Solo Episode 09: Cancer Just Hit Your Holidays—Do This Before Thanksgiving

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When cancer crashes into your life right before a holiday, everything changes. Suddenly the day that’s “supposed” to be about gratitude, food, and connection becomes a minefield of pitying looks, whispered conversations, and emotional overwhelm.

I know this feeling deeply. My family has faced two cancer diagnoses right before Thanksgiving—first my mom, twenty years later my sister. At the time, my sister was preparing for chemo, terrified about fertility, and only 29 years old. I had a newborn who was five days old. We were scared, exhausted, and completely unsure of the future.

And yet… we made a choice.

We decided that Thanksgiving wasn’t going to be about cancer. Not because of denial or toxic positivity, but because we all needed one day of normalcy before the storm hit. We focused on noise, food, connection, and the small, chaotic moments that made us feel human. It worked—because we set the emotional temperature before we walked in the door.

In this episode, I share:
✨ How to take back control of your holiday experience
✨ Why your family needs a “roadmap” to support you without pity
✨ The exact 3-sentence script you can text, say, or repeat at the door
✨ How to create presence without pretending nothing’s wrong
✨ Why setting boundaries is an act of power—not selfishness

Your holidays can still hold meaning. Even when everything around you is uncertain, you can reclaim moments of connection and create emotional safety for yourself.

Here’s the script you can use:
“I want today to be about being together, not about cancer.
Please don’t treat me like I’m fragile.
If I need something, I promise I’ll tell you. I may tap out early or take a break—that’s just part of where I am right now.”

These words will help people love you the right way—without pity, without awkwardness, and without toxic positivity. They give you control when so much else feels out of reach.

Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with warmth, clarity, and the people who make you feel like YOU.

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Joelle K

I'm a 54 year old former CMO/CRO and generational breast cancer survivor. My early cancer experiences shaped my personal and professional philosophy to continuously cultivate an approach that adjusts to whatever curveball shows up. And we know, curveballs are constant, especially in midlife with aging parents, maturing kids (if you have kids), and opportunities to focus on new goals for our next 50 years. I have a book being released in January - Crushing the Cancer Curveball, A Veteran's Guide for the Newly Diagnosed. While no one wants cancer, 1 in 2 Americans and 1 in 4 people worldwide will face cancer in their lifetimes. There's an alternative narrative to the terror, anger and fear that accompanies a diagnosis - a narrative that spawns compassion, confidence, and even joy. I'd love to talk about it with you and your audience.

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