Ep. 123 – Smiley's Journey: Surviving Childhood Cancer and Spreading Hope

There's more we can support. What if supporting a child through cancer could include more than simply managing the side effects of treatment? In this special episode of Thrive Through & Beyond Cancer, I'm sharing my presentation from The Beljanski Integrative Cancer Conference, where I spoke to practitioners, parents, and caregivers about what I learned while walking my son Kicker through three and a half years of cancer treatment—and what I now bring to the families I support. Throughout the presentation, I walk through the three areas I focus on most with children going through treatment: nutrition, detox and drainage, and environment. We talk about nourishing a body under tremendous stress, supporting the microbiome, keeping foundational drainage pathways moving, and considering the physical and emotional environment surrounding a child. I also share practical examples from my work with families, along with some of the challenges parents and practitioners can face when bringing integrative strategies alongside conventional pediatric oncology. My hope is not that families try to navigate this alone. It's that we continue asking better questions, individualizing support, and creating more collaboration between conventional and integrative care. Because children going through cancer treatment deserve more than simply getting through it. They deserve every opportunity we can responsibly give them to feel supported along the way.

Not all raw milk is equal. What if everything you've been told about raw milk is missing an important part of the story? In this episode, I'm joined by my longtime friend Mark McAfee, founder of Raw Farm and the Raw Milk Institute, to talk about what actually separates raw milk produced for human consumption from conventional dairy intended for pasteurization. We unpack why sourcing, cleanliness, testing, and how the milk is handled matter so much when choosing raw dairy. We also get into the microbiome, raw kefir, butterfat, and the bioactive components found in milk, including why raw dairy became such an important part of how we supported Kicker during his three and a half years of cancer treatment. Whether you already drink raw milk or you're simply curious about it, this conversation will help you better understand what to look for, what questions to ask, and why knowing your source matters.

Build resilience before sickness hits. Cold and flu season can feel completely different when you have a child going through cancer treatment. A virus that might mean a few uncomfortable days for one family can bring the possibility of a hospital stay, treatment delays, and another layer of worry for yours. So what can you do to support your household before sickness arrives? In this episode, I'm walking you through the cold and flu protocol we use in our family, beginning with the foundational support we use proactively throughout the season and what we reach for at the very first sign that someone is getting sick. We'll talk about supporting the body with minerals, whole-food vitamin C, adrenal support, magnesium, vitamin D, probiotics, molecular hydrogen, nebulizing, and red light therapy. I'll also share the specific remedies we consider when those first symptoms appear and how our approach changes once someone is fully sick. Most importantly, I want to be clear about the difference between general immune support for your family and recommendations for a child actively undergoing cancer treatment. Their chemotherapy schedule, medications, blood work, and individual biology matter, which is why their protocol should always be developed alongside a qualified practitioner and medical team. Cold and flu season doesn't have to begin with waiting for someone to get sick. The goal is to build resilience consistently, support the body intentionally, and have a plan in place before you need it.

You matter in this too. When you're caring for someone you love through cancer or another health crisis, taking care of yourself can quickly fall to the bottom of the list. Sleep gets disrupted. Meals become inconsistent. Movement feels impossible. And somehow, giving yourself even a little time can start to feel selfish. In this episode, I'm joined by wellness industry leader and celebrity fitness trainer Jen Widerstrom for an honest conversation about what happens when caregivers continually pour from an empty cup—and how to begin supporting yourself without adding another impossible expectation to your life. Jen explains why the answer doesn't necessarily begin with a workout. We talk about rebuilding the foundations of sleep and nutrition, lowering the barrier to movement, and creating simple personal rules that work within the season of life you're actually living. We also unpack caregiver guilt, the pressure to give everything you have, and why taking care of yourself can strengthen your ability to continue showing up for the people you love. Jen shares practical ideas like her three-day movement rule and "love list," while I share the lesson our family learned during Kicker's treatment: sometimes you have to live just 15 minutes at a time. This isn't about adding another thing to your list. It's about remembering that you matter in this too.

When fear follows you home. Some days I trust God. Some days I question Him. And some days, after sitting across from families facing devastating diagnoses and impossible decisions, I honestly don't know what to believe. If you've walked your child through cancer, you know that fear doesn't simply disappear when treatment ends. You notice every bruise. A fever can take your mind somewhere completely different. The hospital calling can change your entire nervous system before you even answer the phone. You know too much now to simply go back to the way you thought before. In this episode, I'm talking about the incredibly thin line between conviction and fear. From the outside, they can produce exactly the same choices. But internally, they feel completely different. I share what Josh and I have learned about accepting the fragility we now understand without allowing it to control our family. We'll talk about what we actually can control as parents, why trying to create a perfect health bubble isn't the answer, and how healthy boundaries can coexist with birthday cake, road trips, flexibility, and joy. I also share one of the things I want parents to hear most clearly: you did not cause this. Doing everything "right" cannot guarantee an outcome, and one imperfect choice does not mean you have failed your child. And when it comes to our kids, the goal isn't to make them afraid of food, supplements, or getting sick again. It's to educate them so they can eventually understand and take ownership of their own health. This is also a conversation about faith without easy answers. I'm not going to pretend I understand why some children get sick or why some families experience unimaginable loss. But I am learning that I can acknowledge what I cannot control while continuing to steward the days I've been given. Because you cannot unknow what you know. But fear doesn't have to decide what you do with it.