The Conversation We Couldn’t Find
There are moments in life when information isn’t enough.
If you’ve recently heard the words, “You have cancer,” you’ve probably discovered that for yourself. There are doctors to meet, tests to schedule, treatment options to understand, articles to read, and statistics to sort through. Information is everywhere. You may also discover that, even surrounded by information, you can still feel completely alone.
Information answers questions like, “What is my diagnosis?” or “What are my treatment options?” It doesn’t answer questions like, “How did you decide?” “What was surgery really like?” “What surprised you the most?” “How did your spouse handle all of this?” or “How did you keep living while waiting for the next scan?” Those are different kinds of questions, and they’re often best answered by someone who has already walked that road.
That’s exactly what happened to us. When it came time to make one of the biggest decisions of our cancer journey, choosing a urinary diversion after Scott’s bladder surgery, the medical information explained the procedures. What it couldn’t fully explain was what life would actually feel like afterward. Everything changed when Scott found two people who had already made that decision.
Neither one told him what to do. Neither claimed their experience would become his. They simply shared their stories honestly, and those conversations gave us something we couldn’t find anywhere else.
Not certainty. Confidence.
Looking back, we realize those conversations changed much more than one medical decision. They changed the direction of our lives. Over the years, we found ourselves having similar conversations with other patients and caregivers. One conversation became another. Then another. Long before Life Between Scans had a name, a logo, or a YouTube channel, it already existed around kitchen tables, hospital rooms, coffee shops, phone calls, and quiet moments between people who understood what someone else was going through.
Eventually we realized something: maybe the conversations that helped us most shouldn’t be so hard to find.
That’s why we started Life Between Scans.
We’re not medical professionals, and we would never ask anyone to substitute our experiences for the guidance of their healthcare team. What we can offer is something different: the perspective of people who have faced many of the same questions and lived through many of the same experiences. We don’t believe our experiences make us experts on your journey. We do believe they have given us insights worth sharing.
We’ve come to believe that honest conversations lead to better questions. Better questions lead to better decisions. Better decisions build confidence. Confidence gives us the courage to face whatever comes next.
If our conversations help you find the answers that are right for you, gain the confidence to move forward, or discover the courage to face whatever comes next, then we’ll know we’re doing exactly what we hoped Life Between Scans would do.
Thank you for sharing some of your time with us today. We hope you’ll continue the conversation.
Help Shape the Next Conversation.
What conversation do you wish you’d been able to have when your journey began?
We’d love to hear your thoughts. They may help shape a future Life Between Scans conversation.
