Michael and Mom both talk cancer, 2 views, 2 voices, a lot of passion
Hi! We are Michael and Ashlee, AKA “Michael and Mom”. We have been through a cancer diagnosis, chemo, radiation, a bone marrow transplant and more, all in the space of just over a year! We want to bring in you in to our story, share our inspirational moments, our struggles, our joys, our pain. Whether or not you have experienced cancer, we have all experienced life, and hopefully our messages will bring us closer together.
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Before cancer Michael was a regular, kind-of-extra-cool, athletic, college kid from Miami Beach. He was part of the Olympic Development Team for Windsurfing, along with his older brother, Steven. They grew up in the ocean, surfing and even traveled the world going to windsurfing competitions. Ashlee, a single mom of 3 (amazing!) kids, Steven, Michael and Jennifer, was an early childhood educator, teaching music and dance to the families in and around Miami. She was the creative director of Zumbini, a program she wrote for Zumba Fitness, and her life was all about her family and sharing music, dance and joy! When Michael was diagnosed with Hepatosplenic Lymphoma in July of 2020, their world stopped. But the family decided to share the story, hoping to inspire others, to maybe raise awareness, to take this tragedy and make it a matter. They have been constantly been reminded of so many of life’s lessons and want to take this time to share the laughter, the love, the light they have received from the most unexpected places. We are all in this together. #strongertogether Read more
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Michael and Mom Talk Cancer: Episode 19, talking to the one and only Matt Ode!
Summary Michael and mom talk to cancer survivor and coach, Matt Ode who went from cancer to coma at age 24, when he was diagnosed with stage 3C testicular cancer. After chemo and 5 surgeries Matt almost died multiple times from his severe complications. Before his cancer diagnosis Matt was a healthy personal trainer, weighing…
Michael and Mom Talk Cancer: Episode 18, Talking to Survivor and Inspiration, Chuck Keels
Summary Michael and mom talk to cancer survivor Chuck Keels about his miraculous story of healing from his stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis. After being placed in hospice and sent home to die peacefully, Chuck ended up back to the hospital with a broken back, felt the presence of God, and survived. He and his…
Michael and Mom Talk Cancer: Episode 17, Grateful, but Frustrated
Summary In this episode, Michael and his mom ashlee talk about new lessons…. living life in that in-between place, between cancer and health. Michael confesses to being both grateful for being alive, yet so frustrated by the complications he must live with, in cancer’s wake. They both encourage you to take risks, to shed your…
Michael and Mom Talk Cancer: Episode 16, an honest conversation with Francisco (leukemia survivor)
Summary In this episode, Michael and his mom Ashlee speak with Francisco, another 21 year old cancer survivor who, like Michael, went through chemo and a Bone Marrow Transplant. However Francisco was diagnosed with AML (acute myeloid leukemia) at the young age of 12 and received his transplant at 13. Francisco’s diagnosis was a long…
A September update. Still in quarantine, opportunities to grow, laughter, and a new rap…..
I cannot lie, it has been a tough couple of weeks. Nothing crazy happened. No recent hospital admissions. No brand new complications. No midnight visits to the ER. It sounds good. A breather. Like life is easier. The last 2 years have been so full of highs and lows, our roller coaster ride. Or chacha.…
Here’s what happened in August….
It is time to reach out again, to bring you in close, hug you tightly, and share the next chapter in this story that started out as a terrifying cancer diagnosis, but has turned into a spiritual journey, an emotional awakening, mental enlightenment….with probably more ongoing physical health AND life challenges than we had imagined!…
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Rapping about Body Image
Michael and I recently shared another fun (but honest) rap……. https://youtu.be/Sx49lRHDe88 We might not be “gansta” but we are certainly real. Flaws, scars, successes, failures, ups and downs……… We feel so passionate about our podcast, and we love this blog and our BMT merch, but we truly have a blast making music and videos together.…
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July 2022 lessons, 2 years after diagnosis, from ashlee
It is July 14th, 2022, the middle of the summer, and finally, this summer, so many people are traveling again, going on vacations, flying, driving, boating, experiencing! Covid is still there, lingering, but life is finally more than zoom and facetime, online activities, and being confined to home. Families and friends are gathering, going to…
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Broken hearted…. from ashlee
We just found out that a boy we know, a 20 year old survivor, warrior, man/child, friend, BMT brother, passed away. Cancer. More like complications from cancer. People die every day. Every minute. Every second. But it hurts us when it is someone we know. Or someone we have a connection with. This 20 year…
June, 2022, the gifts and challenges of being home, from ashlee
As most of you know, we are home. Home with all that home could possibly mean. But as I said a few weeks ago, home is not a place, home is not a house or a building or even a city or state. Home is a state of mind and a state of being. So…
We are home. And all that means…. from ashlee
The last few weeks have been like yet another new beginning. I know that sounds cliche. The words are commonplace, perhaps, but the events feel so much bigger. After 5 months of fundamentally living in the hospital, at long last, 3 weeks ago, we came home. It seems like coming home should be returning to…
Michael and Mom Talk Cancer 