After a cancer diagnosis, fear of death can get loud fast. In this episode, McKenna Avery sits down with certified death doula Selena Jong to talk about what happens when mortality moves from a distant idea to a daily thought, and how honest conversation can make the weight feel more carryable.

Together, they explore hospice and the dying process, the role of a death doula (emotional, spiritual, and practical support), and end-of-life autonomy including Medical Aid in Dying in California. They also talk through real-world planning that can protect families from chaos, plus options for how to care for the body after death, including eco-friendly choices like water cremation, body composting, and natural burial.

This conversation is for cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, loved ones, and clinicians who want clearer language, grounded perspective, and more humane ways to talk about dying, grief, legacy, and the relationships that matter most.

If this episode helped you feel a little less alone, please like, subscribe, and leave a comment with what resonated most. Share it with a friend, caregiver, or survivor who might need this conversation right now. And for more community and updates, follow us on Instagram @WIWIKPOD.

Immunotherapy can feel like a black box when you’re living through cancer, caring for someone with cancer, or trying to understand today’s rapidly changing treatment landscape. In this episode of What I Wish I Knew, functional medicine doctor Dr. Dan speaks with immunobiology expert Dr. Susan Kaech (Salk Institute) about how the immune system works in cancer, how T cells recognize tumors, and how the tumor microenvironment suppresses immune responses.

They walk through what immunotherapy is (including immune “brakes” like PD1/CTLA4 and CAR T cell therapy), what side effects can look like, and why some cancers respond better than others. The conversation also tackles treatment resistance, the role of chemotherapy plus immunotherapy, and why tumor mutations and tumor sequencing matter for treatment options and clinical trial eligibility.

You’ll also hear emerging perspectives on cancer vaccines (including personalized vaccine approaches and mRNA platforms), the gut microbiome and dietary fiber, and the developing science of neuroimmunology, including how chronic stress signaling can shape immune suppression and why beta blockers are being studied alongside immunotherapies. This episode is for patients, survivors, caregivers, and clinicians who want an understandable, research-informed conversation without hype.

If this conversation helped you feel more informed or less alone, please like, subscribe, and leave a comment with what you want to learn about next. Share this episode with a patient, survivor, caregiver, or clinician who might benefit from a clearer understanding of immunotherapy, cancer vaccines, and the stress-immune connection. Follow us on Instagram @WIWIKPOD.

Cancer survivorship can change everything, including your sex life. In this episode of What I Wish I Knew, McKenna Avery sits down with a sexual medicine specialist to talk through the most common sexual health challenges after cancer treatment, from low libido and reduced sensation to vaginal dryness, painful sex, and orgasm changes.

You’ll also hear what comprehensive, trauma-aware sexual health care can look like, including longer, more thorough visits that combine therapy, education, diagnostic testing, and careful monitoring. The conversation explores menopause after cancer treatment, the fear and hesitation around hormones in breast cancer survivorship, and why patient advocacy matters when quality of life is on the line.

This episode is for cancer patients, survivors, partners, caregivers, and clinicians who want a clearer, more compassionate understanding of sexual dysfunction after cancer, and what it can mean to pursue safe, monitored support rather than suffering in silence.

If this conversation helped you feel more informed or less alone, please like, subscribe, and leave a comment with what resonated or what you wish more people understood about sex and intimacy after cancer. Share this episode with someone who might need it, whether that’s a patient, survivor, partner, caregiver, or clinician. Follow us on Instagram @WIWIKPOD.