44. Treatment, Survivorship & Family Part 2 | A Mother’s Story

What is it like to hear your child tell their cancer story… when you remember every detail they don’t?

In this powerful Part 2 conversation, the Game Over: c*ncer Podcast sits down with Julie Feuerstein, mom of pediatric cancer survivor Mara, to explore the family side of a childhood leukemia diagnosis. While Mara shared her story in our previous episode, today we hear from the mother who lived every second of it.

Julie is an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida and a certified speech-language pathologist. But most importantly, she is Mara’s mom. In this episode, she shares what it was like navigating her daughter’s B-cell ALL leukemia diagnosis, enduring treatment during COVID isolation, and entering the complicated phase of cancer survivorship.

We talk about:
• The emotional toll of pediatric cancer on parents and marriage
• Living in crisis mode during treatment
• The trauma and isolation of COVID-era hospital stays
• The role of research in increasing childhood leukemia survival rates
• Why continued funding for pediatric cancer research matters
• What survivorship really looks like years after treatment ends
• Letting survivors define their own identity beyond cancer

Julie reflects on the tension between relief and fear in survivorship, the long-term side effects of chemotherapy, and the importance of investing in the next generation of scientists so that childhood cancer can one day be eradicated.

Mara’s story is proof that research works. But this episode is a reminder that the work is not finished.

If you believe in advancing pediatric cancer research, supporting families, and turning fear into courage, this conversation is for you.

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Connect with Dana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danaknichols/
Connect with Val: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-solomon/

Upcoming Ckc Events: https://cannonballkidscancer.org/category/make-an-impact/events/

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Podcast Produced by Hi Hello Labs: Website: https://www.hihellolabs.com/