The time after an engagement is typically filled with excitement, wedding planning, and dreaming about the future. But for Morgan Lunardi and her fiancé, AJ, that exciting chapter quickly took an unexpected turn when Morgan was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.

Shortly after their engagement, Morgan began experiencing troubling symptoms, including intense headaches and facial swelling. Scans revealed a 13-centimeter mass in her chest. Because of the tumor’s location, doctors warned that a biopsy could require opening her chest to obtain a sample. As Morgan and AJ traveled to their wedding venue in Cabo to plan their special day, the possibility of such a serious procedure weighed heavily on them.

Fortunately, doctors were able to complete the biopsy without opening Morgan’s chest. However, another complication meant she needed to begin chemotherapy a week earlier than planned. With their wedding less than a year away, Morgan decided to try cold capping during treatment in hopes of preserving her hair. The process uses extremely cold temperatures to restrict blood flow to the scalp and reduce hair loss during chemotherapy.

Alongside chemotherapy, Morgan also underwent radiation while continuing to work full time and plan her wedding. She shares what it was like to navigate cancer treatment while preparing for one of the biggest days of her life, and how quickly she went from thinking about wedding details to becoming a cancer patient.

Throughout her journey, Morgan leaned on other cancer survivors for advice, support, and answers to the questions that came with her diagnosis. Now, she is passionate about paying that support forward by helping others facing cancer, particularly when it comes to navigating treatment, fertility, and cold capping.

Today, Morgan is cancer free and living the life she fought so hard to get back to. She and AJ are married and are now the parents of two beautiful daughters.

Episode Resources:

Oklahoma Proton Center

https://www.okcproton.com/

https://www.instagram.com/okprotoncenter/

https://www.facebook.com/OKProtonCenter

The Cancer Project Podcast

https://www.instagram.com/the_cancerproject

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581844363126

https://www.tiktok.com/@protonguy

Twenty-three year old Valentina Prince was preparing to start veterinarian school in the fall when she experienced a sudden itch in her breast. Valentina thought nothing of it until she felt a new lump in her breast. She quickly made an appointment to have it looked at and suddenly found herself receiving a mammogram and being told this mass looks very abnormal and you need to schedule a biopsy as soon as possible. After difficulty finding a facility that could see her soon, her dad’s new job in Houston connected her to an oncologist that diagnosed her with stage three breast cancer.

Valentina quickly began treatment at MD Anderson as the cancer had already spread to her lymph nodes. She received sixteen rounds of intensive chemotherapy, and jokingly referred to it as her “strawberry margarita” while trying to take a positive approach to treatment, determined to one day achieve her dream of becoming a veterinarian. In addition to chemotherapy, Valentina received immunotherapy, radiation, and had surgery as a part of her treatment plan. She shares honest details about the many complications she had throughout treatment including allergic reactions, burns from radiation, and lymphedema.

After completing her intensive and exhausting treatment, Valentina rang the bell and spoke about the tidal wave of emotions she felt. She provides insight into what she wished she knew before undergoing treatment and her advice and mindset to those who are just beginning their cancer battle. Today, Valentina is cancer free and in her second year of veterinarian school at Michigan State University, continuing her dream of becoming what she affectionately refers to as a ‘dogtor’.

Episode Resources:

Valentina’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dogtorprince/

Oklahoma Proton Center

https://www.okcproton.com/

https://www.instagram.com/okprotoncenter/

https://www.facebook.com/OKProtonCenter

The Cancer Project Podcast

https://www.instagram.com/the_cancerproject

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581844363126

https://www.tiktok.com/@protonguy

What exactly does a medical physicist do, and how does their work impact a cancer patient's treatment? On this episode of The Cancer Project Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Ali Fatemi, a board-certified medical physicist specializing in radiation therapy and MRI physics, to explore the technology and people working behind the scenes of modern cancer care.

Dr. Fatemi breaks down how medical physicists help ensure radiation treatments are delivered safely and accurately, and explains why MRI could play an increasingly important role in radiation therapy, particularly proton therapy. We also discuss the potential of combining MRI and proton therapy to better identify tumors and deliver highly precise treatment.

The conversation also looks toward the future of cancer care and artificial intelligence. Dr. Fatemi shares why he believes AI won't simply replace doctors and medical physicists, but instead could change how they work, accelerate research, and give medical professionals more time to focus on solving complex problems. He also discusses the importance of validating and carefully testing new technology before it reaches patients.

Finally, Dr. Fatemi shares his journey from Iran to Canada and the United States, his transition from researcher to clinical medical physicist and entrepreneur, and his passion for taking innovative ideas out of the laboratory and bringing them into the clinic where they can ultimately make a difference for patients.

Episode Resources:

Smart Medicine Podcast:

https://www.youtube.com/@SmartMedicinePodcast

Oklahoma Proton Center

https://www.okcproton.com/

https://www.instagram.com/okprotoncenter/

https://www.facebook.com/OKProtonCenter

The Cancer Project Podcast

https://www.instagram.com/the_cancerproject

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581844363126

https://www.tiktok.com/@protonguy