Professional snowboarder Kimmy Fasani was still breastfeeding her second child when she found a lump under her armpit. Just days later, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and found herself preparing for chemotherapy. Having lost both her parents to cancer, it was a terrifying moment for her, but she tried not to let her family history loom over her as she began treatment. Instead, she focused on the lessons learned from years spent tackling mountain peaks—to stay flexible and adaptable when her plans were upended and to find beauty in the adventure even if she hadn't asked for it.

At the time of her diagnosis, Kimmy and her husband Chris were filming a documentary following five years of their lives and careers. As she faced the challenges of chemotherapy, radiation, and a double mastectomy, she opted to keep the cameras rolling, documenting the highs and lows of her treatment with unflinching honesty. As difficult as it could be to show the world her most vulnerable moments, Kimmy came out on the other side inspired and hopeful that she could remind others like her that they aren't facing cancer by themselves.

In this episode of Your Stories, Kimmy speaks with host Dr. Mark Lewis about the power of advocating for herself, leaning on loved ones, and looking towards the future.

When Molly Hones was diagnosed with fibrolamellar cancer for the second time in less than two years, she made two critical decisions. First: She wouldn’t focus on the unknowns of her condition and would focus on the positives instead.

Second, she would give back by participating in research. And so, in June 2023, Molly traveled to the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where oncologist and Conquer Cancer grant recipient Marina Baretti, MD, was running a clinical trial for people with fibrolamellar cancer. “I like to say I’m donating my body to science while I’m still alive,” Molly says. “And how cool is it to see my legacy when I’m still around?”

Which is how she found herself in Baltimore, Maryland, on the day she received an unthinkable phone call: Her husband Grant had passed away at age 45 from a brain aneurysm.

Even faced with such devastating news, Molly remained committed to moving forward with her treatment, connecting with other fibrolamellar patients, and celebrating life whenever she could. Being brave and facing challenges with a smile on her face, she says, is her way of honoring the people she’s lost and the people she’s met through her cancer journey.

In this episode of Your Stories, Molly speaks with host Dr. Mark Lewis about her experience with fibrolamellar cancer, the importance of community when facing a rare cancer, and her hopes of contributing to a world where every person with cancer can live life to the fullest.

As a young person starting over in a new country—one where she didn’t even yet know the language—young Yelena faced no shortage of challenges. But she also found opportunity she believes might not have existed in her native country.

“As an Armenian individual growing up in Azerbaijan, going by my parents’ and my family’s experience, I don’t think I would have had an opportunity to be a physician there,” Dr. Janjigian says. “There was a clear limitation on who got to be a physician, and it’s a prestigious position anywhere in the world. As a relative minority, I wouldn’t have been able to do that. My parents certainly had the courage it took to leave and to come to a foreign country.”

That same brand of courage led Dr. Janjigian to her current work as a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. A specialist in esophageal and stomach cancer, she presented the results of her gastric cancer clinical trial during the plenary session of this year’s ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago. The presentation was the culmination of more than eight years of work involving nearly 1,000 patients and collaborators. Much of that work, she says, started when she received her first grant from Conquer Cancer, a Young Investigator Award. Receiving that funding, she recalls, was a career-defining moment.

In this episode of Your Stories, Dr. Janjigian speaks with host Dr. Mark Lewis about her journey to become an oncologist, along with her vision for a world where a cancer diagnosis isn’t nearly as frightening as it is today.