Are you a cancer patient? Caregiver? Survivor? Advocate? Friend? Then you've come to the right place! The Patient from Hell is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by cancer survivor, founder of Manta Cares, and self-described "patient from hell", Samira Daswani. The podcast features guests who are making the cancer experience a little easier. Each episode will educate, empower, inspire and most importantly, show you that you are not alone in your experience. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to (or watch!) podcasts.
Patient from Hell
Claim This Podcastby Manta Cares
4.8(24 reviews)
123 episodes
Updated Weekly
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸
73
Podcast Authority
BetaGoodBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality95
Social0
YouTube76
Engagement51
Podcast Overview
Are you a cancer patient? Caregiver? Survivor? Advocate? Friend? Then you've come to the right place! The Patient from Hell is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by cancer survivor, founder of Manta Cares, and self-described "patient from hell", Samira Daswani. The podcast features guests who are making the cancer experience a little easier. Each episode will educate, empower, inspire and most importantly, show you that you are not alone in your experience. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to (or watch!) podcasts.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
4/26/2022
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73
Podcast Authority
BetaGoodBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality95
Social0
YouTube76
Engagement51
9
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8
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excellent
Episode Length
43 minutes
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Every 12 days
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Recent Episodes
July 8, 2026
A Rare Liver Transplant Cured His Stage 4 Colorectal Cancer
<p>Tim McDonald was sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner in 2020 when the pain started. A few days later, a doctor handed him a single sheet of paper and said three words nobody wants to hear: "You have cancer."</p><p><br></p><p>Stage 4 colorectal cancer. Liver covered in tumors. A second oncologist told him he had three years to live and she'd focus on "quality of life." His response? "That's your story. Not mine."</p><p>In this episode, Tim shares how over a decade of mindfulness practice shaped the way he faced one of the hardest diagnoses a person can receive and how he went from following doctors' orders to becoming the general manager of his own care team, ultimately pursuing a liver transplant at a time when fewer than 20 people in the US had received one for colorectal cancer.</p><p><br></p><p>This conversation goes deep on:</p><p>→ What it actually feels like to hear "you have cancer" and stay calm</p><p>→ Why getting a second (and third, and tenth) opinion saved his life</p><p>→ The player → quarterback → general manager framework for owning your treatment</p><p>→ Men, vulnerability, and why cancer support groups changed everything</p><p>→ The dark thought he had toward the end of chemo — and what pulled him back</p><p>→ Why survivorship was mentally harder than treatment itself</p><p>→ How advocacy work became part of his healingIf you or someone you love is navigating a cancer diagnosis, this episode is essential listening.</p><p><br></p><p>───────────────────────────</p><p><br></p><p>🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations with patients, advocates, and caregivers navigating the healthcare system.</p><p><br></p><p>───────────────────────────</p><p><br></p><p>CHAPTERS</p><p>00:00 – The mindset that got him through</p><p>00:29 – Meet Tim McDonald</p><p>01:17 – Thanksgiving diagnosis</p><p>02:44 – Hearing "you have cancer" — and staying calm</p><p>04:51 – Life before cancer: HuffPost, Arianna Huffington, and mindfulness</p><p>06:04 – What mindfulness actually gave him during treatment</p><p>07:14 – Starting standard treatment and meeting a new oncologist</p><p>09:38 – "That's your story. Not mine."</p><p>10:20 – Switching to Moffitt Cancer Center</p><p>11:53 – Discovering the liver transplant option</p><p>13:22 – Stage 4 colorectal cancer explained</p><p>17:49 – Going from patient to general manager of your care team</p><p>21:26 – The proctologist nobody thought to send him to</p><p>23:21 – Why you should always get a second opinion</p><p>24:46 – Men and cancer: processing emotions differently</p><p>26:18 – Vulnerability and who to open up to</p><p>29:02 – The dark thought: wanting to stop treatment entirely</p><p>30:52 – What pulled him back from the edge</p><p>31:39 – Survivorship: why after treatment can be harder</p><p>34:11 – 10 doctors after, 3 before: the survivorship reality</p><p><br></p><p>───────────────────────────</p><p><br></p><p>GUEST</p><p>Tim McDonald: Stage 4 colorectal cancer survivor, liver transplant recipient, patient advocate, and community builder. Former Director of Community at HuffPost.</p><p><br></p><p>───────────────────────────</p><p>ABOUT THE PATIENT FROM HELL</p><p>Patient From Hell is a podcast about navigating the healthcare system with confidence, curiosity, and zero apologies. Hosted by Samira Daswani, CEO and founder of Manta Cares.</p><p><br></p><p>#CancerSurvivor #ColorectalCancer #PatientAdvocacy #Stagefour #LiverTransplant #CancerMindset #ChemoSideEffects #PatientFromHell #MantaCares #CancerPodcast</p>
June 24, 2026
Outperforming Cancer: Stacking Evidence-Based Strategies on Top of Standard Care
<p>When Marybeth Gilliam was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, she did what her years as a healthcare researcher had trained her to do: she went looking for the evidence. What she found was a gap between a growing body of peer-reviewed research pointing to strategies that can improve outcomes, and the fact that most of it never reached patients because it hadn't yet become standard of care.In this episode of Patient From Hell, host Samira Daswani sits down with Marybeth, founder of Outperform Cancer, to talk about how she is working to close that gap. She translates overlooked, peer-reviewed findings into steps patients can actually take, always paired with standard treatment rather than in place of it. Exercise, nutrition, and sleep are part of it, and so is asking sharper questions about biomarker testing, weighing well-supported off-label options, and refusing to take no for an answer when the data is strong.She shares her own story, the research that reshaped her thinking, and a practical case for taking an active role in your care when the first treatment decisions matter most.In this episode:Why she founded Outperform Cancer to close the gap between research and the clinicHow she pairs evidence-based strategies with standard treatment, not instead of itBiomarker testing and advocating for off-label options backed by solid trials (PATINA, MA.32)What being your own advocate actually looks like in the exam roomThis podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The opinions of the speakers are their own.<br></p><p><br></p><p>CHAPTERS</p><p>00:00 The overlooked risk factor after childbirth</p><p>00:39 Meet Marybeth Gilliam</p><p>00:53 Why she founded Outperform Cancer</p><p>02:15 The cancer care information gap</p><p>02:20 The exercise discovery that changed everything</p><p>04:14 Her metastatic breast cancer diagnosis</p><p>06:11 Looking back at her 2007 Stage 0 diagnosis</p><p>07:16 Postpartum breast cancer and recurrence risk10:36 Building an anti-cancer strategy</p><p>13:58 From metastatic diagnosis to NED</p><p>15:48 Exercise, sleep, nutrition, and lifestyle changes18:24 Creating an anti-cancer environment20:03 The PATINA trial explained</p><p>23:24 Accessing promising therapies before standard of care</p><p>25:46 How patients can advocate for themselves</p><p>27:51 The 15-year research-to-practice gap</p><p>28:45 Precision medicine and biomarker testing</p><p>30:42 The ATM gene and metformin research</p><p>32:08 Stacking interventions: what does the evidence say?</p><p>33:08 Balancing risk, reward, and patient choice</p><p>35:24 Lessons from cancer innovators and patient-led research</p><p>37:00 Final thoughts and takeaways</p><p><br></p><p>Follow Patient From Hell for more conversations on cancer, survivorship, patient advocacy, research breakthroughs, and navigating healthcare with confidence.</p><p><br></p><p>Understanding postpartum breast cancer risks is critical. Learn why a diagnosis within 10 years of childbirth changes prognosis.</p><p><br></p><p>Many patients do not realize that postpartum breast cancer is defined as a diagnosis within 10 years of having children. This video explains the medical reasoning behind why these patients face a significantly higher likelihood of recurrence compared to other groups. We specifically look at the data showing that even stage one patients are three times more prone to metastasis during this specific window.</p>
June 11, 2026
The Biggest Trends from ASCO 2026 | Cancer Research Update
<p>Welcome to the Patient from Hell podcast! Live from ASCO 2026, we explore breakthroughs in clinical oncology, cancer research, AI healthcare tools, and targeted therapy for advanced cancer.</p><p><br></p><p>Samira Daswani, Founder and CEO of Manta Cares and host of The Patient From Hell, sits down with Dr. Doug Blayney, Chief Medical Officer of Manta Cares and former ASCO President, for a candid debrief in between sessions at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.</p><p><br></p><p>With 45,000 oncology professionals in attendance, ASCO is the largest gathering of cancer researchers and clinicians in the world. In this episode, Samira and Dr. Blayney break down what actually mattered: the clinical findings, the shifting treatment landscape, and what the research trends mean for patients navigating cancer today.</p><p><br></p><p>This episode is for oncologists, cancer researchers, and anyone who wants to understand where the field is heading.</p><p><br></p><p>Topics covered, with more to come in our next episode:</p><p><br></p><ul><li>Key clinical findings from ASCO 2026</li><li>Trends shaping experimental and clinical oncology</li><li>What high attendance and collaboration signals for the future of cancer research</li><li>What patients should know coming out of this year's conference</li></ul><p><br></p><p>CHAPTERS:0:00 - ASCO 2026 Annual Meeting Live from Chicago0:27 - Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Oncology & Patient Experience1:19 - Healthcare AI Challenges: Misinformation & Clinician Deskilling2:03 - Pancreatic Cancer Breakthrough: New RAS/KRAS Targeted Therapy2:30 - Lung Cancer Advancements: ALK Mutations & PD-L1 Data3:01 - Breast Cancer Innovation: Oral SERDs & ESR1 Biomarkers3:41 - Next Episode Preview & Wrap Up</p><p><br></p><p>Subscribe for frequent breakdowns of cancer research, treatment news, patient stories, and guidance and support for people in treatment for cancer. Drop a comment with the topics or trials you want us to cover next!</p>
123 total episodes available
Recent guests on Patient from Hell
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Chris Schuler
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Vicki McGrath
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Alyssa Wakeley
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Valerie David
Guest
Dr Doug Blayney
Guest
Dr Barbara Moscicki
Guest
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Patient from Hell?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates weekly.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 9 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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