What happens when life changes so dramatically that “getting back to normal” is no longer the goal?

In this episode of The Many Faces of Cancer, Melissa sits down with healthcare professional, entrepreneur, advocate, speaker and cancer survivor Sarita Parikh, whose life changed dramatically after a devastating accident left her with a traumatic brain injury—only to be followed months later by a breast cancer diagnosis.

Sarita shares the extraordinary story of navigating brain injury rehabilitation and cancer at the same time, including the cognitive and physical challenges that made even routine appointments difficult. She also talks about the unexpected way cancer forced her to confront something she hadn't yet had the capacity to process: just how much her life had changed.

Their conversation moves beyond diagnosis and treatment into the much bigger question of what recovery is actually for.

Sarita shares the philosophy behind her evolving work with Mind, Body, and Play Therapies and her concept of “life-first care”—an approach that asks not simply how we help someone recover, but how we help them build the capacity to participate in a meaningful life.

Melissa and Sarita also explore the importance of play, joy, awe, rest and connection—and why making room for those things doesn't mean ignoring the grief, anger and loss that can accompany cancer and trauma.

Sarita also shares how attending Epic Experience camp finally allowed her to recognize that she wasn't an “imposter” in the cancer community and begin processing her diagnosis. Even more unexpectedly, the experience of play, nature and connection seemed to help her rediscover something she had struggled to do since her brain injury: simply take a deep breath.

This is a conversation about accepting that life may never look exactly as it once did—and discovering that a different life can still be meaningful, joyful and very much worth living.

In this episode:

• Surviving a traumatic brain injury and cancer in the same year
• Navigating cancer treatment with significant cognitive limitations
• The grief of losing the life you expected
• Why recovery shouldn't only be about “getting better”
• Sarita's concept of life-first care
• Building capacity while also honoring the need for rest
• Why adults need play just as much as children do
• Making room for grief, rage, joy and awe at the same time
• Feeling like an imposter in the cancer community
• The unexpected impact of Epic Experience
• Finding your people—and allowing others to help carry the load

Sarita's message: Feel it all. Feel the fear, rage and grief—but don't try to carry it all alone. Find the people who can walk alongside you.

Resources:

Sarita's website: www.mbptherapies.com

Sarita's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glowandgather/, https://www.instagram.com/mindbodyplaytherapies/

Sarita's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glowandgather, https://www.facebook.com/mindbodyplaytherapies

Sarita's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarita-parikh-glowandgather/, https://www.linkedin.com/company/mind-body-play-therapies/

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My website: https://melissagrosboll.com

Email me: drmelissagrosboll@gmail.com

What happens when cancer enters your life at a time when you're supposed to be focused on growing your family and raising your children?

Nerissa Balland was 38 years old, five months pregnant and already raising a toddler when she was diagnosed with melanoma. Suddenly, an ordinary workday became the beginning of a cancer journey that would challenge not only her health, but her beliefs about cancer, motherhood, identity and what her future might hold.

In this episode of The Many Faces of Cancer, Nerissa shares the experience of being diagnosed while pregnant, why a devastating first oncology appointment led her to seek a second opinion, and how she navigated treatment while caring for two very young children.

When her cancer later returned, Nerissa found herself confronting two deeply held beliefs: that cancer was a death sentence—and that cancer was simply “bad.” A pivotal conversation helped her begin questioning those beliefs and recognizing that while cancer had brought tremendous difficulty and loss, it had also changed the way she approached her marriage, motherhood and life.

That shift eventually led Nerissa to connect with and interview more than 100 young mothers affected by cancer. What surprised her most wasn't how different their stories were, but how much they had in common.

Those conversations became the foundation for her book, Canvas of Courage: The Art of Healing, Hope, and Gratitude for Young Mothers Facing Cancer.

Melissa and Nerissa talk about the emotional themes she discovered again and again—identity, fear, connection, courage, gratitude and the struggle to understand who you are after cancer changes your life. They also explore one particularly powerful shift: moving away from the often-unanswerable question “Why me?” and instead asking “What now?”

Nerissa also shares how creativity has become part of her work helping others process difficult experiences—not because everyone needs to be an artist, but because, as she beautifully puts it, “creativity is a human capacity. It’s not an artistic credential.”

In this conversation:

• Being diagnosed with melanoma while five months pregnant
• Why Nerissa sought a second oncology opinion
• Navigating treatment while raising a toddler and newborn
• The limiting beliefs that shaped her early cancer experience
• The unexpected conversation that became a turning point
• Why “What now?” can be more powerful than “Why me?”
• What Nerissa learned from interviewing more than 100 young mothers with cancer
• The importance of connection and asking for help
• How creativity can help us slow down, process and reconnect with ourselves
• Canvas of Courage and her new companion book, The Curious Curator

Today, Nerissa is approaching nine years with no evidence of disease and uses her experiences as an author, artist, speaker and therapeutic arts practitioner to help others find resilience, curiosity and meaning through life's challenges.

And perhaps her simplest advice for someone facing a new diagnosis is also one of the most important:

Be gentle with yourself. Ask for help. And don't try to go through it alone.

Resources:

Nerissa's Website: https://www.nerissaballand.com

Free Creative Guide: https://www.nerissaballand.com/creative-reset-guide

Nerissa's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nerissaballandart/

Nerissa's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nerissaballand

Nerissa's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nerissaballand

Follow:

Follow me: https://www.instagram.com/melissagrosboll/

My website: https://melissagrosboll.com

Email me: drmelissagrosboll@gmail.com

When Julie Daubenmire's 10-year-old daughter Hannah began complaining of knee pain during cross-country practice, her family assumed it was a routine sports injury. Instead, it became the beginning of a life-changing journey through osteosarcoma, a rare pediatric bone cancer.

Today, Hannah is thriving, and Julie has transformed her family's experience into a mission. As Director of Marketing and Family Engagement for Cancer Free Kids, she's helping fund the groundbreaking research that could change how childhood cancers are treated for generations to come.

In this inspiring conversation, Julie shares the emotional reality of parenting a child through cancer, the often-overlooked impact on siblings, why pediatric cancer research remains dramatically underfunded, and why she's optimistic that the next decade could revolutionize treatment for children.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Hannah's unexpected osteosarcoma diagnosis after what seemed like a simple running injury
• Why early detection made such a difference
• The realities of pediatric chemotherapy and limb-salvage surgery
• Living with a growing titanium knee implant
• The emotional impact cancer has on siblings and the entire family
• The importance of mental health and wraparound support during treatment
• Why pediatric cancers receive only a small fraction of overall cancer research funding
• How Cancer Free Kids funds innovative early-stage research
• The promise of targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and personalized medicine
• Why today's research could dramatically improve treatment for tomorrow's children
• Finding purpose after cancer

This episode is a powerful reminder that every breakthrough begins with someone willing to invest in hope.

Resources:

Julie's website: https://www.cancerfreekids.org/

Julie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cancerfreekids/

Julie's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cancerfreekids/

Julie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cancerfreekids

Follow:

Follow me: https://www.instagram.com/melissagrosboll/

My website: https://melissagrosboll.com

Email me: drmelissagrosboll@gmail.com