Shannon Gottesman was diagnosed at age 40 with hormone positive, Stage III breast cancer. She is the Vice Chancellor at the University of Pittsburgh, a traveler, an advocate, and mom of two boys. In this episode, Shannon reads her essay “On This Mat” from the 2024 “Body” issue of Wildfire Journal. Her piece is about learning to breathe through discomfort while finding balance in chaos and to honor a body that has fought so hard to endure. April and Shannon will discuss the complexities of cancerversaries, bridging the mind and body through yoga, mantras, and taking pause in life.
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Erin Perkins was diagnosed at 34 with Stage II, Triple Negative breast cancer. She is a volunteer, writer, Young Breast Cancer Project board member, and stay-at-home parent. Erin is a self-published author of Young Breast Cancer Your Story and Mine: A Compact Guide. In this episode, Erin reads her essay “The Way It Felt” from the 2024 Mothers & Daughters issue of Wildfire Journal. Her piece is about motherhood and memory and what happens when the fear of leaving your children collides with your own childhood wound of being left.
April and Erin talk about embodied writing, cancer activating old wounds, parenting before and after cancer, and Erin’s self-published book. They will also discuss the words that changed Erin at her friend’s deathbed.
Julia Tabisz was diagnosed at 25 with Triple Negative breast cancer. She is a journalist, editor, a mom with a passion for writing and competitive Irish dance. Julia happily lives in the woods of Maryland with her son and daughter.
In this episode, Julia reads her essay “A Mother’s Biggest Problem” from the 2024 Mothers & Daughters issue of Wildfire Journal. Her piece is a story about motherhood, and how swiftly perspective can be upended by a cancer diagnosis while still brushing tiny teeth and tucking in tiny bodies. April and Julia talk about journalistic writing versus writing to process and heal, how being given writing prompts unlocks flashes of memory, and how Irish dance has kept Julia connected to herself.
Lauren Bruns was diagnosed at 38 with Triple-Positive breast cancer while just eight-weeks into her second pregnancy. Lauren is a former competitive dancer, engineering graduate, and earned her MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. She is currently a management consultant. Lauren loves traveling, biking, swimming, NYT games, and rooting for her beloved Cleveland sports teams.
In this episode, Lauren reads her essay “My Pony-Tale” from the 2025 Hair issue of Wildfire Journal. Her piece is about how keeping her hair through cold capping felt like both a gift and a disguise during a pandemic pregnancy. April and Stephanie talk about moments of hope in cancer, the duality of being pregnant while going through cancer treatment, and what newborn bonding looked like for her family because of cancer.
