Imagine life trucking along, young healthy children, pursuing a dream career, a wonderful marriage, a beautiful home. When you are in your 30's, you don't think that life can change so rapidly. But that's the tricky thing about life, it doesn't matter how old you are, life has a way of veering us of course and onto a whole new path.

Today's guest, Ellen Duncan knows this experience all to well. Her late husband's life was cut short very suddenly-barely into his mid 30's. With two young girls, Ellen was faced with figuring out how to navigate a new path forced upon her.

Ellen learned that she needed to lean in completely. What does that look like--this idea of leaning in? Leaning into what? Grief? Happiness? Widowhood? Motherhood? Life? All of the above. Most importantly Ellen had to lean into her faith and rely on her instincts to help her navigate leaning on herself more than anything else.

You can listen anywhere you get your podcasts or watch this episode on our YouTube channel. Want our homemade creamy Mac & Cheese recipe (lactose friendly)? Get it in episode 3 of this season and watch how it's made on our YouTube channel.

Season Sponsors:

GammaTile Therapy (gammatile.com)

Imvax Inc. (imvax.com)

Episode Sponsor:

Highmark Bluecross Blueshield of WNY (highmark.com)

We are all guilty of it; something overwhelming happens or a trauma and we try to bury our grief, our stress, our feelings over what's happened. But, we can't outrun our grief or trauma. Eventually it manifests in other ways, sometimes physically.

In today's episode, I talk with Grief Coach Kelci Jager of Rise with Grief, & author of A Millions Miracles and the One That Didn't Come.

Kelci's journey through her own grief started with a car accident with her boys that led to a discovery they didn't expect. While trying to navigate that health crisis, her husband then became diagnosed with cancer. This interview is a poignant account of how significant trauma can truly make us feel lost unless we face it head on. Listen now and visit our website for the directions to the recipe talked about in this episode!

For a "how to" on the recipe, visit our YouTube channel. At the end of this episode is a special video of Shannon's homemade Mac & Cheese!

Season Sponsors:

GammaTile Therapy

Imvax Inc.

Episode Sponsor:

Plus Therapeutics

There is a Chinese proverb- "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed." We never know what we are on the cusp of until we finish the journey. And, while failing teaches us many things, we don't have to be scared of failing. We should only be scared of walking away.

In today's episode, our 50th episode of The Game On Glio Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Sheri Dewan, a board certified Neurosurgeon with expertise in neurological and spine surgery. Dr. Dewan is also a best selling author, having recently published her book- Cutting A Path: The Power of Purpose, Discipline, and Determination. She performs neurosurgery at Ascension Health Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI, and treats patients with brain and spine issues, brain tumors, degenerative disc disease and SI joint dysfunction. Dr. Dewan specializes in minimally invasive robotic spine surgery.

She and I sit down, during this brain cancer awareness month, to talk about her life in neurosurgery, her book, where she sees the area of brain tumor advancements, and her hopes for the neuro-medicine and surgery in the coming years.

Season Sponsors:

GammaTile Therapy

Imvax Inc.

Episode Sponsors:

Highmark Bluecross Blueshield

Plus Therapeutics

Carthera Inc.

Compassion and creativity are vitally important these days in cancer care. The old rule of thumb, especially in brain cancer, of standard of care just isn't enough anymore. Patients and families need a voice, and need to know that they are heard when asking questions about clinical trials, supplements, holistic options, and cross-collaboration across neuro-oncology care.

Enter Dr.'s Soma Sengupta and Dominique Higgins of UNC School of Medicine in North Carolina.

On today's episode (in total the 49th episode for Game On Glio), kicking off brain cancer awareness month, I sit down with them to discuss the crucial need for elevating patient voices, the importance of clinical trials like IGV-001, out of the box treatments (like GammaTile), and the novel way the doctors at UNC are helping patients reach new heights in their care.

Listen now or watch the full video episode on YouTube.

Thank you so much for making Game On Glio a top 10 podcast nationally! Welcome to Season 5.

Season Sponsors:

GammaTile Therapy

Imvax Inc.

Episode Sponsor:

Plus Therapeutics

Grief is a reflection of love. It's a natural part of life, and the more we love, the more profound our grief will be when that love is lost. If we think about the fact that grief is grounded in love, it does help us move through the journey.

This is part of the work that grief coaches like Emily Bingham do. She helps people navigate significant life traumas. But this isn't just Emily's profession. She has personally walked through the flames of grief herself, having lost her 32 year old husband Ian to a rare cancer.

Hear her story and her thoughts on navigating the dating scene as a widow and young mother.

From all of us at Game On Glio Podcast (produced through Write Life Media LLC), have a peaceful holiday season.

Game On Glio is ranked in the top 10% of all podcasts globally, and that's because of you! Thank you. Follow us on Apple Podcasts or give us a review!

Season Sponsors:

GammaTile Therapy

Imvax Inc.

Episode Sponsor:

Alliance Advisory Group

Dr. Horbinski sits down with me to discuss the complexities of brain tumors and how his work in the Feinberg School of Medicine lab is looking into mutIDH1 and how it dramatically alters the glioma’s micro-environmental landscape by preventing the thrombosis-necrosis phenomenon that is characteristic of IDH1 wild-type gliomas. Furthermore, mutIDH1 increases the risk of seizures in patients. He explains why his team's work may improve diagnostic and prognostic accuracy.

For methylation profiling patient care and information, please send samples to: Northwestern Department of Pathology.

Season Sponsors:

GammaTile Therapy

Imvax Inc.

Episode Sponsors:

Highmark BlueCross BlueShield of WNY

Mimivax Inc.

For all of Scott Hamilton's successes, there has also been sacrifice, fear, and loss. He has battled health issues that truly put death in front of him and has made him confront very hard truths. And, it was through his wife that he learned and felt the power of faith in God's word.

Scott doesn't see his life as lucky-he sees his life as a road map. All of his experiences teach him and have helped him navigate 4 pillars that are at the foundation of everything he does in life: emotional, physical, spiritual, intellectual living. He calls it "getting strong".

Staying rooted in his spiritual life has allowed Scott to stay humble, kind, patient, and has driven him to give back. Because of his own cancer battle, and the brain tumor he lives with, Scott founded Scott CARES Foundation, revolutionizing cancer care by funding cutting-edge research that focuses on treating the cancer while sparing the patient from harsh side effects associated with conventional cancer treatments. He also helped develop ChemoCare.com- a way for patient's to take back control of their chemo treatments and feel empowered.

Watch or hear (an extended version) of his story now! The video is on YouTube. The audio is available here on Podbean or anywhere podcasts are played!

Season Sponsors:

GammaTile Therapy

Imvax Inc.

Episode sponsors:

Stang Life Insurance

Alliance Advisory Group

Robert and Melanie Ham were young, with two young children when Melanie was diagnosed with an incurable rare form of Sarcoma in 2020. Robert, an award winning film maker and military veteran, decided he wanted to document her journey, their love, to help others.

The documentary aired in 2022 after Melanie's death and has been viewed more than 1 million times on YouTube.

Robert knew that a part of his grief journey included finding a way forward for himself and his children. That mean, not giving up on love and the lessons it teaches us. Enter Brooke. Brooke had been battling her own hard grief journey after her marriage ended in divorce. With two children of her own, Brooke had to find a way to balance single motherhood while also redefining what life was to look like for her. Brooke knew that she never wanted to give up on love, because a life without love is only half a life.

This is a story of love, of hope, of longing, of enduring memory. Listen now! Or watch the video episode on our YouTube channel.

Premier Sponsors:

GammaTile Therapy

Imvax Inc.

Episode sponsors:

Mimivax Inc.

Alliance Advisory Group