Alex Jackson, who was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, shares her experience and frustrations of looking for more treatment options. Richard Johnson, a oncoplastic breast surgeon, who Rachael went to see for a second opinion, gives us his views. And Dr Rebecca Leon is back to provide a GP's perspective on the subject. They all join Deborah James, Lauren Mahon and Steve Bland as they discuss the process and fears around asking for a second medical opinion. Please get in touch with u...
Oct 14, 2019•1 hr 15 min
Rebecca Leon, a cancer education lead, works with the Christie in Manchester and is a practicing GP in the North West of England. Dr Rebecca joins Deborah James, Lauren Mahon and Steve Bland to discuss primary care. Everyone’s cancer journey is different but we all start in same place... at the primary care stage. Please get in touch with us by using the #youmebigc across all forms of social media.
Oct 07, 2019•1 hr 10 min
Deborah, Lauren and Steve are back for a new series. They start by talking about dating with cancer and the impact it can have on relationships. They speak to listeners of #youmebigc to find out what their experiences of dating with cancer have been - good, bad and life-changing. This episode is dedicated to our special friends (and previous guests on the pod) Jack Morgan and Tierney Kinsella.
Sep 30, 2019•1 hr 17 min
To mark a year on from Rachael Bland’s death her husband Steve Bland introduces a collection of moments from the pod, some previously unheard clips and one of her final ever appearances on BBC 5 live with Deborah James and Lauren Mahon. Please get in touch with us by using the #youmebigc across all forms of social media.
Sep 05, 2019•42 min
BBC newsreader Kate Williams and Jack Morgan join Deborah James, Lauren Mahon and Steve Bland to talk about the challenges they’ve both faced after being diagnosed with rare cancers. Plus Dr Paul Huang, a team leader in molecular and systems oncology from the Institute of Cancer Research, answers their questions and explains some of the difficulties when researching into uncommon cancers. You can get in touch by using #YouMeBigC across all forms of social media.
Jul 04, 2019•1 hr 22 min
Lauren, Deborah and Steve answer more of your questions on cancer (and anything else you wanted to ask them) in the second of this special two part podcast. Thank you to everyone who posted a question using #YouMeBigC across all forms of social media.
Jun 27, 2019•39 min
Lauren, Deborah and Steve answer your questions on cancer (and anything else you wanted to ask them) in this special two part podcast. Thank you to everyone who posted a question using #YouMeBigC across all forms of social media.
Jun 21, 2019•50 min
Head of features for ITV’s Lorraine, Helen Addis, talks about taking a break from work after finding out she had breast cancer and launched a campaign as a result. She also reveals how important a role Deborah played in her finding out she had cancer. Lorraine Kelly joins us to discuss the impact it's had on the production team. Former England Cricket captain Andrew Strauss, who stepped down as the ECB's director of cricket after his wife Ruth was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer, has a...
Jun 13, 2019•2 hr 33 min
Actor Larry Lamb, TV's Bill Turnbull and many others at the Marsden March speak to Deborah, Steve and (eventually) Lauren about the cancer charities and reasons they're walking. The team also catch up with Vicki and Woody Woodhall, their two sons, Alex and George, to get the latest update on their million pound target.
May 24, 2019•1 hr 8 min
Author (with ‘ongoing cancer sizzle’) Emma Campbell and Anne Crook, counsellor and cognitive behavioural therapist at The Christie, join #YouMeBigC to talk about recurrent cancer.
May 16, 2019•1 hr 23 min
Following a recent campaign that provoked a strong reaction Debs, Lauren and Steve are joined by Delyth Morgan the Chief Executive of Breast Cancer Now to talk about what wrong. Laura Bailey, AKA That Mum With Cancer, joins us to shed light on why the cancer community reacted the way it did.
May 09, 2019•1 hr 14 min
Eastenders' Jake Wood, Great British Bake Off’s Candice Brown, TV presenter Helen Skelton and Charlie Webster join the #YouMeBigC team for a London Marathon behind the scenes special. We track Steve, who ran in memory of his wife and our podcast founder Rachael Bland. Plus, hear the stories of other competitors, whilst Deborah and Lauren face their own challenge to keep up with #TeamRachael in the London crowds.
Apr 29, 2019•1 hr 9 min
Lauren Mahon and Steve Bland join Deborah James at the Royal Marsden Hospital as Debs goes in for an operation for the ablation of her liver tumours. We hear from Consultant Interventional Radiologist, Dr Nicos Fotiadis and Consultant Anaesthetist and Dr Torsten Beutlhauser who will be in charge of her procedure. Also Steve and Lozza go meet Mr Declan Cahill, a Consultant Urological Surgeon and his team. Declan takes them into his operating theatre as he oversees and performs an actual real life...
Apr 11, 2019•2 hr 44 min
No guests, but a quick update on the #YouMeBigC team from Lauren Mahon, Deborah James and Steve Bland.
Mar 21, 2019•21 min
Vicki Woodall, whose son George was diagnosed at the age of five, shares her experiences with Lauren Mahon, Deborah James and Steve Bland. Tierney Kinsella, who was diagnosed with cancer at 14 and has been in treatment for the past four years, tells her story. Plus Dr Julia Chisholm, Consultant Paediatric and Adolescent Oncologist at the Royal Marsden, joins the team to answer their questions and talk about the intricacies of treating children with cancer. Radio 1’s Chris Stark, who played a big...
Mar 07, 2019•1 hr 26 min
Deborah James, Lauren Mahon and Steve Bland talk all about food and diet when you have cancer. They do some myth busting with Toral Shah, a nutritional scientist and founder of the Urban Kitchen. The food stylist and founder of Life Kitchen, Ryan Riley, discusses maximizing flavour from food after a loss or change of taste due to treatments.
Feb 28, 2019•1 hr 20 min
Marking the release of Rachael Bland's book to her son Fred, Deborah James, Lauren Mahon and Rachael's husband Steve talk about the challenges she went through writing it in the final months of her life. They also discuss the positives and negatives of sharing their cancer stories so publicly. Deborah's son Hugo gives his thoughts on how he feels about it..
Feb 21, 2019•56 min
CoppaFeel’s Kris Hallenga joins Deborah, Lauren and Steve alongside Kathryn Mannix, who’s worked in palliative care since 1986, and Adrienne Betteley, specialist advisor for end of life care at Macmillan Cancer Support.
Feb 14, 2019•2 hr 36 min
Deborah James and Lauren Mahon visit the Francis Crick Institute to explore the hope in cancer research. They talk to Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK’s CEO and Dr Sam Godfrey. Given a guided tour around one of the labs by PhD student, Edurne Mugarza. Professor Julian Downward, Associate Research Director at the Crick, discusses how his work led to the development of drugs such as Herceptin and panitumumab and we find out his hopes for the future.
Feb 04, 2019•2 hr 35 min
Deborah James and Lauren Mahon are joined by Saima Thompson, a restauranteur who was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, to explore how different cultures view cancer. They talk to Cary Adams the Chief Executive Officer at the Union for International Cancer Control. Plus, Errol McKellar, a former car mechanic who now dedicates his life to encouraging men to get tested for prostate cancer, shares his incredible story. You can suggest future topics and join in the conversation on social media by u...
Jan 31, 2019•1 hr 20 min
The benefits of exercise pre and post cancer are discussed by Deborah James, Lauren Mahon and Steve Bland. Project leader Zoe Merchant and personal trainer Kirsty Rowlinson talk about ‘Prehab4Cancer’ - a programme in Greater Manchester aimed to prepare cancer patients going into treatment. Cancer rehabilitation specialist and founder of MOVE charity Gemma Hillier-Moses talks about her use of exercise in the recovery process. Oncologist and tri-athlete Lucy Gossage, who has 12 Ironman wins, share...
Jan 24, 2019•2 hr 32 min
Deborah James and Lauren Mahon are joined by Steve Bland to talk about cancer at Christmas. The first part was recorded a month before Christmas. In the second part the three come back together 10 days before the big day. Debs shares an important update and they all reveal how their feelings have changed.
Dec 20, 2018•53 min
Steve Bland joins Deborah and Lauren to talk publicly for the first time about the loss of Rachael. A year after the sudden tragic death of his wife Gemma, Simon Thomas shares some of his experiences and the impact on his family. Specialist bereavement counsellor and founder of Grief Encounter, Shelley Gilbert, also joins Deborah, Lauren and Steve to share some advice about processing grief.
Nov 14, 2018•2 hr 49 min
In Rachael’s final podcast with Deborah and Lauren they discuss the 'new normal'. This term is commonly used by doctors and cancer communities when people are finding a sense of normality in their lives after diagnosis and treatment. Dr Liz O'Riordan, who has recurrent breast cancer, joins the #YouMeBigC girls to talk about her experiences. This podcast was released at the request of Rachael and her husband Steve.
Sep 13, 2018•1 hr 13 min
Deborah James AKA Bowelbabe, Lauren Mahon AKA Girl vs Cancer, producers Mike Holt AKA 'The Bear' and Al Entwistle AKA 'Vid Skills' talk about Rachael’s final days, the podcast and what our very special friend meant to us. This podcast also includes clips of tributes on BBC 5 Live after Rachael’s death on Tuesday 5th September 2018.
Sep 06, 2018•1 hr 6 min
Rachael, Deborah and Lauren talk about dealing with the pain caused by cancer. Plus Dr Matthew Brown, a consultant in pain medicine and anaesthetics from the Royal Marsden Hospital, joins the girls to share his experiences of treating the discomfort cancer patients can suffer.
Aug 30, 2018•1 hr
The girls discuss how cancer has had an impact on dating and intimacy with their partners. They speak to author Annie Belasco who wrote a book on her experiences of dating. Then Gynae Cancer Nurse Specialist Tracie Miles from the Eve Appeal answers some of your questions about the impact of cancer on a sex life.
Aug 22, 2018•1 hr 12 min
Why do some people have such a problem talking about death? Rachael, Deborah and Lauren are joined by the actor Greg Wise, who took care of his dying sister, to discuss some of the hang ups people have around the subject. They also give us an update on their current health situations after taking a short break from podcasting.
Aug 15, 2018•2 hr 35 min
The girls look into the future of cancer care. They talk to Dr Fiona Thistlethwaite from The Christie who is looking after Rachael’s current drug trial. They also speak to Professor David Cunningham from the Royal Marsden who over sees Deborah’s medical team about his thoughts on where cancer treatment is heading.
May 31, 2018•2 hr 36 min
Rachael talks about receiving some bad news. The #YouMeBigC team discuss the different reactions they've had from friends and the public about going public with their cancer. Plus, Kelly Smith, a 29 year old online friend with bowel cancer, meets the girls for the first time.
May 24, 2018•1 hr 21 min
