bringing to that work something no credential can teach: the knowledge of what it truly means to sit in that chair.

Isabel Verastegui is a Care Coordination Manager at the American Oncology Network, where she has spent 12 years working with cancer patients. In January 2022, at just 41 years old, Isabel was diagnosed with triple-positive breast cancer. Cancer did not stop her. It deepened her. Today she shows up not only for her patients at AON but as a CanCare volunteer for other women who find themselves navigating their own cancer journeys.

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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.
Ep 60

Spoiler Alert: She Lives

with Tracy Case
Can a stage four cancer diagnosis leave room for a long life filled with purpose and hope? Tracy Case is a 22-year stage IV breast cancer survivor, CanCare volunteer, and author of Spoiler Alert: She Lives. Her cancer journey began while she was raising a three-year-old and caring for a newborn. Faced with a prognosis of 18 months to five years, Tracy leaned on faith, family, friends, and a strong support system while moving through years of cancer treatment. As the years passed, Tracy began setting small milestones instead of focusing on an uncertain future. She learned to advocate for herself, seek a second opinion, communicate honestly with her children, and accept help when she needed it. Her experience also shaped how she approached marriage, motherhood, survivorship, and the fear that can remain long after treatment begins. Today, Tracy uses her story to give others the same hope she once needed. Through CanCare and her memoir, she reminds people facing cancer that they don't have to walk alone. Her message is simple: find your people, ask questions, advocate for your care, and keep taking the next step. You may be stronger than you ever imagined. Highlights:  Finding ways to live with uncertainty without letting fear lead every decision  Helping children feel safe through honest, age-appropriate conversations  Knowing when another medical opinion may help you move forward with confidence  Protecting relationships through clearer expectations and open communication  Turning lived experience into meaningful support for someone else Mentioned Resources: CanCare- www.cancare.org Tracy’s Book – https://a.co/d/01rB8MCl About the Guest: Tracy Case is a stage IV breast cancer survivor, marathon runner, and author of Spoiler Alert, She Lives, a memoir about the twenty-plus years she was never supposed to get. Diagnosed at 33 when her daughter was just six weeks old, she now volunteers with CanCare, walking alongside other women facing what she once faced.
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