What happens when treatment ends but the journey continues? For young adult cancer survivors, the ringing of the bell marks not an ending, but the beginning of something more complex — survivorship.

In this powerful episode of Life on Pause, five young women who participated in Penn State Health Children's Hospital's inaugural PhotoVoice project come together to share their experiences using photography to tell the stories they struggled to put into words. Facilitated by social worker Meredith Noel and art therapist Alexis Steefel, this program gave childhood cancer survivors a space to explore themes of impact, visibility, loss and found, time, and "here."

Monica Henderson (rhabdomyosarcoma, 20+ years post-treatment) shares how PhotoVoice helped her break decades of silence and honor "little Monica" who never got to share her story. Gabriela (Hodgkin's lymphoma, 4 years post-treatment) describes finding community after feeling isolated as the first in her family diagnosed with cancer. Shelly Bliss (Ewing's sarcoma, 11 years post-treatment) reflects on photographing her prosthetics as a powerful measure of time and healing.

From Monica's dish soap bubbles representing "visibly invisible" survivorship to Lily's peeling paint symbolizing layers of untold stories, each photograph became a window into experiences that too often go unspoken. The participants discuss the pressure to package their stories with "a pretty little bow," the struggle to own the term "survivor," and the transformative power of finally being heard and understood.

This isn't just a story about cancer — it's about sisterhood formed through shared truth, the courage to be vulnerable, and the healing that happens when survivors can tell their whole story, not just the inspirational parts.

Topics Covered:

1. The PhotoVoice methodology and five weekly themes (Impact, Visibility, Lost & Found, Time, Here)
2. Why survivors struggle to own their narratives and the term "survivor"
3. The gallery exhibition at Penn State Health and family reactions
4. Sibling dynamics, twin relationships, and invisible trauma
5. Survivor's guilt and the pressure to be grateful
6. Living with late effects and ongoing health challenges
7. The moment they decided to ring the bell together — on their own terms
8. How photography gave voice to what words couldn't express
9. Building a survivorship community for the future

Featured Participants:

1. Lily Montgomery (Host) - Acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivor
2. Monica Henderson - Rhabdomyosarcoma survivor, 26 years old
3. Gabriela (Gabby) - Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor, 21 years old
4. Shelly Bliss - Ewing's sarcoma survivor, 20 years old
5. Meredith Noel - Social Worker and PhotoVoice Program Facilitator

About Life on Pause: Life on Pause is a podcast for and by young adults with...

What does health maintenance really mean when you're a young adult cancer survivor? Eliot and Hailey—both acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors—share the reality of life after treatment: checkups every six months, school accommodations for brain damage, mental health boundaries that weren't optional before, and learning which exercises won't break bones weakened by chemotherapy.

Recorded at Life Lion Emergency Services in Hershey, Pennsylvania, this episode draws a powerful parallel between maintaining emergency helicopters and maintaining your own health after cancer. Just like mechanics check every system before a helicopter flies, young adult survivors must maintain their mental health, physical health, reproductive health, and everything in between.

In this honest conversation, Eliot opens up about his journey through diagnosis at age 20, achieving remission, experiencing relapse, and receiving a life-saving bone marrow transplant from his brother. He shares how cancer taught him to "cut out the BS," pace himself, and recognize that slow and steady wins the race.

Hailey, diagnosed at 12 in February 2020 right before COVID lockdown, discusses living with brain damage from treatment—dead brain cells in two lobes that affect her memory, dexterity, and processing speed. Despite doctors telling her she's "performing too well for how damaged her brain is," she thrives using accommodations like dictation software and extended time. She shares the painful moment someone called her cancer diagnosis "just a break" from field hockey, and how she learned to set boundaries to protect her mental health.

Topics Covered:

• Redefining health maintenance after cancer (mental + physical)

• Setting boundaries to protect mental health post-treatment

• Living with treatment-related brain damage and school accommodations

• The "gray area" of young adult cancer—too old for pediatric, too young for adult care

• Cancer imposter syndrome: not looking "sick enough"

• Physical fitness adaptations (bad bones, limited dexterity, ongoing symptoms)

• Reproductive health challenges and Four Diamonds support

• Family support for ongoing medical appointments

• Finding community in the AYA cancer space

• How cancer sparked curiosity about oncology and neuroscience

About Life on Pause: Life on Pause is a podcast for and by young adults with cancer. Produced by Penn State Health's AYA Oncology Program, each episode is rooted in honest storytelling and community connection. Our content is reviewed by medical and psychosocial experts to ensure accuracy and care.

Join Our Community:

💻 Website: https://www.lifeonpausepodcast.com/

🎧 Subscribe on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

When a Life Lion flight nurse saves a teenager's life, he never expects to meet him again. Ten years later, that young man returns—not as a patient, but as a father—to say thank you.

Ten-year-old William, a leukemia survivor, discovers a new dream while exploring a Life Lion helicopter: "I may want to be a helicopter mechanic." Maria, a Wilms tumor survivor, remembers the kindness of her transport crew. And Lisa Kreider shares a stunning revelation: Life Lion saved her life sixteen years ago after a car accident—then saved her daughter Maria during cancer treatment.

But the emotional center belongs to Dan Schaeffer, Life Lion's Chief Flight Nurse. At a recent fundraiser, a young man approached him: "Thank you for taking care of me." Dan didn't recognize the face. Then came the moment: "I want to introduce you to my family and kids."

Ten years ago, Dan transported a seventeen-year-old with a traumatic brain injury. Today, that teenager is a father.

"You don't think about those things in the moment," Dan reflects. "That hit really home to me. This is what I do. This is why I do it."

This episode follows Four Diamonds families to Life Lion EMS Day, where the people doing the rescuing get to see what happened next. From Dexter McConnell, a pilot who flies in weather others turn down, to Matt Baily, who treats "the sickest of the sick"—this is a story about profound connections and the impact that ripples out in ways we can't imagine.

Topics Covered:

• William's journey from leukemia patient to aspiring helicopter mechanic
• Maria's Wilms tumor treatment and Life Lion transport
• Lisa's revelation: two generations saved by the same team
• Dan Shcaeffer's emotional reunion with a patient ten years later
• The challenges of flying Life Lion: weather, training, and split-second decisions
• Life Lion EMS Day: teaching kids that aircraft maintenance parallels their own healthcare
• The "Life Lion Family" culture of support and camaraderie
• Matt Baily's story of the Lancaster infant in cardiac arrest
• Four Diamonds' role in removing financial burden for cancer families
• How life-saving work ripples out in ways we can't imagine

About Life on Pause: Life on Pause is a podcast for and by young adults with cancer. Produced by Penn State Health's AYA Oncology Program, each episode is rooted in honest storytelling and community connection. Our content is reviewed by medical and psychosocial experts to ensure accuracy and care.

Join Our Community: 💻 Website: https://www.lifeonpausepodcast.com/ 🎧 Subscribe on Spotify & Apple Podcasts