Brandie is a 10-year breast cancer survivor. She lives in the Chicagoland area with her husband and three children. She loves to hang out with the family, knit, and read. She is currently living the flat life, after her implants caused too many issues. Thanks to her cancer treatment, Brandie deals with chronic pain. Some days are easier than others, but she still manages to smile a lot! However, she is quite forgetful and blames chemobrain on that!
Marnie has been a Cactus Cancer Society program participant and volunteer since 2016 and a member of the Young Adult Cancer Survivor (YACS) Board since 2018. She spent time in the United States Army as a linguist and analyst and is a graduate of the Defense Language Institute. After the Army, Marnie worked in various roles in the computer software and hardware industry and now works as a business analyst for a health and science university. In 2012 and again in 2015, Marnie was diagnosed with cancer and has also been a cancer caregiver. From these experiences, she discovered a passion for helping others navigate through cancer and advocate for their own wellness. She hopes to use that passion and her skill set to help guide Cactus Cancer Society in their continued mission to provide support and connection for young adult cancer survivors. When not reading, writing, or binge watching sci-fi TV shows, Marnie enjoys spending time with her family and friends and her dog Mabel. She also likes to do yoga and travel, is a jigsaw puzzle enthusiast, and is on a continuous quest for the perfect gluten free waffle.
Christian Bullock has a professional digital marketing background despite exploring history and journalism as focuses during college. Having gone through his own cancer diagnosis, Christian communicates with other cancer patients and survivors in an empathic and understanding way because he has been there (and is there). He has a particular interest in astronomy and likes to read whenever he can.
Stephen Heaviside is a musician, writer and AYA cancer advocate. He resides in Orange County, California and loves dolphins, true crime documentaries and good coffee. You can follow him on Instagram/Twitter @heavysighed and on Facebook. His music is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
Nick P Ross is a video producer and storyteller. He’s worked in New York, Los Angeles, and now, Denver, telling meaningful stories to inspire change and unlock pathways to empathy. His autobiographical web series, Highly Evolved Human, tells the story of his experience with cancer as a young adult (airs on SoulPancake). He’s a host of the Moth Storyslam series in Denver, and as a longtime alum of New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, he teaches improv, sketch, and storytelling at Denver’s Chaos Bloom Theatre.
Deltra is a Connecticut based home-educating mama of 5 amazing girls who she strives to raise with cultural and health awareness.
She’s a chain tea drinker, wig hoarder, and lover of singing loudly and dancing unabashedly.
Since being diagnosed with Triple Negative MBC de novo in 2019, she has focused on thriving through education, advocacy, connecting and radical self-care. She is passionate about mental and emotional wellness, creative expression as a means of coping, community building and connecting BIPOC women with people and spaces that can care for our whole selves. She is a member of Cactus Cancer Society’s YACS Advisory Board, the inaugural class of For the Breast of Us Baddie Ambassadors, and Program Coordinator for Project Life MBC.
Mary Clare is a speaker, writer & educator based in Chicago. She was diagnosed with AML Leukemia in 2014 and again in 2017 after a stem cell transplant.
She is a proud member of the WomanLab Advisory Board at The University of Chicago and serves as an adviser to the Cancer Support Community on the AML patient experience.
Mary Clare is passionate about advocating for young adults with cancer. Her areas of interest include: sex + cancer, parenting with cancer, clinical trial access, humor as a disruptor and the patient as artist.
Yolanda J. Murphy was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. At a young age, she understood the value of education and the importance of excelling. In 1997, she graduated from Trinity Christian School and went on to obtain her BS in Business Management from Carlow University in 2008. For several years, Yolanda has worked for a healthcare company and until 2016 was living a normal simple life. At the age of 36, things drastically changed. Yolanda was diagnosed with Stage 2 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) of the left breast. She underwent four rounds of chemotherapy and thirty radiation treatments. As a young African American woman, she thought this could never happen to her and more frightening was the inability to find the necessary resources to help her navigate her now new normal. While she is thankful for the organizations that did help her fight for life, she is passionate about advocating and providing resources for young women suffering with breast cancer. She understands how important it is for women to know being “too young to get cancer” is a myth. Equally important, she wants women to know they have the inner strength and mental tenacity to conquer anything they are going through, including difficult physical challenges.
Yolanda serves as a Pennsylvania State Leader for Young Survivor Coalition (YCS), an advisory board member for Lacuna Loft, 2017-2018 Young Advocate for Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) and an active member of Young Adult Cancer Support (YACS) of Pittsburgh. She has shared her story with a variety of audiences and organizations and in January 2018, she created a blog to share her story with the world, thisexceptionaljourney.com. She is also in the process of writing her first book.
Yolanda is now cancer-free and encourages all she meets by declaring: “I am a miracle! Despite what it looks like, you can make it. Find what gives you hope.”
Follow Yolanda J Murphy, @thisexceptionaljourney, on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For speaking engagements, sessions or just to be in touch, she can be reached at yjm@yolandamurphy.com. You can also write to PO Box 261, Turtle Creek, PA 15145.
Vikki is a proven strategic communications leader with more than 15 years experience in the global healthcare sector, including pharmaceuticals, biotech, patient advocacy, and public policy. In 2016, she launched her independent consulting practice after a corporate career working with companies at all stages of development including for some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
As a trusted business partner and advisor, she leads high-profile global corporate communications and investor relations activities, helping her business partners craft evidence into stories that shape decisions, drive innovation, and connect to the patients and consumers they care about.
Vikki has a BA in Communications and Public Relations from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. She has been a hospice volunteer for several organizations in the Los Angeles area since 2012. When not working, she can be found hiking, backpacking, roadtripping, or spending time with friends and family.
Bryan C. Walker is a 7 year HL cancer survivor and suits blazer extraordinaire. Bryan currently is a Healthcare Business Development Manager for an organization in Atlanta GA. He currently is a multiple-year President award winner for his organization. During COVID, Bryan was able to use his knowledge as an advocate and a former patient to help facilitate a plan to bring hundreds of quality medical staff personnel to provide for the citizens of Georgia. Bryan has a BS in Rehabilitation and an MS with a concentration in Healthcare Management from Troy University. He loves traveling and exploring new cultures- especially visiting distilleries in the USA.
