About Still Paddling - Stories of Life After Cancer
Stories of Life After Cancer is a podcast that shares the inspiring journeys of breast cancer survivors who have found strength, resilience, and purpose beyond diagnosis.
Hosted by breast cancer survivor and dragon boat teammate Claudia Espinoza, each episode features honest conversations about treatment, recovery, survivorship, prevention and the power of community. Through the unique bond of dragon boating, these women share the lessons, victories, and the hope they’ve gained while navigating life after cancer.
#LifeAfterCancer #PreventionIsKey
Janet Ahonen is a two-time breast cancer survivor, first diagnosed in 2001 and again in 2024. Through it all, she has learned the importance of family, friendship, laughter, and community.
In this episode of Still Paddling, Janet shares her journey with humor and honesty, reminding us that we don't have to face life's challenges alone. Her message is simple: reach out for help, start where you are, and remember there is life after cancer.
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17 Oct 2026
The Sun Will Shine Again
At just 38 years old, Karina Rada was a single mother raising two young daughters when she received her breast cancer diagnosis. Suddenly, she was facing not only the fear of cancer but also the challenges of treatment, motherhood, and not having health insurance.
In this episode of Still Paddling, Karina shares how she found strength through gratitude, the importance of family and community support, and how dragon boating became a special part of her life after cancer.
Her optimism is contagious, and her message is a beautiful reminder that even during our darkest moments, there is always something to be grateful for.
As Karina reminds us, sometimes taking life one day at a time is too much. Sometimes it's one hour, or even one minute at a time.
There is life after cancer, and together, we're still paddling.
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9 Oct 2026
Life Is Too Short: Don't Wait Until Tomorrow
In this episode of Still Paddling, I sit down with Anna Maria Nevins, a breast cancer survivor diagnosed in 2006, who reminds us of something we often forget: life is too short to put off the things that bring us happiness.
Anna Maria shares her journey through diagnosis, treatment, and the challenges of balancing work and family. As a nurse who now works with cancer patients, she uses her own experience to offer comfort, understanding, and hope to others facing a similar journey.
We also talk about the friendships and sisterhood she has found through dragon boating, the importance of early detection, and her decision to embrace life and enjoy every moment.
Her message is simple: Don't wait until tomorrow to enjoy life. There is life after cancer!
#StillPaddling #LifeAfterCancer #PreventionIsKey
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3 Oct 2026
Whatever Decision You Make, It’s Going to Be the Right One
Sometimes the hardest part of a cancer diagnosis isn’t only the treatment—it’s the decisions, the uncertainty, and learning to accept help along the way.
In this episode of Still Paddling, Cecilia Rogers shares her journey from her first breast cancer diagnosis nearly 20 years ago to facing a second, different cancer diagnosis years later. Through it all, Cecilia has continued to choose life- traveling, making music, spending time with her children and grandchildren, and finding joy in the people and experiences that matter most.
One of the most meaningful lessons came from a friend who supported Cecilia throughout treatment. When Cecilia worried that she was asking for too much help, her friend told her:
“You bless others by allowing them to help you.”
Those words changed the way Cecilia looked at receiving support.
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25 Sept 2026
Why Not Me? Choosing Hope After Cancer
Zulma Collazo had always been driven, independent, and focused on getting things done. So, when a routine mammogram led to a breast cancer diagnosis, her instinct was the same: find the solution, make a plan, and keep moving.
But her journey through surgery, complications, infection, radiation, and recovery would eventually teach her something she hadn’t always allowed herself to do—slow down and truly live.
In this episode of Still Paddling, Zulma shares the difficult moment she learned she had cancer, why telling her sons was one of the hardest parts of her journey, the unexpected challenges she faced during treatment, and how she eventually found her way to the dragon boat community.
Today, her priorities look very different. Life is less about work and material things and more about family, travel, experiences, and appreciating the people around her.
Her message is simple but powerful: Never give up. There is always hope—and there is always something you can do.
This is a story about early detection, resilience, family, and what can happen when a second chance teaches us to stop simply getting through life and start experiencing it.
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18 Sept 2026
Finding Love and Happiness Through It All
Debbie Nyman refuses to let a diagnosis define the mood, and that choice changes everything.
While facing breast cancer, living with her daughter and a newborn, Debbie is carrying uncertainty that is as emotional as it is medical. But instead of allowing cancer to take over every part of her life, she makes a deliberate choice to keep living, laughing, and finding reasons to be happy.
And in the middle of treatment, something unexpected happens—she finds love.
Debbie shares the vulnerable reality of the not-knowing: Will the treatment work? Will she need more? What side effects are coming next? Yet her story is also a beautiful reminder that even during one of life's hardest chapters, there can still be room for joy, connection, new beginnings—and yes, even love.
This conversation is about more than surviving breast cancer. It's about continuing to live while you're going through it, embracing happiness when it finds you, and discovering that a diagnosis doesn't get to decide what the rest of your story will look like.
Because sometimes, even in the middle of the storm, life can surprise you with something beautiful.
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11 Sept 2026
Crossing the Finish Line of a Race I Never Chose
In this powerful episode of Still Paddling, Teresa Ellen Murphy shares a journey she never expected to take.
Diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer during the isolation of 2020, she faced difficult treatment, unexpected complications, and moments that taught her the importance of advocating for her own health. But cancer would not be the end of her story.
Years later, Terry found herself in a dragon boat—not just paddling alongside other breast cancer survivors but eventually representing the USA at the World Dragon Boat Championships in Germany.
Crossing that finish line brought everything full circle. She remembered the days when treatment left her so weak she was crawling on the floor, and realized she was now competing on the world stage.
This is a story about resilience, self-advocacy, finding strength through community, and discovering what may be waiting for us on the other side of the hardest chapters of our lives.
Sometimes we are entered into races we never chose. But that doesn't mean we can't cross the finish line—and discover just how far we've come.
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4 Sept 2026
20 Years Later: Choosing Joy After Cancer
Nearly 20 years after her breast cancer diagnosis, Avilia Castro looks back on the moment everything changed—and the life she chose to build afterward.
Diagnosed at an early stage after noticing a small lump herself, Avi shares the difficult reality of 38 radiation treatments, the fear of recurrence, and how cancer changed what mattered most to her. Over time, support, spirituality, travel, salsa dancing, and eventually dragon boating helped her rediscover strength, community, and joy.
Today, Avi's message is simple but powerful: make time for your screenings, ask questions, seek support, and don't wait for a diagnosis to appreciate the life you have.
This is a story of early detection, nearly 20 years of survivorship, and a reminder that there is life after cancer—and we're still paddling.
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28 Aug 2026
When the World Shut Down, She Chose to Keep Going
Gabrielle Ximena Barragán was diagnosed with triple-positive breast cancer in 2020, just as the world was shutting down and uncertainty was everywhere. But Gabrielle discovered just how strong she really was. Through chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and immunotherapy, she leaned on faith, resilience, self-advocacy, and the support of the people around her. Today, she looks at life differently, creating moments, serving others, and finding strength and community through dragon boating.
Her message to someone newly diagnosed is simple and powerful: You are stronger than you think. Take it one day at a time, believe in yourself, have faith, and remember—there is always tomorrow.
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21 Aug 2026
Walking Others Through the Storm
Our guest, Olga Arcila didn’t just survive cancer. She built a foundation "Caminando con Olga" so no woman has to walk through diagnosis, chemo, fear, or recovery alone. Because sometimes the hardest part isn’t the treatment - it’s learning howto ask for help. The foundation is a growing non for profit organization lead by one survivor choosing toshow up for another, proving that compassion can be just as powerful as the treatment.
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14 Aug 2026
From Diagnosis to Team USA- Five years of paddling
Taffie Lynn Butters went from being diagnosed in January 2020 and going through much of treatment during the isolation of COVID, to intentionally rebuilding her health, discovering dragon boating, and five years later competing in Germany as a member of Team USA’s breast cancer survivor dragon boat team. What began as a lonely breast cancer journey turned into a powerful story of healing, purpose, and possibility. Through integrative health, movement, and a whole lot of resilience, Taffie found a new path forward — one paddle stroke at a time. A reminder we all need: You are stronger than you know. You’re worth every healthy decision. And if you’re still paddling, you’re still moving forward.
Music licensed through Soundstripe.
Code: HVJIJ6FHAZJATTKB
7 Aug 2026
Finding Purpose After a Diagnosis
After surviving breast cancer at just 35 years old, Mary Carrillo refused to let her diagnosis define her future. Instead, she found a new purpose.
In this inspiring episode of Still Paddling, Mary shares how trusting her instincts led to an early diagnosis, the challenges of facing cancer without health insurance, and the difficult road through surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and lymphedema. Most importantly, she tells the story of how dragon boating transformed her life and inspired her to found Broward Fierce Fighters, a breast cancer survivor dragon boat team that has empowered women for the past 10 years.
This conversation is a reminder that a cancer diagnosis doesn't have to be the end of your story. Sometimes, it becomes the beginning of your greatest purpose.
31 Jul 2026
Young. Healthy. Diagnosed
In this episode you'll meet Alejandra Mourin. At just 28 years old, healthy, active, and building her future, breast cancer was the last thing on her mind. Like many young women, she never imagined it could happen to her.
When she discovered a lump, she was told more than once that it was probably nothing because of her age. But she trusted her instincts, continued asking questions, and advocated for herself.
That decision changed—and very likely saved—her life.
25 Jul 2026
When the Doctor Becomes the Patient
There are more than 4 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States, each with a unique story of resilience and triumph. Today, we shine a light on one such story: Dr. Irma Rey, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and has been cancer-free for over 11 years. Her journey not only highlights the importance of early detection but also emphasizes the transformative power of community and self-care.
25 Jul 2026
From Fear To Freedom
In this episode of Still Paddling, Sadia Brammer shares how a breast cancer diagnosis transformed her life. From the fear of hearing the words "you have cancer" to finding strength through family, faith, and dragon boating, her story is a reminder that healing is about so much more than treatment—it's about rediscovering yourself.
25 Jul 2026
The Reason Still Paddling Was Born
After a cancer diagnosis, many people wonder what life looks like beyond treatments and appointments. In this post, Claudia Espinoza shares her inspiring journey as a breast cancer survivor and how she found a supportive community through dragon boat paddling. Join us as we explore the powerful stories shared in her podcast, Still Paddling, and learn how these narratives can provide hope and purpose to others facing similar challenges.
25 Jul 2026
Trailer
Still Paddling: Stories of Life After Cancer is a podcast that shares inspiring journeys of breast cancer survivors, caregivers, advocates, and healthcare professionals whose stories remind us that there is life after cancer.
Hosted by breast cancer survivor Claudia Espinoza, each episode explores diagnosis, treatment, healing, resilience, prevention, and the journey of rebuilding life beyond cancer. Many guests have found strength through dragon boating, while others have discovered hope in different ways—but every story has the power to encourage someone else.
Whether you’re newly diagnosed, in treatment, a survivor, or supporting someone you love, this podcast is here to remind you that you’re never alone.
Because every survivor has a story… and every story helps someone keep paddling.
#LifeAfterCancer
#PreventionIsKey
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
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