Cancer doesn't just change your health; it changes your world. CHANGED BY CANCER shares raw, lived experiences at the intersection of personal healing and systemic change. We amplify the voices of those rewriting their narratives and navigating the challenges of a diagnosis with honesty, insight, and community.
CHANGED BY CANCER
Claim This Podcastby Randi Paynter
12 episodes
Updated Daily
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Podcast Overview
Cancer doesn't just change your health; it changes your world. *CHANGED BY CANCER* shares raw, lived experiences at the intersection of personal healing and systemic change. We amplify the voices of those rewriting their narratives and navigating the challenges of a diagnosis with honesty, insight, and community.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
3/7/2026
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Recent Episodes
August 5, 2026
"MS — At Least It's Not Cancer" (Marissa — Part 1)
<p>"When I got diagnosed with breast cancer, all of a sudden I realized I could die. And then I felt terrible about how little I thought of my life and realized that I actually had a wonderful life... Being alive meant I could see my family, read a book, go outside. I could not believe how much I didn't see that I had all along." — Marissa</p><p>In 2012, Marissa was a 42-year-old mother living in South Florida when she experienced a severe, sudden, and inexplicable major depressive episode. It would take years — and a series of subtle physical disconnects — to learn that this psychological shift was actually the initial onset of progressive Multiple Sclerosis.</p><p>In Part 1 of this special two-part feature, host Dr. Randi Paynter sits down with Marissa to trace a decade-long journey through neuroinflammatory disease, progressive mobility shifts, systemic insurance step therapy, and the psychological weight of chronic isolation.</p><p>Note on Clinical Background: Marissa trained and previously worked as a licensed pharmacist. While she is not currently practicing, her educational background naturally informed how she understood her treatments and parsed complex drug interactions. We highlight this background not to set an expectation, but to emphasize the exact opposite: navigating complex diagnoses, insurance bureaucracy, and drug protocols is daunting for anyone, and patients without a medical or science background should never feel intimidated or place unreasonable expectations on themselves to master these systems alone.</p><p>When a routine mammogram revealed aggressive Stage 3 breast cancer, Marissa experienced a reaction her oncologist never expected: pure gratitude for a second chance to fight for her life.</p><p>We also feature another installment of <strong>The Epi Edit</strong>, where Dr. Paynter steps outside the interview to analyze the neuroepidemiology of the MS prodrome and the structural mechanisms behind insurance step therapy.</p><p><strong>In this episode, we discuss:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>The MS Prodrome:</strong> Why severe psychiatric and cognitive shifts frequently precede motor impairment in neuroinflammatory conditions.</li><li><strong>Diagnostic Misdirection:</strong> Bouncing between specialists, joint hypermobility, and the fear of hereditary neurological conditions.</li><li><strong>The Emotional Toll of Mobility Devices:</strong> Navigating the psychological boundary from walking poles to full-time wheelchair reliance.</li><li><strong>The Insurance Step Therapy Trap:</strong> How cost-containment protocols force patients to "fail" older, less effective drugs before approving advanced therapies.</li><li><strong>The Power of Public Advocacy:</strong> How a single social media comment bypassed a months-long insurance wall to secure second-year chemotherapy coverage for MS.</li><li><strong>A Surreal Perspective Shift:</strong> Why hearing a Stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis felt like an immediate lifeline after years of progressive disability.</li></ul><br/><p>Go to <strong>ChangedByCancer.com</strong> for show notes, research citations, and resource links.</p><p><strong>Research articles & links referenced:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Understanding the MS Prodrome:</strong> Makhani N, Tremlett H. The multiple sclerosis prodrome. Nat Rev Neurol. 2021 Aug;17(8):515-521. doi: 10.1038/s41582-021-00519-3. Epub 2021 Jun 21. PMID: 34155379; PMCID: PMC8324569.</li><li><strong>Insurance Step Therapy & Access:</strong> Mizell R. The Impact of Insurance Restrictions in Newly Diagnosed Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis. Int J MS Care. 2024 Jan-Feb;26(1):17-21. doi: 10.7224/1537-2073.2022-069. Epub 2024 Jan 5. PMID: 38213675; PMCID: PMC10779716.</li><li><strong>Breast Cancer Staging & Curative Intent:</strong> National Cancer Institute (NCI) Comprehensive Overview on Stage III Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer. https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/stages</li></ul><br/><p>Changed By Cancer is hosted by Dr. Randi Paynter, a cancer epidemiologist. This podcast shares personal experiences and systemic issues in healthcare. It is not medical advice. Please consult your own medical team for health-related decisions.</p>
July 22, 2026
"The Elite Runner of Survivors" (Deborah — Part 2)
<p>"Every day that I wake up and I don't have a new tumor, I'm adding to the survivorship data. So you have to live with a certain amount of uncertainty... I would like to curl up at night with a whole sheaf of data that doesn't exist yet, because I'm the one who's helping to create it." — Deborah</p><p></p><p>When we evaluate health metrics on a macro scale, we often treat long-term oncology survivorship as a finished equation — a simple box checked after a patient rings a bell. But the actual infrastructure of survival is far more complex, held together by human relationships, psychological boundaries, and systemic privileges.</p><p></p><p>In the conclusion of this special two-part feature, titled "The Elite Runner of Survivors," host Dr. Randi Paynter sits down with health sciences librarian Deborah to document the raw, unfiltered realities of long-term, advanced survivorship. After severe eye toxicities forced her to discontinue her dual combination targeted therapies (Tafinlar + Mekinist) in February 2020, Deborah walked off the edge of established clinical guidelines to navigate life as a true biological outlier.</p><p></p><p>In this episode, we move past the clinical trials to explore how families establish boundaries in a crisis, how we navigate profound grief and loss within a medical space, and how Deborah pivoted her entire career to train the next generation of healthcare providers.</p><p></p><p><strong>We discuss:</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Parenting in a Crisis:</strong> The deliberate strategies Deborah used to protect her young sons from a climate of fear.</li><li><strong>The Epi Edit:</strong> The molecular science of V600 BRAF/MEK dual pathway inhibition and why combining toxic agents can paradoxically balance out specific side effects.</li><li><strong>The Phlebotomy Desk Bond:</strong> A tribute to Bakari, a nursing student from the Gambia whose tragic loss deeply impacted Deborah's care journey.</li><li><strong>The Career Transformation:</strong> How Deborah transitioned into academic health sciences librarianship, teaching medical and nursing students how to navigate evidence-based practice.</li><li><strong>Delivering Bad News:</strong> Reflecting on teaching medical students and the raw memory of finding out about her own diagnosis over the phone.</li><li><strong>The "Elite Runner" Deficit:</strong> What it actually feels like to cope with PTSD, survivor's guilt, and "scanxiety" when your clinic graduates you to annual MRIs.</li></ul><br/><p></p><p>-- Go to ChangedByCancer.com for show notes, resources, and links to Deborah's blog I'll Live</p><p></p><p><strong>Resources mentioned:</strong></p><p></p><ul><li><strong>BRAF and MEK Pathway Inhibition:</strong> Subbiah V, Baik C, Kirkwood JM. Clinical Development of BRAF plus MEK Inhibitor Combinations. Trends Cancer. 2020 Sep;6(9):797-810. doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2020.05.009. Epub 2020 Jun 13. PMID: 32540454. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405803320301643" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405803320301643</a></li><li><strong>The Breakthrough Documentary:</strong> <a href="https://www.uncommonproductions.com/breakthrough" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.uncommonproductions.com/breakthrough</a></li><li><strong>Deborah's Blog:</strong> I'll Live <a href="https://ill-live.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://ill-live.com/</a></li></ul><br/><p></p><p>Changed By Cancer is hosted by Dr. Randi Paynter, a cancer epidemiologist. This podcast shares personal experiences and systemic issues in healthcare. It is not medical advice. Please consult your own medical team for health-related decisions.</p>
July 15, 2026
"Alice in Wonderland Meets Sci-Fi" (Deborah — Part 1)
<p>In April of 2013, Deborah was a busy mother of two young boys living in Brooklyn when a spot on her back came back positive for malignant melanoma. A sentinel lymph node biopsy was clear, but the pathology noted "melanoma in transit" — malignant cells already on their way to other parts of her body.</p><p></p><p>By September of 2014, the "bad stuff" had landed in her lungs. Her oncologist recommended a clinical trial combining a short course of radiation with a novel immunotherapy drug named Ipilimumab (Yervoy). But after just two infusions, Deborah developed severe, life-threatening colitis, forcing her team to halt the therapy entirely.</p><p></p><p>Then came the spring of 2015. Within a day of being told her lungs showed No Evidence of Disease, Deborah woke up and realized she couldn't find the words to speak. An emergency MRI revealed nine active brain tumors.</p><p></p><p>In this first part of a special two-part feature, host Dr. Randi Paynter sits down with Deborah to trace a medical timeline that broke the speed limit of standard textbook guidelines. It is a story of rapid clinical pivots, genomic sequencing, and a quiet, non-invasive laser surgery where physicians played "Space Invaders" with her tumors while Deborah listened to Satie.</p><p></p><p>We also bring back The Epi Edit, a recurring segment where Dr. Paynter steps outside the conversation to analyze the epidemiology and science behind the lived experience. In this episode, we explore the biology of Immune-Related Adverse Events (irAEs) and why severe immunotherapy toxicities are historically correlated with exceptionally strong tumor response rates.</p><p></p><p>In this episode, we discuss:</p><p>• The "In-Transit" Alert: Why a skin lesion that refuses to heal is a critical warning sign.</p><p>• The Trial Experience: Why Deborah immediately agreed to be a clinical "guinea pig".</p><p>• The Epi Edit: The clinical paradox of high-grade immunotherapy toxicities and long-term survival.</p><p>• Gamma Knife Surgery: Demystifying non-invasive laser-guided brain surgery.</p><p>• Steroid Mania: Navigating the sleepless, hyper-chatty reality of high-dose dexamethasone.</p><p>• I'll Live: How Deborah used writing as a cognitive lifeline and connected with a patient in Northern Ireland.</p><p></p><p>-- Go to ChangedByCancer.com for show notes, blog links, and resources</p><p></p><p>Research articles & links referenced:</p><p>• Deborah's Blog: I'll Live <a href="https://ill-live.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://ill-live.com/</a></p><p>• Gamma Knife Overview: A patient-friendly guide explaining how focused radiation beams treat specific brain areas without incisions. <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/brain-stereotactic-radiosurgery/about/pac-20384679" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/brain-stereotactic-radiosurgery/about/pac-20384679</a></p><p>• Understanding Immunotherapy: What Is Immunotherapy? — An accessible overview of how these treatments utilize the body's own immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells. <a href="https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/treatment-types/immunotherapy.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/treatment-types/immunotherapy.html</a></p><p>• Targeted Cancer Therapies: A clear explanation of how "precision medicine" drugs are engineered to block specific proteins that allow cancer cells to grow. <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/targeted-therapies" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/targeted-therapies</a></p><p></p><p>Changed By Cancer is hosted by Dr. Randi Paynter, a cancer epidemiologist. This podcast shares personal experiences and systemic issues in healthcare. It is not medical advice. Please consult your own medical team for health-related decisions.</p>
12 total episodes available
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