The Deep C

About The Deep C

The Deep C Podcast is for families, caregivers, friends and community who are supporting a child through a cancer diagnosis. While every ounce of your being is used to carry your child, this podcast is here to carry you.When you're bedside at the hospital, sitting in a waiting room for the millionth appointment, or just need to feel like you're not alone in this dark place - come find us. Our conversations will match the ones you're already having in your head. No topic is off limits, no fear is kept hidden. We speak to parents and caregivers at every stage of a diagnosis - families who are NED and families who are bereaved - diving deep into their reflections and personal accounts of how they walked (sometimes crawled) through their child's cancer diagnosis. This is not a medical podcast, we don't discuss chemo cocktails or treatment plans. You already talk about that enough. This podcast is where you come for conversations between people JUST like you: scared, tired, determined, and fierce as hell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Snack Labs

Category

health & fitness · kids & family · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 Jan 2024

Latest episode

23 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

69 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Sept 2026

   The Teen Cancer Experience

   What do our children discover about themselves when they go through cancer treatment? On The Deep C, I usually talk to parents about the strength, hope and love we discover deep within ourselves when our child is diagnosed with cancer. But for this episode, I wanted to hear about that experience from our kids. In a special collaboration with ACCESS (Advancing Childhood Cancer Experience, Science and Survivorship), I sat down with seven teenagers from across Canada who have all been diagnosed with cancer, some of whom are still in treatment. Sully, Karina, Ollie, Izabella, Keaton, Noah and Sachan generously share their experiences, beginning with the moments they learned they had cancer. We talk about the fears they faced during treatment, how cancer affected their friendships and what it felt like to return to school. They also share what they wish adults understood about their capabilities and the advice they would give another young person facing a diagnosis. What I found most enlightening was hearing about the strength they uncovered within themselves while their parents were discovering their own. Their stories offer an extraordinary perspective on what it means to grow up with cancer and how important it is that we listen to young people when they tell us what they need. About ACCESS ACCESS is a national, community-driven network working to advance childhood cancer research and care in Canada. By bringing people with lived experience together with researchers, healthcare providers and policymakers, ACCESS ensures that the voices of children and families help shape the future of childhood cancer care. This episode is part of ACCESS Presents, a series of free public educational conversations, and was created in recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. A special thank you to Sully, Karina, Ollie, Izabella, Keaton, Noah and Sachan for sharing their stories, and to Stephanie Reid and Renu Jeyapala at ACCESS for bringing this idea to The Deep C and making these conversations possible. https://www.accessforkidscancer.ca/ (https://www.accessforkidscancer.ca/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   23 Jun 2026

   When the Doctor Becomes the Parent: Pediatrician & Cancer Mom Raksha on Parent Intuition, Trust, & Teamwork

   What happens when the person who usually delivers the diagnosis suddenly becomes the parent receiving it? In this powerful episode, Sam sits down with Dr. Raksha Hemanth Raheja, a pediatrician and cancer mom whose son Rian was diagnosed with leukemia and later relapsed. Raksha shares her unique perspective of experiencing childhood cancer from both sides of the hospital bed, as a physician caring for children and as a mother desperately trying to save her own. Together, they explore the tension between medical knowledge and parental fear, the illusion of control, and the difficult reality that expertise doesn't protect you from the heartbreak of watching your child suffer. Raksha speaks candidly about what surprised her most when she became a cancer parent, how her son's diagnosis changed the way she practices medicine, and why she now places even greater value on parental intuition. This conversation is a powerful reminder that parents and clinicians aren't on opposing sides—they are teammates. Doctors bring medical expertise. Parents bring an intimate understanding of their child. The best care happens when both are heard. In this episode, we discuss: What it was like to experience childhood cancer as both a pediatrician and a parent Whether medical knowledge makes a child's cancer diagnosis easier—or harder—to navigate The loss of control that comes with childhood cancer How to approach difficult conversations with your child's oncology team Why parents should feel empowered to ask questions, voice concerns, and trust their instincts The role of parent intuition in medical decision-making How Raksha's experience as a cancer mom transformed the way she practices medicine Why doctors and parents are ultimately working toward the same goal The importance of partnership, trust, and communication in pediatric cancer care Whether you're newly diagnosed, deep in treatment, or years into survivorship, this episode offers valuable insight into the relationship between families and medical teams and reminds us that behind every white coat is a human being doing their very best to help a child heal. Because when it comes to caring for our kids, we're all on the same team. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   10 May 2026

   I Don’t Know How You Do It — The Infinite Reach of a Mother’s Love with Sarah Bartosz

   In this Mother’s Day episode, Sarah Bartosz joins Sam for a deeply honest conversation about motherhood, grief, survival, and the question every cancer parent has heard: “I don’t know how you do it.” Sarah is Jack, Annie, and Tommy’s mom, the Executive Director of the Beat Childhood Cancer Foundation, and someone whose life has been shaped by cancer for decades. After her three-year-old son Jack was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroblastoma, Sarah spent nearly seven years beside him through treatment before losing him in 2012. Years later, she lost her husband John, whose own cancer treatment ultimately led to his death, before facing her own breast cancer diagnosis. But this conversation is not about inspiring people with resilience. It’s about telling the truth about what carries parents through impossible situations in the first place: love. Sam and Sarah talk about the force of a mother’s love, the way it stretches to meet fear and grief and exhaustion, and why cancer parents bristle when people say, “I could never.” They also explore Sarah’s perspective on grief and scars — why she wants people to “ask me about my scar,” and how grief is not something to fix or move beyond, but an extension of love itself. A conversation about motherhood, loss, fear, survival, and what it means to keep loving after your life has been completely altered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Who has been a guest on The Deep C

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Matt
• Alex
• Katelyn
• Sarah
• Amanda

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

18 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 48 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

82

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact The Deep C

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.