Here are links to some of the information talked about in the episode:

Research:
- MSK article (April 2025) on exercise as cancer therapy

- MSK article (Jan 2017) on cancer patients being less active

- ASCO25 press release about the international CHALLENGE trial where early stage colorectal patients who had an exercise "coach" and exercised regularly had a better disease free survival

- American Cancer Society article on Weight Loss

Exercise Programs:
- MSK Integrative Medicine at Home - virtual exercise classes for cancer patients and care partners - $20/mth and you do not need to be a MSK patient

- Exercise Programs at Wellness House (Chicago) - free exercise programs, some in-person and some virtual

- Wellness Programs at Hirsch (Greensboro, NC) - free exercise programs, some in-person and some virtual

- Livestrong Program at the YMCA (national) - close to 800 YMCA locations across the country participate in this 12 week program for cancer survivors

- American College of Sports Medicine - Cancer and Exercise Research and Resources

which includes a Moving Through Cancer directory of some of the local and regional exercise oncology specialists and programs, searchable by city or state

Host, Producer, Composer, Editor: Elsa Lankford

• (02:03) - MSK Cancer and Exercise Data
• (04:02) - ASCO25 Exercise Data
• (05:56) - Kristine's exercise before and after diagnosis
• (06:32) - MSK Integrative Medicine at Home - virtual exercise program
• (10:20) - Finding other exercise classes - nationally and locally
• (12:05) - Cancer patients and survivors need motivation to exercise - care partners can help

This episode is called Home is Where the Healthcare Is (Sometimes).

In October 2024, my incredible Kristine (💙💙) had a major surgery - CRS/HIPEC. Over the last few months, she has had some temporary members added to her care team.

In this episode, I talk about the importance of a nutritionist, home wound care nurse, and a home physical therapist.

*** If you are in the United States, please join me in continuing to advocate for fully funded and staffed cancer and medical research, from the NIH, NCI, FDA, CDC, to local, regional, and national cancer centers.

Colorectal cancer, and all of the other cancers, needs more hope and options. Those come directly out of cancer research.

Please check out Fight CRC - https://fightcolorectalcancer.org/advocacy/public-policy/federal-policy/ or https://5calls.org/issue/nih-nsf-funding-cuts/ ***

• (01:20) - CRS/HIPEC surgery
• (04:18) - The importance of a nutritionist
• (08:54) - Home wound care nurse
• (12:26) - Home physical therapy
• (14:55) - The importance of building your care team

This episode is truly from the heart, not just because I recorded it and am uploading it on Valentine's Day 2025, but because cancer research means the world to me. It offers hope in cancerland, which is necessary.

Here are some ways that you can help save cancer research in the United States:

• https://5calls.org/issue/nih-nsf-funding-cuts/ - lets you easily contact your US representative and senators via phone and has an optional script if you get tongue tied. All you need to do is put a location so that it can find out who you should contact. You can also send emails, but phone calls seem to be more effective
• https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials also lets you know who your elected officials are
• United for Medical Research has a great webpage where you can find out how NIH funding affects your state
• The American Association of Medical Colleges has been fighting for cancer research funding

This is a rapidly evolving issue that is very time sensitive. Please share and call your representatives, go to their town halls, let them know how important cancer research is to you, your family, and your loved ones.

Welcome to the eleventh episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC where I talk with my best friend for over 30 years, my wife Kristine about healthy distractions.

Kristine was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer on her 49th birthday in July 2021. We have had to come up with a lot of coping mechanisms to deal with this cancer diagnosis, and we have a number of healthy distractions. From walking, puzzles, dancing, doing fun spontaneous things, exercise, meditation, and sometimes just being silly.

Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)

Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford

Kristine - You are incredible 💙

Please remember to share, subscribe, like, and rate the podcast.

Helpful links related to this episode:

• Cancer and Careers - an organization who works to empower and educate cancer survivors about how to thrive in the workplace
• www.eventbrite.com - Easy way to find in-person and online classes, workshops, and events all over the world. You can sort to find free and online.
• MSK Integrative Medicine at Home - Meditation and exercises classes online (more services are available if you can be in person). This is a low cost membership for live online classes or you can do the free classes that are posted on the website.
• Wellness House (Annapolis, MD) - Offers both in-person and online exercise and art classes for free.
• Wellness House (Chicago, IL) - Offers both in-person and online exercise and art classes for free.
• https://www.hirschwellnessnetwork.org/#Classes - Offers both in-person and online exercise and art classes for free. The in-person classes are extensive if you live nearby.
• www.Open.Spotify.com - Listen to Kristine's playlists or create your own and dance!

• (01:15) - What is a healthy distraction and why are they helpful?
• (02:39) - When Kristine started adding in healthy distractions
• (04:53) - Healthy distractions as exercise for the mind and body
• (06:58) - Distracting sports of one sort or another
• (07:54) - Spontaneous Fun map
• (08:55) - Work can be a distraction, but if you do stop working, try one new thing a day
• (11:39) - Music and dancing as a healthy distraction
• (14:45) - The importance of meditation
• (16:15) - Healthy distractions can involve friends and family. Offer to do fun and distracting things with your people in cancer land

Welcome to the tenth episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC where I talk with friend and fellow stage 4 care partner Liz from Vancouver.

Liz's daughter Haley was diagnosed with advanced stage 4 colon cancer in June 2022 at the age of 19. Liz talks about all the different ways she and her family were able to say yes to opportunities and to make memories with Haley. As Liz explains, cancer makes life and planning so uncertain, so you need to take every opportunity that you can.

Kristine and I had been planning on visiting Liz later in the summer, but when Kristine needed to go back to chemo, we pivoted (again) and are so glad that we said yes, let's travel across the country next week (and that Liz said yes to being our incredible tour guide).

Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)

Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford

Kristine - I love you. 💙

Please remember to share, subscribe, like, and rate the podcast.

Helpful links related to this episode:

• Colontown.org - they have a great Stage 4 carepartners group where care partners can find support from people who understand what it's like
• Melanie's Way - a Canadian organization that helps fund wishes to Canadian women with stage 4 or recurrent cancer
• She Defines Strength - a Canadian group that empowers young women with cancer

• (03:27) - What does "say yes" mean to you?
• (07:23) - The Three Month Schedule
• (08:34) - People in cancerland can't really plan too far ahead - be flexible
• (10:44) - Haley's diagnosis at 19
• (13:52) - Haley's impact on her medical team
• (17:30) - As a carepartner, saying yes for you
• (21:16) - Haley's Big List of Life

Welcome to the ninth episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC where I talk about my wife Kristine's liver surgery.

Her liver surgery was in January 2022. There is a lot involved in a loved one getting to surgery, and care partners can help them prepare for this challenging time. I also talked about staying in the hospital room to help her (and help distract) as well as during recovery and healing.

Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)

Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford

Kristine - You're so much more than chopped liver to me (ba dum bah!) ❤️

Please remember to share, subscribe, like, and rate the podcast.

Helpful links related to this episode:

• Colontown.org - this is the group where I met new great friends who were CRC patients or care partners.
• Preparing for Surgery - from the American Cancer Society is a helpful resource
• Prehabilitation Resources from Cancer Research UK
• Clinical research showing that prehabilitation for CRC surgery is beneficial - hopefully this is something that can become standard of care for any CRC surgery

• (01:38) - Getting scans to see if she could get to surgery
• (02:09) - It was a go!
• (02:36) - Getting over the fear of surgery
• (03:36) - Preparing for surgery
• (04:52) - "I am ready!"
• (05:27) - Getting the house ready
• (05:42) - Helpful for carepartner to get involved in cancer groups
• (06:26) - The day of surgery in January 2022
• (07:36) - 2nd opinions - they are so so important
• (08:15) - The day after the surgery
• (09:10) - Getting to stay in the room - and why it's so helpful for a carepartner to be there
• (10:03) - "Look over there!" how distractions can be helpful
• (10:42) - A couple of helpful items for after surgery
• (12:11) - The importance of walking
• (13:51) - Getting back to normalcy
• (14:30) - Meeting again with the liver surgeon
• (15:21) - Surgery is so important

Welcome to the eighth episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC where I talk to medical librarian Carrie Price about how to find reliable medical information online.

I know I learned a lot from Carrie during this episode (including how awesome medical librarians are!), I hope that you do too.

Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)

Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford
Guest: Carrie Price, Research Impact & Health Professions Librarian at Towson University

Kristine - here's to doing fun stuff - I love you ❤️

Please remember to share, subscribe, like, and rate the podcast.

Helpful links related to this episode:

• PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
• MedlinePlus: https://medlineplus.gov/
• NCI: https://www.cancer.gov/
• To limit a google search:

  fruquintinib site:.gov

  (first result is sponsored but rest of results are .gov sites)

• Examples of patient health libraries at cancer centers:
  • Mayo: https://monument.health/mayo-clinic-health-information-library/
  • Johns Hopkins: https://johnshopkinshealthcare.staywellsolutionsonline.com/
  • MSK (Memorial Sloan Kettering): https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/diagnosis-treatment/symptom-management/integrative-medicine/herbs
• Google alerts - to get an email once a day, once a week, or as it happens with search results (I have Google alerts for clinical trials, pharmaceutical companies, etc. that I'm following

• (01:28) - Being bombarded with information, not knowing if it's trustworthy
• (02:34) - Why medical librarians are awesome
• (03:30) - Finding trustworthy and understandable information - Medline Plus and the NCI database
• (05:03) - MedLine Plus can be helpful to look up supplements too
• (05:41) - How to make Google be a little more predictable and trustworthy with its results
• (06:38) - Getting somebody more science-oriented onto your support team can be very helpful
• (08:02) - PubMed has a lot of articles, here's some tips on narrowing down the results
• (11:09) - How to be more sure about your article from PubMed
• (13:04) - Google Alerts can be helpful, but it can be more helpful if an article has been vetted and isn't sensationalist
• (14:00) - When the headline is too good to be true
• (15:33) - FDA drug approval database
• (16:38) - Larger cancer centers have helpful online patient health libraries
• (17:15) - The importance of looking up supplements (and asking the onc about them too)

Welcome to the seventh episode of Care Partner's Compass: Navigating CRC where I talk about my wife Kristine's very recent immunotherapy trial and all that it entailed.

This is the first episode where I talk about something that is so recent (spoiler alert, she exited the trial officially this weekend). So I don't have the benefit of time and other experiences for comparison. It's still very fresh, and upsetting. But, that's how stage 4 cancer works. As a care partner, you make sure that your loved one has all the information that they need to make an informed decision, and then back them up and care for them.

Cancer is hard. And change is hard. But having options is everything. We just need a lot more of them. Hence, trials. There will be a future episode on how to find trustworthy information, and also how to search for trials.

Full transcription can be found on the website (http://carepartnerscompass.transistor.fm)

Host, producer/editor, and composer: Elsa Lankford

Kristine - I know this was difficult. But I know that the immunotherapy and chemo are going to work together to kick some cancer butt.

Please remember to share, subscribe, like, and rate the podcast.

Helpful links related to this episode:

• ClinicalTrials.gov - this lists clinical trials not just in the United States, but many international trials as well.
• Fight CRC Clinical Trial Finder - a very helpful set of trials just for CRC with some commentary. You can include in your search if trials allow previous immunotherapy.
• No Regrets Spotify music playlist - Kristine creates a new dance playlist for each new chapter, including this one as she goes back to chemo. This is her newest playlist, that we danced to today during her chemo infusion.

• (01:32) - Leading up to the trial
• (02:33) - MRD Trials - Minimal Residual Disease
• (03:25) - Immunotherapy and MSS CRC - getting there, but still a ways to go (mainly through trials)
• (04:41) - Getting the call to be on the trial
• (05:55) - Why this Phase1B trial was a good idea for Kristine
• (06:58) - Starting the trial - paperwork and plenty of eyes on the case
• (07:47) - Allergic reaction and Benadryl to the rescue
• (09:01) - Trial side effects - even one good one
• (10:46) - We need more info for Stage 4 MSS CRC, especially for immunotherapy trials
• (11:39) - Why it is so tricky to know when/if immunotherapy is working
• (13:43) - Getting as much information as possible, even if it says things you don't want it to
• (14:25) - Being a care partner when your loved one is doing a clinical trial
• (17:05) - Being optimistic and realistic when there's yet another pivot