Diana Cejas

Diana M. Cejas, MD, MPH is a pediatric neurologist in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She obtained her medical degree at Howard University in Washington, DC in 2010. She completed pediatric residency training in the Tulane University – Oschner Health Systems Pediatric Residency Program in New Orleans, Louisiana. She obtained a Masters of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health at the George Washington University in Washington, DC prior to moving on to her pediatric neurology training at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. She is board certified in both General Pediatrics and Neurology with Special Qualification in Child Neurology.

Chris Stroh

Chris Stroh was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 23 years old and is now enjoying his 10th year of survivorship. Over the past 5 years, Chris has become more and more active in the AYA cancer community, volunteering for Imerman Angels and Stupid Cancer. He is extremely proud to be able to continue to contribute to the community he has benefited so much from as part of the Cactus Cancer Society Young Adult Cancer Survivor Board. When he isn’t working or volunteering, he enjoys traveling with his wife and playing with his daughters.

KM Hammond

KM Hammond grew up with an unhealthy obsession in two areas: storytelling and dead people. Naturally, these obsessions flowered into a passion for novel-writing (the creepier the better), summers spent poring over bones in a laboratory, and many—many—socially unacceptable dinner conversations. Eir resume includes such things as an MA in biological anthropology, venturing through the soulless jungle of corporate call center life, a blossoming list of audiobook narration credits, and kicking Hodgkin Lymphoma’s crusty ass.

Kyle Smith

At 5 years old, Kyle lost his grandpa to kidney cancer. He didn’t know what cancer was then, nor could he foresee the impact it would have on his life. 19 years later Kyle’s father would be diagnosed with prostate cancer and in another 3 years the same doctor who performed his dad’s life saving surgery would also remove Kyle’s cancerous right testicle.

While Kyle may have lost his ability to become a professional juggler (it’s not very impressive to juggle with only one ball) what he gained is a new mission in life. Utilizing his Directing degree from Columbia College Chicago & now thirteen years of art department experience in LA, Kyle founded CHECK 15: The Monthly Cancer Awareness Day. From December 2012 through June 2019, he achieved 68 straight months of new cancer awareness PSAs, fighting cancer through early detection & lowering risk – all delivered with a healthy dose of humor.

Over the past two years, Kyle has been on the Leadership Team for the Los Angeles Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society & has produced the video content for their annual fundraising event. He also continues to work in the entertainment industry & stays creative at home with art & carpentry projects – including creating a backyard cinema so he & his friends can safely enjoy a big screen experience during the pandemic.

Claire Greco

Hi everyone! My name is Claire Greco, I live in Indianapolis Indiana, and I’m an Aries. Growing up, my favorite book was the Harry Potter series, but as an adult graduate school killed my love for reading for fun. I am a mental health therapist and I now read a lot of books related to mental health and therapy for work.

I don’t have one specific hero that I love, but related to superheroes Captain America is my favorite. Otherwise, real life people I admire include Emma Watson, Bernie Sanders, AOC, the guys from Queer Eye, Kris Jenner (a wide variety I know). If I could choose one superpower it would be to control all the elements (yes, like Avatar).

The hardest challenge I have ever done is being a full time student while in active treatment/recovering from. I probably should have taken some time off, but wanted to push forward. My proudest moment is when I received my Master’s Degree in Social Work. Since then my new challenge is studying for and taking my clinical licensing exam while balancing a client case load.

My guilty pleasures are desserts and watching the Kardashians, just gotta keep up. My personal mantra is there is always room for dessert.

The best piece of advice I ever received is to let the small things be small, and the big things be big. How I stay mentally healthy is to set firm and appropriate boundaries with my work and home life, and spend plenty of time with my wonderful Husband and Dog, Teddy.

My favorite Cactus Cancer Society Program is the game nights and my favorite part of being part of Cactus Cancer Society is the community. I was so isolated during my treatment, and I wish I’d had this community back then!

Brandie Langer

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 Norris

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

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

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 Ross

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.