Gila Pfeffer: Humor Writer and Breast Cancer Prevention Advocate

2026-01-07

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Writer, humorist, previvor, survivor, and breast cancer prevention advocate Gila Pfeffer joins Leah for a thoughtful, funny, and deeply honest conversation about loss, resilience, and finding humor in the most unlikely situations.

Gila talks about her memoir, Nearly Departed: Adventures in Loss, Cancer, and Other Inconveniences, how humor can be a survival tool during cancer treatment, and her cheeky Feel It on the First campaign that raises awareness of breast cancer screenings and risk reduction. Gila shares her experiences from undergoing a risk-reducing double mastectomy as a BRCA+ previvor to becoming a cancer survivor who is a powerful voice in breast cancer awareness.

This wide-ranging interview moves between generations—Gila’s experience as a daughter watching her mother go through cancer, and later as a mother facing her own diagnosis—highlighting the power of storytelling to help us make sense of what feels impossible. Honest, insightful, and refreshingly human, this episode is for anyone navigating cancer.

Follow Gila on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gilapfeffer/

Subscribe to her Substack

Send your Feel It On the First pictures to Gila! gilawrites@gmail.com

Things mentioned in this episode:

Read Gila’s first publication in McSweeney’s An Open Letter to Tiffany & Co. About Their Advertising Campaign for the Ring That Helps Women Remember They Survived Cancer

The Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Calculator

Koning-Vera, compression-free mammography

Eleonora Deplinsky, MD Gynecologic medical oncologist https://www.instagram.com/drteplinsky

Robyn Roth, MD breast radiologist https://www.instagram.com/theboobiedocs

Sharsheret, a nonprofit dedicated to providing personalized support, education, and community for Jewish women facing breast and/or ovarian cancer.

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