The Things I Thought About When My Body Was Trying to Kill Me

The Things I Thought About When My Body Was Trying to Kill Me

There’s already plenty of good medical journalism where you can find out about diagnosis, treatment, the latest research…the science of fighting cancer. But if you’re one of the millions diagnosed, or helping somebody live with cancer, or come to terms with dying of the disease, you already know: There’s not always good information, not always good advice, about how to think through the fact that you might be dying, or how to think about how your life has been changed, if you live. So I wrote one. Sufferers, survivors, care-givers may all hear the stories I tell in slightly different ways. It’s a cancer memoir. I called it, “The Things I Thought About When My Body Was Trying to Kill Me.” Listen. Subscribe. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done in more than 40 years as a journalist. I hope you’ll listen.

Episodes

May 5, 2022 2 mins
Every year in America, close to two million people are diagnosed with cancer of one kind or another. And every year, some six hundred thousand of us die of the disease. So cancer is very much with us… all around us… part of the lives we live together, and a big part of the billions Americans spend each year on health care. Every sufferer, every survivor, has a story that’s broadly shared, and at the same time as individual as your ...
Mark as Played
In this episode, I'll tell you about the rough and life changing road I was on, feeling worse and worse as my career also unraveled. It took awhile to sink in, I was a sick man, but I needed to get some help to figure out just how sick.
Mark as Played
June 9, 2022 14 mins
In this episode, I'll tell you about giving into the idea that I was really sick guy, and hearing those 3 momentus words, "you have cancer." Your life has just changed, and the end of your life may be a lot sooner than you had been counting on.
Mark as Played
June 16, 2022 15 mins
In this episode, you've got cancer. Where is it? What is it? What am I gonna do now? Am I dying?
Mark as Played
June 23, 2022 17 mins
In this episode, after a lifetime of staying out of hospitals as a patient, my streak ends. I've got a tag around my wrist, it's finally my turn. I'm getting alterations. And everybody knows what they have to do. The patient is in trouble, and at least for now, we have to tiptoe around that.
Mark as Played
June 30, 2022 18 mins
In this episode, I've been opened up and my tumors are out but there is still so much that we do not know. I'm in the hospital and in no shape to leave. I'm a fragile family man.
Mark as Played
July 7, 2022 21 mins
In this episode, what did they find? How bad was it? And once you know the answers to those questions, you have part of the answer to the big one. Am I going to need chemo?
Mark as Played
July 14, 2022 19 mins
If you're a guy who spent every Sunday morning of his life in Church for 6 decades, what does it mean to have all of it put to the test? Did it help? Did it change anything? I was really really sick. Did I have a prayer?
Mark as Played
July 21, 2022 22 mins
In this episode, I'm coming out the other end. Chemo is over. Each day I feel a little more normal, but what is normal now? My life is marked for good by what I've been through. What will continue to be with me and what recedes in the rear view mirror? It's a whole new world.
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

    Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders

    Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders takes you back to 1983, when two teenagers were found murdered, execution-style, on a quiet Texas hill. What followed was decades of rumors, false leads, and a case that law enforcement could never seem to close. Now, veteran investigative journalist M. William Phelps reopens the file — uncovering new witnesses, hidden evidence, and a shocking web of deaths that may all be connected. Over nine gripping episodes, Paper Ghosts: The Texas Teen Murders unravels a story 42 years in the making… and asks the question: who’s really been hiding the truth?

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.