Celebrating Adversity Podcast Trailer
TRANSCRIPT
0:00
INTRO: (Music)
0:19
Jules: Welcome to CA, a podcast for people living with cancer and their caregivers. …. This is Julian, and I am co-hosting this episode with my friend Clark, who was first diagnosed with cancer in 2015.
0:33
Clark: (Poem with Music)
Climbing on the weekend/like usual?
Cancer in my prostrate, / _stage 4 they say
Cancer on my knee /_ stage 2they say
Say my days are numbered/Three years, they said
Eighteen weeks of chemo, / Climbing in-between
Steel mace once a week/ Climbing in between
Father, son and husband/ A brother, a friend
Contemplating, Meditating/ three years my friend
Infuriating, Celebrating/three years my friend
Say my days are numbered/ Living , I say
Reaching out to others/ like usual?
Live beyond the numbers/_ like usual?
1:44
Jules: Clark, We have been friends for a decade, housemates in Toronto. You are also the love of my dear friend, Nesrin. And Steel Mace like usual, fancy
1:54
Clark: Yes, before the COVID19 lockdown, I was climbing, doing yoga and steel mace. The mace is an unconventional training tool, a one-meter iron bar with a 5 kilogram weighted ball at the end. It was originally used as a weapon by warriors in medieval India and Iran. During the lock down, I stopped climbing. But I continue to do yoga for flexibility. And steel mace for strength, movement and stability.
2:24
Jules: Clark, I love music. And I have been organizing music events and festivals all over the world. But this is the first time I hear the Drake & The Future song (Life is Good) used to sum the situation of a person living with cancer. Your poem talks about where you are, physically socially and most importantly mentally. Clark, you have you have been to 75 countries and have advised governments affected by war. You are now a career coach and mentor for UN staff. You inspire me and also inspire anyone who crosses your path. Clark tell me, what inspires you?
3:00
Clark: Jules, good question. I was inspired to write this poem on January this year, the 15th week of my chemo therapy. I love defying stereotypes. I have stage 4 prostrate cancer, stage 2 sarcoma and a three-year life expectancy. People expect me to be weak. During the month I was writing this poem, I was also climbing on breath-taking rock, on beautiful cliffs of ice, on precarious crags that gave me a natural high that helped me through my chemo. Climbing, yoga, steel mace, pop songs and poetry are all part of my therapy. You know Jules, I also would like to hear the stories of others. How are they overcoming the challenges of cancer? What really inspires me, Jules, are the stories of people: climbers, yoga teachers, trainers, other cancer patients and their caregivers. This podcast is: A space for people living with cancer and. It is a place for care-givers. It captures how both are overcoming disability, accepting change and celebrating adversity.
4:23
Jules: This is very inspiring = this podcast will have interviews, music, poems and stories of people living with cancer and their care-givers. We will have episodes about:
- · Staying Positive: Mind, body and heart
- · The Yin and Yang of Cancer
- · The hopes, fears, needs and frustrations of caregivers
- · Dealing with Death and Decline
For our first episode, we are planning to air a conversation between two people living with cancer. Clark, tell us how could our listeners get involved?
4:57
Clark: This is a living podcast, it evolves. I would like our listeners to:
- · Let their friends know about this podcast.
- · Contribute to our GoFundMe page,
- · Share what it is like to live with cancer through stories@celebratingadversity.blog
5:17
Jules: (Repeats Poem and Music)
Say my days are numbered/ Living , I say
Reaching out to others/ like usual?
Live beyond the numbers/_ like usual?
5:40
OUTRO: (Music Fades)