134: Barb Anderson: Life with Pediatric Cancer

After graduating at the top of her MBA class and landing an interesting job, Barb Anderson suddenly found herself staring directly in the face of every parent’s worst nightmare when her 18-month old son, Jude, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. With this diagnosis, Barb was thrown into her new role as a “Momcologist,” a position where she serves as chief advocate, medical officer and public relations expert for her family.

Jude’s journey has defied all odds, surviving three relapses, two bone marrow transplants and travel across the United States for groundbreaking clinical trials. He is now approaching six months after his second bone marrow transplant (for which Barb was the donor) and recovering well.

Barb loves living in the kind, vibrant city of Tucson, Arizona with her husband, Aidan, Jude and younger son, Finn. When not serving as a Momcologist, Barb loves to cook, drink wine, brew kombucha, and connect with friends & family. She is a double graduate of the University of Arizona with an undergraduate degree in Marketing and an MBA in Entrepreneurship.

I asked Barb to come on the show to talk about her story as a momcologist. She is going to walk us through the last 3 years of her life since Jude was diagnosed with Leukemia at just 18 months old.

Listen in to hear Barb share:

How Jude was diagnosed
What life looks like with the ups and downs of pediatric cancer
What kind of emotional turmoil remains even when the cancer is gone
What it’s like to raise a sibling of a child with pediatric cancer
What NOT to say (or send) to people fighting cancer
The alarmingly low research funding that supports pediatric cancer

Links Mentioned:

Jude’s Man and Woman of the Year Leukemia and Lymphoma Donation Page

Team Jude inspirational merchandise order form

Book: The Emperor of Maladies

Sponsor: Aaptiv.com (use code SMA30 for a free 30-day trial)