Season 5 Episode 9: Living Boldly: A Double Ostomate’s Fight for Women’s Health

In this powerful episode of the GOSH Podcast🌟🎙, host Carly sits down with Samantha—recurrent cervical cancer survivor, double ostomate, and fierce advocate for women’s health. From navigating life after multiple surgeries to building a platform that empowers others through storytelling, Samantha shares her unfiltered journey with honesty, humor, and heart. Tune in to hear how she’s turning survivorship into activism, breaking stigma around ostomies, and reminding us all that cancer doesn’t define us—resilience does. 🩵🤍

Resources:

Samantha's Instagram: @gosamgrow

Carly's Instagram Ostomate and the City: @ostomate_and_the_city

For more information on the Gynecologic Cancer Initiative, please visit https://gynecancerinitiative.ca/ or email us at info@gynecancerinitiative.ca

Where to learn more about us:
Twitter – @GCI_Cluster
Instagram – @gynecancerinitiative
Facebook – facebook.com/gynecancerinitiative
TikTok – @gci_gosh

Transcript

00:00:01 Intro 

Thanks for listening to the GOSH podcast—The Gynecologic Oncology Sharing Hub. We share real, evidence-based discussions on gynecologic cancers, featuring stories from patients, survivors, researchers, and clinicians. Our podcast is produced and recorded on traditional unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. It is produced by the Gynecologic Cancer Initiative, a BC-wide effort to advance research and care for gynecologic cancers.  

00:00:36 Carly 

Hello, everyone! My name is Carly, and I will be your host for this episode of the GOSH Podcast. Today’s guest is a powerhouse of resilience, advocacy, and authenticity. At 36, she calls Las Vegas, Nevada home, where she lives with her husband and their beloved pets. A recurrent cervical cancer survivor and double ostomate, she’s turned her journey into a mission—using her voice and digital platforms to raise awareness for women’s health and champion better access to care. Through storytelling, she empowers others with honesty, heart, and hope, reminding us all that healing is not just physical—it’s deeply personal and transformational. When she’s not advocating, you’ll find her out exploring the world with her husband—seeking out great food, new adventures, and the beauty of the outdoors. Because, as she says, cancer can’t stop us! Please welcome to the show, Samantha! 

00:01:32 Samantha 

It's nice to see you, it’s been a little while. 

00:01:34 Carly 

I know. Great to see you too. All right. So welcome, Sam. Thank you so much for being a guest on the Gosh Podcast today. 

00:01:44 Samantha 

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to reconnect with you and talk about Women's Health because it's an important topic . 

00:01:53 Carly 

Very, very, very Important. And you and I have had the luxury of meeting in person when I traveled from Vancouver to Las Vegas a couple years ago. And I will never forget meeting you. I remember you and your husband, Jake knocked on the door and I was like, crying when I opened the door and I saw you just because we had made such a good rapport through Instagram talking about her cancer and Austin journeys together. So I'm really honored to have you as a guest today. 

00:02:18 Samantha 

I'm honored to be here. Honored to know you, and you know it is something that I will say any... I think anytime you get to meet a fellow cancer survivor or patient, it is a powerful connection. We just, we really get what each other has gone through. So I remember that that moment fondly as well. 

00:02:37 Carly 

Absolutely. Yeah. And you guys were so great to take their own Vegas. So we had a nice large like it was Really, really cool. 

00:02:46 Samantha 

We had a great time and chatted for ours, right. Like that's a special thing too. 

00:02: 53 Carly 

It is pretty special. So let's start maybe from the beginning. So how did your cervical cancer journey start? 

00:02:50 Samantha 

Uh, it started when I was 26-27. You know, it's something you can probably relate to with a recurrent cancer journey that it can kind of get a little hazy as time goes on and so much happens, but yeah, I was young. I was in the prime, if you will, of my career and my life. And I was experiencing some abnormal symptoms like bleeding and discomfort, and as time went on, they started to get worse and something that I did was maybe not take them as seriously. I think that just speaks to that period of our life of thinking that we're healthy and well and just taking, you know, assuming I did follow up with some doctors and I would say on both of our ends like it just didn't seem like an urgent thing. It wasn't at the front of my mind and we kind of went through the diagnosis process gradually and, looking back, maybe didn't pursue things as hard as we should have. 

00:04:30 Carly 

Right. Yeah. Because you don't think there's anything wrong, so you don't really think you have to pursue, you know, with the doctors as much. But looking back, like you said, you probably did. 

00:04:41 Samantha 

Yes, absolutely. It really came to a turning point where the bleeding was something that I just you. You can't. I don't want to say I ever ignored it. but it became definitely something I needed to address and I would be really, really tired like a sense of fatigue that I just hadn't known before. And after seeing a few different doctors and getting different answers, I found someone that was able to confirm yes this is early cervical cancer. 

00:05:20 Carly 

So when you got diagnosed from the time you started to go see doctors, you know how much time kind of was in between the start to the diagnosis? 

00:05:32 Samantha 

I would say it was a few months. I experiencing symptoms and that could have been a contributing thing too. I was we were engaged and planning a wedding. So I'm focused on those things right in front of me. And it wasn't until after we were married for a few months where i was finally diagnosed. 

00:05:55 Carly 

And what stage did they say that you were a diagnosis? 

00:05:59 Samantha 

I believe, and I know this sounds hard to believe, but I I, if I'm remembering correctly, I think it was one B2. So as it was put to me a very early stage with a relatively good prognosis. I was treated with a hysterectomy and at the time was told that we didn't need any further treatment. And so I did the best that I could to pick up and move on with my life. But with that being said, that's even a difficult part of the journey as well. 

00:06:39 Carly 

Yeah. Because you're young, you have now had a hysterectomy. You're recently married. You likely had dreams of having a family with your amazing husband, Jake, and that was something that you were facing along with your cancer diagnosis is not being able to be a mother the traditional way. 

00:06:56 Samantha 

Yeah. Something that you never think is going to be in your life and something that I didn't know how to grapple with. And honestly, I didn't feel comfortable talking about it. I think especially in that stage of my life, it's I thought very much naively that OK, I'm not going to address it. We're just going to move on. I'm going to do the best I can and ultimately not confronting or, you know, acknowledging is a better word those emotions that that very real trauma of the experience. You know something that I learned to deal with big picture and eventually. 

00:07:46 Carly 

Yeah. Well, and that's the thing with any journey of through cancers. There's so many different stages where you deal with things in different times because of what you're going through in those times. Right. And the mental health part of it is, I think, something and maybe not spoken about enough and something like you said that we put a bit to the side Because you're just trying to get through. 

00:08:08 Samantha 

Yeah, absolutely. We're like, getting tunnel vision as we are fighting for our lives, and then once we come out on the other side, it's like, whoa, there's a lot to deal with here and I’m grateful that I've been able to do that for myself because it really has allowed me to take away some positives from the experience and get me to where I am now. 

00:08:38 Carly 

Exactly. So, you had your hysterectomy, you were thinking your cancer journey was over. And unfortunately it wasn't. We know that today. And so, when were you told that your cancer was back? How long in between? 

00:08:52 Samantha 

So, it was about 2.5 years, and that diagnosis process really was a difficult one for me. I had gone to, you know, an associate of the doctor who did my first surgery and you know, thinking that they were being mindful of my previous diagnosis and returning to see another doctor. And it was chopped up to be superficial conditions, if you will. I was having a lot of stomach issues, a lot of back pain, and the answers were like maybe I don't know how like in detail we want to get but. 

00:09:42 Carly 

You could be open here. No problems. 

00:09:46 Samantha 

So you know, they were wondering if it's like am I... What kind of digestive issues could it be? And it's really frustrating looking back to think that like a patient with a history of cancer, any kind of cancer, that should be a top priority. That should be something that is at least ruled out pretty quickly and so we went through quite a long process of trying to find answers. I was switching doctors. Well, let me backtrack. I followed the doctor who was treating me. And, you know, we were trying to troubleshoot what it was that was going on and ultimately, you mentioned mental health. That really took a huge toll on my mental health as someone who internally knows something is going on, but he's being told no. It's fine. You're good. You're too young. Even though at this point I'm older then. When it initially happened, so that was a really tough time, I ended up finding out about my recurrence by taking myself to the ER, because the pain just got so excruciating and again, bleeding was a symptom that I now had the wherewithal to be like, no, this is not something I'm I can ignore. This is something that needs immediate attention. And if the doctors that I'm seeing right now are not going to give it to me. I'm going to find it. 

00:11:34 Carly 

No. Because you learned from your first diagnosis how to advocate better for yourself even though you didn't know what the actual issue was yet, but you knew how to advocate for yourself a little bit more. 

00:11:45 Samantha 

Yes, absolutely. That was a huge lesson to take away from what I had already experienced. 

00:11:51 Carly 

Absolutely. And what type of treatment plan, once it was confirmed, did they put you through them? 

00:11:59 Samantha 

So at that point I found a brand new team of doctors, people that were validating and we started actually 2019 I was in chemo, radiation and chemo, and immunotherapy. And as you know, that process also comes with a lot of various surgeries, little ones, really big ones. And by the end of 2019, I had a scan and things looked clear and we had a little we thought we were going to have a reprieve from cancer. And, you know, it was time to recover and get life back on track. But at that point we were wrong. And I would have another recurrence in March of 2020. 

00:12:58 Carly 

Right. So again, you're going through this journey of up and down, up and down. And you're like the third time? Like what? Right. So you've had your hysterectomy, you've had radiation, you've had chemo, various surgeries and treatments, and then when you get to 1/3 diagnosis, a lot of doctors will even say, like, we don't know what to do now, because we've done so much already. So, that only left your doctors with, I guess, one option. And what was that option? 

00:13:28 Samantha 

Well, one of the doctors just wasn't familiar with the Cervical Cancer protocol. But you know, in the state that I live in, Nevada, they had not developed any significant treatment to treat a patient this advanced in a cervical cancer journey and another one that I had seen had just told me. I'm sorry, but we don't have any other options. And that is tough news to take for anyone. I was not ready to throw in the towel and so it goes back to that advocacy and my husband and I called several different hospitals in several different states, and luckily I had a previous connection with a doctor out in UCLA and she couldn't give me, you know, as an oncologist, couldn't give me like an 100% “yes we can help you” but was willing to at least try and in that moment that that was something that I really needed. Someone that was at least willing to help up. 

00:14:55 Carly 

Yeah. She was willing to give you some hope and somewhat in whatever way. 

00:14:59 Samantha 

Yeah, absolutely. So initially we had gone out to LA to see if brachytherapy was an option. But after discussion with the gynecologic oncology board they decided that a pelvic exoneration would give me better options. And as you know that this is the surgery that is not taken lightly at all and is a very specific type of patient for this to be even a viable option, and it was something that was presented to us and I was willing to again at least try. So that's what we did and luckily it was successful and I have been in remission ever since and yeah, actually just celebrated my five year milestone being cancer free, so looking back it was a good decision. 

00:16:11 Carly 

Totally. And when you get to the... Like, especially when you've gone through this now for, you know, three runs when you get to like over that 2 two year mark, Ohh that's longer than the last time. Ohh, so when you keep getting further and further in your remission journey, you're like, OK, maybe this is the end, right? The pelvic exenteration did save my life and it was a very hard surgery for you to go through, but it was like you said, kind of like the last hope and the last way for you to still be here with us. 

00:16:40 Samantha 

Yes, yes, it is surreal. As you start to progress through those years, they're just, you know, maybe it's a way of self-preservation, but early in that in the remission journey, it's it is a constant struggle to believe that you are safe and that you are free to live your life. And so as time goes on and you hit those checks and you find yourself getting healthier, something that you don't really imagine in the thick of going through treatment it is, you know, surreal doesn't even cut it. It's a lot to process, but very, very grateful to be able to experience that. 

00:17:20 Carly 

Yeah. Absolutely. And you know, we're pelvic exenteration sisters, so for anyone listening who doesn't really know, we don't have all the time to describe the surgery in full detail, but it's a very aggressive surgery and with the result of the surgery, most times people end up with cosmetics or two ostomy bags. And in your case, you ended up with two, one for stool, a colostomy, and one for urine, which is called a urostomy. So again, not only are you facing cancer recurrence going through the surgery, but now you're also facing dealing as being a double loss to mate for the rest of your life. So let's talk a little bit about that. You know, there's the emotional side we can talk about, and the physical side. Everybody deals with these things differently. So how did you kind of cope with that additional change come into your body? 

00:18:22 Samantha 

Ohh there is so so much in every big and little way in your life it has changed everything and I would just equate it from starting life all over again. You know you're your everyday routines, something that is simple that we all do is going into the bathroom is completely turned upside down and you have to you have to get a sense of physically, you know, this is this new complicated thing that I have to get used to. My body's been really changed and gone through a lot of like hurt and has to rebuild itself. And then there's the emotional aspect of acceptance and processing the physical trauma of it all and the mental journey, because even at that point I had not processed the treatment I had gone in before it was just kind of one after another and so finally I'm in this place where. Like, what do you mean? I don't have to go to the doctor every month and you know, I have a life to live now? Like this is brand new uncharted territory for me. So it has. It's taken me, I mean honestly, probably to this point now I finally feel confident and comfortable in embracing life and challenging myself, going out and traveling, something that I didn't wasn't sure I could do when I first got my ostomies. So it's a, it's a brand new entire thing that we have to adjust to. 

00:20:25 Carly 

Absolutely. And you know every type of cancer will have different treatment plans. But when you've had surgeries that leave you with any sort of medical appliance, it's a constant reminder visually of what we've been through. So as much as we try to move on and we are doing our best at living our lives right now, you still wake up every day with that reminder. You look down and you're like oh right, for yourself, I'm a three time cervical cancer survivor with two ostomies. You're never able to fully forget because we have this constant reminder and I think it's so hard. At least for myself to just say you know, I've moved on from cancer. I don't think I'll ever move on from cancer and we're going to talk a little bit about that, because it has made me who I am today. It has changed me physically when it comes to the ostomy life for my vulvar reconstruction, loss of fertility, like how can I just never remember? I can't just clap my hands and boom boom, I'm back to being a normal person. And I think for a while I was really hard on myself saying that I did need to move on better. I did need to stop thinking. I did need to stop saying ohh, why me? But it's OK to say. Why me? It's OK to remember. And it's OK to be different. 

00:21:42 Samantha 

It truly is a part of the process and honestly it's has allowed me to grow from the experience. I think that you hit the nail on the head right there, just that acknowledgement that acceptance, that feeling of... the wide range of emotions that we experience going through this is crucial to being able to start over. Yeah, yeah. You're right. Where there is no going back to before cancer. It is a part of the people that we are today. 

00:22:19 Carly 

Exactly. And that's OK, right? 

00:22:21 Samantha 

Yeah. Yes. 

00:22:24 Carly 

And one of the biggest people in your corner, it's your husband. Like I'm getting emotional just thinking about him because I've met him. I think he's amazing. But I mean, you guys were newlyweds and then you're newly diagnosed with cancer and obviously we know now there's three diagnosis. And you know, you're still together today. He is in your corner every step of the way. I mean, that must have been huge. Just for your own motivation to keep on going when that doctor said, I don't really know what to do until you and Jake found somebody else who knew what to do. So let's talk a bit about him being your primary caregiver and the love of your life. 

00:23:02 Samantha 

Yes, I am incredibly grateful, incredibly in awe. Every day that I get to spend with him and it, you know, it goes without saying, I would not be here without such a supportive, loving partner. And I realize that, you know, is an incredible part of my life. Yeah, and it really does speak to the huge part that our support system plays, I know that a lot of the attention is focused on the patient, which rightfully so. It is the person who is going through it, but we can't do it on our own. This isn't like none of this experience happens in a vacuum and it really does touch your inner circle and every part of your life so to be able to have that is... Yeah, I would not be here. Yeah, priceless. 

00:24:09 Carly 

You guys, he was sent to you. Whatever people want to believe spiritually, he was sent to you and you guys, you know, it's just truly remarkable. And I think it's very inspiring. It makes me want to go on dates. 

00:24:23 Samantha 

And you know, it does... going through this together has taught us both so much about each other, about our relationship, about each other. Really like committing to each other, and it's been really cool to see how we've evolved as people and also like as a team. 

00:24:47 Carly 

Yeah. Yeah, it's very cool. And that team also includes your fur babies. So, you're a dog and a cat lover, and I'm a huge pet lover myself. And I had my cat, Simba, who was with me through my 2 cancer battles. And I have Marnie now because Simba has passed. The love of pets too, when you're lying in that bed or on that couch, wherever you are when they snuggle up with you. I mean, it's just amazing, isn't it? 

00:25:20 Samantha 

I don't know if pets get enough credit because they are a support system in in themselves. They really are in-tune with our emotions. They show up for us when we need them most, like when everyone when the visits can't happen or they stop and when you are alone and crying sometimes and just feeling very isolated, those pets are there. They're in your lap. They're purring. They're, you know, following you around the house. And that you that is powerful in itself. 

00:26:03 Carly 

Absolutely. Oh, it's such a special love. And I love seeing the programs in hospitals or care Centers for pets. The therapy pets go from room to room and visit. I had that when I was in the hospital, and it's such a powerful thing, those pet loves and the way they can help patients. 

00:26:20 Samantha 

Yeah, it's really beautiful. I saw your cat, actually just walk past. They know. They just know when to show up and when to be there for you and grateful to have each and every one of them in our lives like you. We started with multiple dogs and throughout this journey have turned into cat people as well. 

00:26:45 Carly 

I know that's pretty great. So you know throughout, because how many years has it been now since you were initially diagnosed? 

00:26:53 Samantha 

Ohh my goodness, I was first in 2016 so nine years. 

00:26:59 Carly 

Yeah, yeah. You're nearing the 10 year mark. 

00:27:02 Samantha 

A long, long journey, yeah. 

00:27:04 Carly 

Right. So throughout that 10 years, you've had so many lessons that have come down your way from advocacy to how you can share your story to help the next you. And so when you started to think about sharing your story, did you find that you were doing it just because you knew there were other people like you out there? Did you do it for multiple reasons? Like, I think for me, I started to do it to help the next me, but also to help myself because it was like free therapy, right? So tell us a bit about how you decide it. And again, when we're talking about cancers below the belt of any sort, it's really hard to talk about. You don't have those images. I mean, yes, you could have an image on a surgery table or chemo, but we can't really show these types of cancer. So how did you decide to go forward and share and bring more attention to your cause? 

00:27:58 Samantha 

That is a great question and I have to first start off by thanking you because you were after my ostomy surgery, you were one of the 1st and many people that I found in the ostomy community that showed me you can you can be out here, you can be proud and live your life and, as you know, that's a huge part of recovery and being able to embrace this, this life, this like hard earned life that we have so thank you for that. 

00:28:34 Carly 

It's my honor. 

00:28:34 Samantha 

It has been an inspiration for me in telling my own story and I have to say that yes, in the beginning it started as a therapeutic avenue for me. Cancer can be really, really isolating and you feel like you're the only person that can be going through this and, how can I put this experience out into the world where people, at the very least, can understand what someone like me would be going through in all of this? I think especially with cancer survivorship, and I totally get it because it is what we have to do, we have to be positive to get through everything that we face, but there is that expectation of like everything is positive and everything's inspiring and we are heroes. And it's true, but at the same time it actually really sucks and there are things that I didn't imagine before actually going through it, so anything to cultivate that sense of empathy and connection between all of us. I think it's very, very powerful. So it's just sort of evolved from there. And you also mentioned something that's really important for women, particularly going through a gynecologic cancer. We, so much of the time, don't feel like we can talk about something so personal and unfortunately so many of us will pay the highest cost for that because we don't feel like it's something we want to talk about or I don't want to bring this up to my doctor. It's embarrassing or I feel shame. No, like we have to be talking about our health and our bodies and do everything that we can for them, because this is all that we have. This is our health is everything. So i just hope that by kind of ripping that Band-Aid off and putting it out there that it could help someone else feel safe and confident in doing the same. 

00:31:04 Carly 

And knowing that they have worth and value, and that life may be different, but if you beat it, it still goes on just differently. 

00:31:11 Samantha 

Yeah, absolutely. That is a huge part of the journey too. I think it's easy to see all the scars on your body. And now I have these ostomy bags and we're doing the work to change it. But conventionally it's seen as something that you hide and feel embarrassed about? Yeah, a huge part of the journey is like, absolutely not. We have been through way too much to care or, you know, put stock into other people's opinions and I'm not here to conform to what society, or whoever it may be, expects of me? I'm here to live my life and embrace it fully. And that means loving the body that that took me through hell and back. 

00:32:05 Carly 

Absolutely. And do you think now too, like, let's talk a little bit about misconceptions, what are maybe some of the misconceptions around cervical cancer or just gynecologic cancers in general that you may have come across over the years? 

00:32:23 Samantha 

The first one that comes to mind specifically with cervical cancer, because it is connected to HPV, is that you know that there is like some kind of moral judgment that comes along with the cervical cancer diagnosis, when it is just matter of fact scientific evidence. And there should be no judgement to folks who are diagnosed with this. It’s something that happens unfortunately, and I think the more that we can learn to accept these facts health facts we can save people's lives because this is one of the few cancers that is preventable with vaccination and screening. 

00:33:13 Carly 

That’s a really good point. I think as women, we feel so much shame from the outside and the inside within ourselves. When we have any sort of issue down there, if you will, right and like you said, it stops people from being seen and getting answers and we should feel less shame and just own it and get to be seen and get answers. 

00:33:38 Samantha 

100%. It's up to us and it's about time. It is 2025. Women are thriving, women are powerful and we should be prioritizing our health in that same way. 

00:33:53 Carly 

Yeah. And let's talk about a little bit about empowerment. Because I think you are so like when I watch your post on Instagram, you advocate and you're talking about women's empowerment when it comes to voting, healthcare, all those things. So let's talk a little bit about some of the other things, not just cancer awareness that you're really passionate about. 

00:34:14 Samantha 

Yeah, I have learned through this experience that everything is connected the way that we, you know, our self-value is connected to how our society functions, how we navigate the healthcare system. Our politics is tied to our access to care, not just for women, but for people. I mean, people across the board, your social, economic status will dictate, you know, the care that you can and cannot get and going through it, I understand now that it sounds you know.... Well, I should just say it. I understand now that we each deserve to love ourselves. We each deserve to be proud of the journey that we've gone through. We all should have access to healthcare because, unfortunately, it's going to impact us one way or another, and that our health is our foundation of our life. And so whatever we can do to take that power back and .... 

00:35:38 Carly 

Just like own your power, own your strength and... 

00:35:41 Samantha 

Own what it is that makes you YOU. It’s very easy, especially in this cancer experience, to feel powerless, you know? And I'll admit, I have spent a lot of time in that space to feel like everything is happening to me and I don't deserve good things, and I feel shame about my body. I don't, you know, this is a lot to process, but it is through a lot of introspection, a lot of time, a lot of therapy that I've been able to say, like, actually, no, I am.... we all as survivors are really powerful to have gone through this, come out on the other side, talk about it, something that is incredibly difficult, and to make change of it is nothing short of powerful like it is. It is the most powerful thing that I've been able to be a part of 

00:36:46 Carly 

Absolutely. And showing one's vulnerability is such a scary thing to do. Right? And I think when I think back to when I started and where I am today at with my sharing, I still have places that I don't talk a lot about because I'm still... Like obviously I deal with that. I live with these things every day, but I still don't really know how to talk about some of those things. Right? And so there is no timeline of when we have to share or how we want to share, be it online or just, you know, talking with your friends. There is no guideline for each of us. But I think it's very powerful, which we've talked about a couple of times now, that there's so many other people going through the same thing that don't feel represented. So the more of us who come out and share and talk about our experiences, the more representation we’re going to get. 

00:37:36 Samantha 

100% and I agree, and that is such a hard thing to navigate and you're right. I think as we move along through life, there will be things that maybe we never talk about and that's OK like that for us to experience, but absolutely in the ways that we are able to share and allow people to be seen and in a way give them that sense of freedom to... maybe it doesn't look like sharing their entire journey for them. But if for one minute they're like “ohh, maybe I am not alone” then that makes the biggest difference. 

00:38:22 Carly 

That's the biggest difference, right? Absolutely. So if you mean, obviously you're in the United States, I'm in Canada, we have different healthcare systems. So what type of advice would you give to other Americans dealing with the healthcare system with the diagnosis? 

00:38:43 Samantha 

I would say first and foremost to advocate for yourself and make yourself the number one priority. And I say that with the acknowledgement that our system is not designed for you to do that. But it shouldn't stop you. Our health is truly our own and It's not right for any one person or any systemic structure to be able to take that away from you. So, whatever you can, whether it is asking your doctors those extra, sometimes uncomfortable questions or doing extra research online to find a resource. Whether it be, you know, insurance help or finding someone like you on social media like we have! Do that for yourself. You deserve that. And the more that you do that for yourself, the more you are able to make the change that we all want to see. 

00:39:57 Carly 

And I think looking back now, because I'm just slightly, I think a year ahead of you mine started or a year and a half, two years ahead of you in my journey, I started going to the ER's as well and you mentioned that earlier because I wasn't getting the referrals soon enough. I wasn't getting answers from my primary doctors and that was a big way that I actually did start to get a little bit more help because I was so ill and in so much pain that that started taking me a little more seriously versus if I just sat at home, you know, because I was calling every day “Do you have a cancellation? Do you have a cancellation?” and nothing was working. And you just get so frustrated when you feel so unwell and you have no choice but to go to the emergency room or urgent care, you know, type of venue and it's like, the fact that that's what it comes down to is almost a little bit sad. And it seems across the board across the world that is, you know, very much the same threat everywhere. But you have to be seen and however you need to be seen is what you have to do. 

00:40:57 Samantha 

Absolutely. And to add to that, you know there are so many ways in the healthcare system that we can advocate for ourselves, but I also want to add that you know, if you're finding that you're learning an inner working of this system, especially that we have here in the United States. Although it can make us feel this way that we don't lose hope and that there is, there are ways to be able to affect change, whether it be reaching out to lawmakers or advocating for policies that will make healthcare more accessible. These things are also important too. So there are so many things that we can do to really prioritize our health as individuals and communities, and I would just encourage everybody to like you said, like fight for that. Make yourself that that number one priority there. 

00:42:02 Carly 

And it takes time. I think sometimes when you want to see change of any sort, we don't realize that it takes time. It takes persistence. It takes a tribe. If it takes a village to raise a child, it's going to take a village to, you know, make change. And so getting people on your side, going to, you know, be at a rally or going to a political event of any sort in your community, whatever you need to do, it does take time. 

00:42:30 Samantha 

100% and you and I can attest to the power that, you know, we acknowledge that we wouldn't have been able to get here without whether it's our parents, our partners, our pets. It takes each and every one of us. So, I hope that you know, someone out there can take away that this. None of this is a helpless situation. It is hard. And there are absolutely ups and downs, but we gotta persist and stick together. 

00:43:04 Carly 

Yeah. Try to follow the light versus following the darkness. Cause cancer.... it's so easy to go down that dark tunnel because it's a lot more prominent. You're seeing all these things that are happening. But if you can find a little bit of light wherever you can and follow that light, it makes such a difference, right? 

00:43:09 Samantha 

Oh yeah. That's really beautiful and you just jogged my memory of. Actually, I remember thinking like visualize the thing the cancer experience of exactly that, like darkness, wants to swallow you whole wants to make you feel like there's nothing like you can't see. And it's completely like a lost feeling. But everyone's gonna see those little specks of like, light flicker through, and you gotta latch on to those things and follow through so that analogy, there is really spot on and really beautiful. 

00:44:04 Carly 

And a little humor never hurts, right? Like, you can. You can take a number one or a #2 anywhere and nobody would know. You know, you could almost pee like a man in a way if you really wanted to. Yeah. So if you can make a little humor out of a very dark and hard time, then then do that, right? 

00:44:26 Samantha 

Yeah, I think that when we meet each other, when you know cancer or ostomy patients, we absolutely all share that. It's this very specific type of humor. But hey, like we do what we can. And if that's how we get through it, and bond, then yeah, we might as well use it. 

00:44:51 Carly 

Absolutely. I always say to people like golfers hang out with golfers, so why wouldn't ostomates hang out with ostomates? Or cancer survivors with cancer survivors? It's just a different club. 

00:45:03 Samantha 

It it really is, it's a club that, you know, It's unfortunate to be a part of, but I have met the most extraordinary people as being a part of this club, but you, including you. So I'm grateful for that part of it. 

00:45:23 Carly 

No, absolutely. There's that light again. See, you're finding that light. That so we should probably tell the listeners like, what's your name on Instagram and how they can find you if they want to reach out and talk a little bit about cervical cancer with you. 

00:45:37 Samantha 

Yes. So you can find me on Instagram and on TikTok under.... and I'm starting to dive more into YouTube and expand my advocacy, in this sense of just having conversations and hopefully allowing people to see that we actually have a lot more in common as we experience life and... Yes, they can all find that @gosamgrow. That is my handle and my social media name and I have shared a lot of my own personal journey and the joy of meeting my new friends on that and yeah, I hope to connect with you. 

00:46:26 Carly 

Yeah, it's such a great name, too. And so instead of go sam go, it’s go sam grow. Very, very smart. 

00:46:33 Samantha 

I mean if there is one thing that I have willingly and unwillingly done in this journey, it is it is to grow. 

00:46:45 Carly 

Absolutely. And I'm even just talking with you today versus where we were. Was it 2 Septembers ago, 3 Septembers ago when I met you. Either way, I can't even see your growth since then right. Like, yeah, it's amazing. 

00:46:58 Samantha 

I appreciate you. I appreciate you being on this journey with me. Yeah, it has been. It's been something. 

00:47:07 Carly 

Absolutely. Yeah. So you know what we're going to finish up our amazing talk here. I mean, is there anything that you and Jake and the and the pets are looking forward to do with the rest of 2025, any goals or any trips you know or are you just happy just to be together. 

00:47:22 Samantha 

Yes . Actually, but so many things, and I'm grateful to be in a place where I can look forward now. And Jake just launched his brand new ice cream business. So we're diving full throttle into that and I am going to continue to lean into advocacy. I am wanting to start my own nonprofit, which is actually I'm going to file today, you guys can all keep me accountable here, where hopefully just encourage our community to connect and heal because I think that's something that we overlook in our life journey. We again we talked about in the beginning of this conversation and thinking that we need to just pick up and move on. But there are so many little parts of that. So if we can do that together, that's what I'm going to do with my nonprofit and hopefully travel. We'd love to come and see you. 

00:48:22 Carly 

I know you guys could stay with me anytime. And you just said, what did you just say? Pick up and ohh yeah. When we talked about earlier about pick up and just move on. It's OK to pick up and carry on. Do you know what I mean? We're still picking up what we've dealt with. We're just dealing with it differently and that's totally OK. 

00:48:39 Samantha 

Yeah, it's OK to have that pun intended, extra baggage. 

00:48:40 Carly 

Absolutely. Wthank you so much for being a guest. We really appreciate you taking the time and sharing your cervical cancer journey with us. You are an amazing human. I love your husband. As I've said numerous times, all the best to you too. And your future with your lovely fur babies. 

00:49:00 Samantha 

Thank you. Thank you. 

00:49:04 Outro 

Thanks for joining us on the Gosh podcast to learn more about the Gynecologic Cancer initiative and our podcast. Make sure to check out our website at Gainey, Cancer, initiative.ca.