1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,520 Hello everyone and welcome to the within range coaching podcast. 2 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:11,800 I'm Ranger certified holistic success coach. 3 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:15,960 And in this podcast, I'm breaking down the journey that entrepreneurs face as they start 4 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:20,680 their organization, find solutions to the roadblocks in their way and create an impact 5 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:22,340 that lasts. 6 00:00:22,340 --> 00:00:26,880 So if you're an entrepreneur, nonprofit leader or purpose driven community member that wants 7 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:31,440 to learn how to grow your impact and develop yourself as the person behind the mission, 8 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:34,080 then this podcast is for you. 9 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:36,540 I know you're just as eager to get started as I am. 10 00:00:36,540 --> 00:00:41,920 So let's jump right in. 11 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:44,320 Good morning, good afternoon and good evening everyone. 12 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:46,880 And welcome to today's episode. 13 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:51,640 Doing my walk across America portion of the podcast still. 14 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:57,320 And I have as of now made it through the state of Alabama currently sitting pretty much just 15 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:00,760 right on the border of Mississippi and Alabama. 16 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:07,320 And I am joined today by someone that helped make my Alabama portion possible. 17 00:01:07,320 --> 00:01:10,960 Her and her husband were able to shuttle me around a little bit, offered me a place to 18 00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:16,520 stay in their nice little shed up in what northern Alabama area. 19 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:18,000 And it was super nice, super sweet of them. 20 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:19,960 I really appreciated my time with them. 21 00:01:19,960 --> 00:01:21,560 They made me feel right at home. 22 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:27,920 At one point I accidentally made a comment about us having cookies on the table or we 23 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:30,260 having something available. 24 00:01:30,260 --> 00:01:32,600 And then I realized, wait a second, this isn't my house. 25 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:33,600 Why am I saying these things? 26 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:38,920 And I think that just goes to show just like how great of people there are in the world. 27 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:43,480 And as we were talking, she mentioned that she works for a nonprofit. 28 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:48,640 So that made my coach flags go up and go my podcast ears like, oh, wait a second, what 29 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,280 do you mean you work for a nonprofit? 30 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:54,160 And I mean, I'll let her talk more about it. 31 00:01:54,160 --> 00:02:01,920 But today we're joined by Ashley Rogers and I looked her up on the internet and I found 32 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:11,000 that she was, well, she is a pediatric oncology nurse. 33 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:12,000 I think I said that right. 34 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:13,000 And perfect. 35 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:14,000 Okay. 36 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,760 And geez, I mean, she's been in the game for a while. 37 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:20,200 She has 10 plus years of experience. 38 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:25,360 She was summa cum laude with her master's degree in pediatric primary care and the Sigma 39 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:31,000 Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing Care Champion Award recipients, nurse navigator, all these 40 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:32,520 great things. 41 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:37,280 And she works for the Chad Tuff DIPG Foundation. 42 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:42,300 I can list everything else that she has on this website, but let's go ahead and say hello 43 00:02:42,300 --> 00:02:44,200 to Miss Ashley Rogers. 44 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:46,200 Ashley, how are you doing? 45 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:48,080 Good, how are you? 46 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:49,560 I'm doing pretty good. 47 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:50,560 Just hanging out. 48 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,160 I'm trying to make sure I say all the right things. 49 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:58,400 And I mean, like we were talking right before we jumped on about all the different abbreviations 50 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:02,160 and everything you have, I guess just to kind of introduce yourself in a way that makes 51 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,600 sense to the listeners rather than me just listing off stuff off a website. 52 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:10,200 Why don't you introduce yourself and tell everyone why you're here? 53 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:19,280 So all of those acronyms, it basically stands for I'm a pediatric nurse practitioner. 54 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:21,040 Long story short, that's all it is. 55 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:25,720 It's just a pediatric nurse practitioner and it's divided into acute care and primary care. 56 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:28,520 So that PC at the end of mine is primary care. 57 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:32,200 So it's basically like I could work in a doctor's office. 58 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,800 I can see kids on a routine basis, things like that. 59 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:40,480 Like I can treat children like a pediatrician would for the most part. 60 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:44,160 So long story short, that's what all that means. 61 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:45,160 Gotcha. 62 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:47,160 OK, so a kid doctor. 63 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:49,160 Kind of. 64 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:51,640 Kind of, yeah. 65 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:56,520 OK, so when you say you work with pediatrics, I know that you're more so in the oncology 66 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:57,520 aspect of it. 67 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:01,920 So could you explain a little bit of how those two relate with your experience in the education 68 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:02,920 that you have? 69 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:08,760 So like in Alabama, you can't specify pediatric oncology nurse practitioner. 70 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:11,760 So I just did pediatric nurse practitioner. 71 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:17,680 But in that, like when you do pediatrics, you can work with any specialty as long as 72 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,480 the child is under 21 years old. 73 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:23,600 So I can do anything within pediatrics. 74 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:26,960 I just chose oncology because that's where my heart is. 75 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:34,680 And so that is how I ended up in the oncology space treating children with cancer. 76 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:35,680 Gotcha. 77 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:42,400 And to kind of what's the word, align our conversation today with a purpose. 78 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:47,880 Like what would you say is your intention overall for our conversation? 79 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:54,240 Really to be open to opportunity, even though it may not be exactly like the plan that you 80 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:59,640 thought you had for your life and direction that it was going, because I'm not where I 81 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:02,600 thought I would be 15 years ago. 82 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:03,600 Yeah. 83 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:04,600 No. 84 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:06,280 And again, we talked a little bit off camera about that. 85 00:05:06,280 --> 00:05:12,440 And it sounds like a lot of what you were planning beforehand, it was kind of like this 86 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:16,760 was something that you thought about when you were younger and then it changed and then 87 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:20,560 it changed again and then it changed again while you were working in it. 88 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:22,600 And now you're somewhere completely different. 89 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:23,760 Yes. 90 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:29,000 Which is a lot of vagueness, but we'll get into more of the specifics in a second. 91 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:32,280 But yeah, why don't we just kind of jump into your background? 92 00:05:32,280 --> 00:05:40,160 Like what is it that made little Ashley go, I want to be a pediatric oncologist slash 93 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:42,360 I want to do all these other things. 94 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:44,680 What got us here? 95 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:54,960 So backstory, my dad was diagnosed with mesophilioma when I was nine years old. 96 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:57,760 At the time, it was extremely rare. 97 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:01,000 There was only two cases out of a million. 98 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,480 And so it took a very long time to figure out exactly what he had. 99 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:13,200 He lived five months to the day from he started having symptoms and then literally five months 100 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:14,680 to the day he passed away. 101 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:19,320 So it was extremely fast and absolute whirlwind. 102 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:22,800 And at that time, like I was young enough, I didn't really know exactly what was going 103 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:23,800 on. 104 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:24,800 I didn't understand it. 105 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:25,800 I knew he had cancer. 106 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:27,520 I knew it was rare. 107 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:29,960 I knew they didn't know how to treat it. 108 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:35,880 And at the time, the longest anyone had lived was eight months with it. 109 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:41,680 So it was extremely rare, but that's kind of like what threw me into like the oncology 110 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:42,680 world. 111 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:46,040 And I remember saying, you know, when people would ask you back then, like, oh, what do 112 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:47,040 you want to be when you grow up? 113 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:50,600 Like, I want to be an oncologist because I want to work with cancer. 114 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:55,280 I want to help screen cancer because that's what my daddy was going through. 115 00:06:55,280 --> 00:06:59,080 And I remember thinking one day, like, just thinking to myself, like, what? 116 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:01,240 Working with kids, kids would be fun to work with. 117 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:06,800 Or if there's anything like pediatric oncology, like at the time, not knowing that that was 118 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:08,240 even such a thing. 119 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:13,240 And so when people would ask, like, I want to be a pediatric oncologist, how on earth 120 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:16,200 is a 10 year old like, where did you come up with this? 121 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:18,400 Like nobody says those kind of things. 122 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:19,400 Yeah. 123 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:22,960 And it's interesting that you were able to kind of just put that you in your own mind, 124 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:26,680 it sounds like you invented the field almost just by. 125 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:33,400 Yeah, I had zero idea that there was even such a thing as pediatric oncology when I 126 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:34,400 was that age. 127 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:35,400 I had no idea. 128 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:38,320 I just thought like, I like working with kids and I want to do cancer. 129 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:40,160 So let's just put those two together. 130 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:42,600 Like maybe there's such a thing as that. 131 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:44,840 And so that's like, that's kind of how I've ended up. 132 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:48,200 Like initially, that's where my thought process came from. 133 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:53,520 But of course, like I was in fourth grade and at the time, like, was I not planning, 134 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:58,600 like really seriously considering like, what am I going to do for the rest of my life? 135 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:03,200 So like I get up in high school and it's you really start thinking like, okay, what I want 136 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:09,440 to do and for some reason that thought of being pediatric oncologist and just completely 137 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:11,200 left my mind. 138 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:17,920 And it was not in my mind at all of like things that I wanted to do. 139 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:19,520 I considered accounting. 140 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:23,240 I considered being like a math professor. 141 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:28,800 I considered doing all sorts of things. 142 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:33,640 And really like in high school when I was like figuring out what I wanted to do, I had 143 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:35,800 decided I was going to be an engineer. 144 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:41,040 And I really wanted to do, I consider my biomedical engineering and that was like the closest 145 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:43,560 to the medical field that I got. 146 00:08:43,560 --> 00:08:49,040 But I had actually settled on civil engineering and architectural engineering is what I had 147 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:51,160 settled on that I really wanted to do. 148 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:52,160 Gotcha. 149 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:56,520 And it's funny you say biomedical engineering because there was a very, very brief period 150 00:08:56,520 --> 00:09:01,640 where I considered that from animal science to biomedical. 151 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:06,400 And I am so glad I did not because I am not the greatest at all the maths and sciences 152 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:08,640 and organic chemistry. 153 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:14,600 But that's interesting that for you, it kind of just left your mind entirely. 154 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:16,880 Like what do you think caused it? 155 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:18,480 Was it like an external pressure? 156 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:20,600 Was it just you just forgot? 157 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:21,600 Like what? 158 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:23,320 I have no idea. 159 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:26,680 Like looking back, it's so odd and I'm like, why didn't I consider that? 160 00:09:26,680 --> 00:09:29,480 Like that's what I wanted to do when I was little. 161 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:32,480 And that's what I told everybody I wanted to do. 162 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:38,360 But for some reason, I don't know, I guess I just got distracted by because I guess when 163 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:41,800 they're talking to you about it in high school, they're thinking like they say like, think 164 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:43,240 about what you like doing. 165 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:47,800 Think about you know, like what you enjoy like in school and what do you want to do? 166 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:49,600 And math was my favorite subject. 167 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:54,720 Because I guess that's kind of like, I just went down that math pathway and like, well, 168 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:59,920 what can I do with math and what jobs entail math? 169 00:09:59,920 --> 00:10:02,440 And I really I hated health. 170 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:07,000 I hated like learning about the body and that kind of stuff. 171 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:12,800 Like I took physics class instead of taking like a biology class because I was like, I'll 172 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:13,960 never need that. 173 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:19,040 I don't need to know like what muscles are in the body and what organs and how they work. 174 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:20,040 I don't need that. 175 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:21,040 I'm doing physics. 176 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:22,040 I'm building buildings. 177 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:23,040 Yeah, exactly. 178 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:24,040 I'm making things happen. 179 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:25,040 Yes. 180 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:31,640 So instead I took physics in high school and I guess I just got distracted by I like doing 181 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:32,640 math. 182 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:34,080 Let's figure out something to do with math. 183 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:41,080 And I never ever thought that I would end up in nursing at all. 184 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:42,080 Gotcha. 185 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:47,360 So there was that shift from pediatric oncology into engineering. 186 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:48,360 When did that switch? 187 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:50,280 I mean, we listed everything off. 188 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:53,520 It's not like you just got back into nursing and all that. 189 00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:55,440 Like you've been in it for a while. 190 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:57,280 So that switch happened right around high school. 191 00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:00,680 When did it switch back to pediatric oncology? 192 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:05,520 So I had decided like in high school, I had decided I was doing engineering. 193 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:07,880 I had already toured colleges. 194 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:09,440 I had a plan. 195 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:12,800 I was already set to go to Auburn for engineering. 196 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:18,660 And then the stock market crashed in 2008, which was my senior year in school. 197 00:11:18,660 --> 00:11:24,880 When the stock market crashed in 2008, people in engineering were getting laid off and you 198 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:28,320 weren't finding jobs in engineering. 199 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:30,080 There was absolutely nothing. 200 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:38,980 And so I had a panic moment where I seriously I was like, I need to find a job that I can 201 00:11:38,980 --> 00:11:41,080 do no matter what. 202 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:45,360 No matter what the economy looks like, I need to find something where I'm always going to 203 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:47,960 be able to find a job no matter where I go. 204 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:50,120 Because I was like, I also don't know where I'm going to end up. 205 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:53,800 Like I don't know if I'm going to stay in Alabama or if I'm going to go anywhere else. 206 00:11:53,800 --> 00:12:00,160 I need to find a job that is available everywhere at any time. 207 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:03,560 And at that time, I was like, I don't want to go to school for four years and get out 208 00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:06,320 and not be able to find a job. 209 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:08,880 So that is how I changed from engineering. 210 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:13,160 So it's like, you know what, nurses are everywhere. 211 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:15,860 Nurses can do so many different things. 212 00:12:15,860 --> 00:12:18,160 They are always going to be needed. 213 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:23,080 No matter what the economy is, nurses will always be needed. 214 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:27,360 And so that is literally how I ended up in nursing. 215 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:33,880 I actually applied for the nursing program that I got into the very last day that they 216 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:39,600 were accepting applications because it was like really last minute change of like, oh 217 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:42,640 God, I'm going to have to do something. 218 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:45,760 So I called the school and I was like, hey, I'm going to try to apply. 219 00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:49,520 Can you figure out like how to get me a number so that I can do this? 220 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:51,280 Because the application is closed today. 221 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:53,200 And sure enough, they did. 222 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:56,720 You know, like it was, they worked with me really well. 223 00:12:56,720 --> 00:12:58,920 And so I got accepted. 224 00:12:58,920 --> 00:13:01,920 That's how I got accepted into the nursing program. 225 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:06,000 And then like even going through nursing school, I was like, I don't know what I want to do. 226 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,080 I don't know what area of nursing I want to do. 227 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:10,680 I don't know how I want to do this. 228 00:13:10,680 --> 00:13:13,400 I have zero idea. 229 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:16,840 I just know I'm going to be a nurse, but I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet. 230 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:21,600 And that's so interesting because when you're saying that it sounded like that, what, 2008 231 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:23,320 hit market crashed. 232 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:24,980 We all know the story. 233 00:13:24,980 --> 00:13:30,680 And then you're like, okay, I can't do engineering because it's one of those jobs that aren't, 234 00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:33,720 I guess we'll use the COVID terms like essential, right? 235 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:34,720 Right. 236 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:39,720 And I thought you were going to say that I remember that I wanted to be a pediatric oncologist 237 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:41,480 and that didn't happen for you. 238 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:46,640 Like even now during school, you're not remembering that that was something that little Ashley 239 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:48,080 had kind of declared one day. 240 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:51,760 Like when, when did that you remember that? 241 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:57,480 It was very, it's one of those things like doors just kind of opened. 242 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:04,080 And I ended up in positions that kind of led me back to that without me actually making 243 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:05,080 that determination. 244 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:08,720 I'm like, oh yeah, I really wanted to do this. 245 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:14,200 So at the time when I got out of high school, I was like, well, if I'm going to do nursing, 246 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:18,220 I need to get some background knowledge on medical stuff. 247 00:14:18,220 --> 00:14:24,680 So I started working at a local hospital just to get some like base knowledge because at 248 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:30,360 that point my whole, my whole idea was based around engineering. 249 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:33,040 So I was like, I need to learn this stuff. 250 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:34,840 So I was working at a local hospital. 251 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:35,840 I was miserable. 252 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:37,680 I was working night shift. 253 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:43,520 It was with just med surge, which is a hot fudge of everything you can imagine. 254 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:44,520 And it was adults. 255 00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:46,620 And I hated it. 256 00:14:46,620 --> 00:14:48,360 It was absolutely awful. 257 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:51,100 I learned so much, but I hated it. 258 00:14:51,100 --> 00:14:55,280 And so I was doing that like even when I started nursing school, I was like, I'm going to push 259 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:56,280 through this. 260 00:14:56,280 --> 00:14:57,280 I've got to do this. 261 00:14:57,280 --> 00:14:59,480 I know this is not what I want to do. 262 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:01,720 So I got to figure out something else that I want to do. 263 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:06,400 And so I was working about an hour away from where I was living, going to school and I 264 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:11,480 was driving back once a week on my off day from school to work. 265 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:17,200 And so at the time I was spending more in gas driving back than what I was making in 266 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:19,520 that one day that I was actually working there. 267 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:22,560 So I kept applying to Huntsville hospital. 268 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:23,560 I was trying to get in. 269 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:25,040 That was where I was going to school at. 270 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:29,000 And I was like, I need to try to get a job closer. 271 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:31,520 So I kept applying and kept applying. 272 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:39,240 I finally got a call back one day and they wanted to interview me for the pediatric floor. 273 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:41,560 And I was like, okay. 274 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:44,760 So I actually had set up two interviews for that day. 275 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:46,240 One was for the med search for that. 276 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:51,160 I was actually doing clinicals on at the time and the nurse manager had basically said like, 277 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:52,600 we are desperate for help. 278 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:55,000 If you want to do this, you have the job. 279 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:56,480 I set up two interviews that day. 280 00:15:56,480 --> 00:16:00,680 I went to the pediatric interview and then I turned around and went straight to the med 281 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:01,680 search interview. 282 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:05,520 I left the med search interview and she was like, okay, you'll be getting a call from 283 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:07,520 HR. 284 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:08,520 We'll set up a time. 285 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:11,360 Like we'll discuss orientation and all that kind of stuff. 286 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:15,560 It was basically like, you have this job because we have nobody. 287 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:16,560 We're desperate for help. 288 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:19,560 And I was thinking, man, I really don't want to do this. 289 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:24,600 Like this is, I know what I'm getting into and it's the same job that I've been doing. 290 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:26,440 I was like, it's just closer. 291 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:29,200 I just really, I don't want to do this. 292 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:34,000 But as I was pulling out of the parking garage that day, I got a call from HR and I was like, 293 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:35,360 shoot, what am I going to do? 294 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:37,480 Am I going to tell them like, yes, I'll take it? 295 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:39,480 Like what am I going to do? 296 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:42,600 And then I have a little girl on the phone and she was like, oh, I was just calling to 297 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:45,840 offer you a job and she's like, well, this is odd. 298 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:48,760 I'm calling to offer you two jobs. 299 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:53,680 And she said, you're actually, you have an offer from the pediatric floor and you have 300 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:55,440 an offer from the Med Search floor. 301 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:57,680 So like, which one would you rather do? 302 00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:00,080 And I literally told her, I said, you know what? 303 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:03,160 I have never done pediatrics before, so let's try that one. 304 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:05,720 Because I know I don't want to do Med Search. 305 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:08,560 So I said, I've never done pediatrics. 306 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:09,560 Let's do pediatrics. 307 00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:10,560 Let's try that. 308 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:13,560 So that's how I ended up back in the pediatric world. 309 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:18,960 And I literally, I remember thinking like once I started that job within the first week, 310 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:21,440 I was like, this is the best thing ever. 311 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:23,720 Like kids is what I want to do. 312 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:26,320 I want to do pediatrics. 313 00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:31,560 So at that time, like it was sad, I was like, okay, well, now I know I'm going to do pediatrics. 314 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:34,880 But at that time I was still considering like school nurse. 315 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:36,440 Do I want to work in the hospital? 316 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:38,760 Like how do I want to do pediatrics? 317 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:43,240 And oncology still never crossed my mind. 318 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:49,360 And it's kind of odd because Huntsville Hospital was actually a St. Jude affiliate clinic. 319 00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:55,160 And so they are the place where all of the cancer children that are treated at St. Jude 320 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:58,720 come who live in this area. 321 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:05,680 And so it wasn't until I had my first St. Jude patient on the pediatric floor that I 322 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:07,900 was like, this is it. 323 00:18:07,900 --> 00:18:10,440 Like, this is what I want to do. 324 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:13,080 I had no idea this was even an option. 325 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:16,680 And that was really after I wanted to do intensive stuff. 326 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:19,840 So I had gotten a job in the pediatric ICU. 327 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:21,760 That I was like, this is what I want to do. 328 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:26,640 But really like when I took care of my first St. Jude patient there, that was, they were 329 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:29,200 the least intensive for the most part. 330 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:30,680 And the other nurses didn't like them. 331 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:32,200 I was like, I love these patients. 332 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:35,920 And so they would always give me the St. Jude patients. 333 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:40,920 And so that's how I really got back into, I want to do pediatric oncology. 334 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:42,200 I'm like, oh, we're sitting here. 335 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:44,280 I'm like, so it's like, you got lined up with the pediatrics. 336 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:45,680 You got lined up with the oncology. 337 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:46,680 Did you make that? 338 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:50,520 I don't know why I'm so dead set on like, did you make that connection that it was like, 339 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:55,080 this is what I wanted when I was small and now I'm grown and I'm doing it? 340 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:58,800 Yeah, no, it actually, that didn't click. 341 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:03,000 I had started nurse practitioner school because it was like, okay, I know I don't want to 342 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:06,880 work in the hospital for the rest of my life, so I need to do something else. 343 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:10,120 So I'd actually started nurse practitioner school. 344 00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:15,760 And I begged them to let me take a chemo course so that I could administer chemo in the ICU. 345 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:21,000 And at that time they required you to have worked in the ICU for at least two years. 346 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:24,840 And I was right at the edge of like my two years being in there. 347 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:28,600 So I begged them to let me in this course that they were teaching because otherwise 348 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:32,840 it would be a whole nother year before they call it this chemo course. 349 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:34,960 So they let me in. 350 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:39,600 And while I was actually in that course learning to give chemo, still thinking I'm going to 351 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:43,640 be in the pediatric ICU for a while and then do nurse practitioner. 352 00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:50,600 They said, oh, by the way, like we have a PRN position that's open if anybody's interested 353 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:54,760 because one of our nurses has moved. 354 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:58,880 And like at that time I was like, I could do that. 355 00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:02,760 That would be great because this would work really well with meeting the nurse practitioner 356 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:03,760 school. 357 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:07,520 I'll have a PRN job instead of a full time job. 358 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:08,840 And it's office hours. 359 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:12,960 It's Monday through Friday, no weekends, no holidays. 360 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:13,960 It was wonderful. 361 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:15,520 So I was like, I can do that. 362 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:20,480 And then like when I got to St. Jude is when I actually like slowed down to think. 363 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:23,560 Like this is where I was always supposed to be. 364 00:20:23,560 --> 00:20:29,840 This is what I said I wanted to do when I was a child. 365 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:36,400 Like how on earth, like all of these doors just opened and I went in these, like I took 366 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:42,200 these opportunities that led me back to right where I said I wanted to be when I was 10 367 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:43,200 years old. 368 00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:45,400 And I really had no control over that. 369 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:48,840 Like I didn't, I wasn't seeing that. 370 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:51,200 I wasn't like actively pursuing. 371 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:52,960 Like this is what I wanted to do. 372 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:59,280 It's just all of these doors just so happened to open up at the right time for me to end 373 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:03,400 up right back where I feel like I was supposed to be all along. 374 00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:04,400 Yeah. 375 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:08,480 And it sounds like internally, I mean, when you were in that initial, what is it? 376 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:13,560 Medical meds surge you said, you could, it sounded like you could physically feel like 377 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:15,560 this isn't where I'm supposed to be. 378 00:21:15,560 --> 00:21:16,560 Oh, exactly. 379 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:19,560 It was miserable. 380 00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:22,880 Hey guys. 381 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:26,440 Danger of recordings past jumping in real quick to talk to all of you coffee and tea 382 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:27,440 lovers. 383 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:29,480 Are you ready to brew up something amazing? 384 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:32,160 If so, I've got just the thing for you. 385 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:34,120 Cold blooded caffeine company. 386 00:21:34,120 --> 00:21:35,920 This isn't just any coffee. 387 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:40,560 It's your ticket to a great boost of energy that helps save the rainforest. 388 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:45,560 Trey and McKendrick, the founders, were able to find the perfect intersection between wildlife 389 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:49,520 conservation and high quality coffee. 390 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:54,240 With each sip, you're supporting wildlife conservation efforts in coffee producing countries 391 00:21:54,240 --> 00:22:01,200 since 5% of every bag sold goes directly to protecting our planet's precious ecosystems. 392 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:04,800 I've been hooked for a couple of years now ever since I picked up my first few bags at 393 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:09,820 the Sacramento Reptile Show, which is exactly why when I had the opportunity to partner 394 00:22:09,820 --> 00:22:13,720 with them for my walk across the country, I jumped at it. 395 00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:18,920 My personal favorite has been the US ARC bourbon barrel aged blend followed closely by their 396 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:20,920 classic rainforest blend. 397 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:25,520 They also have multiple flavors of tea, so there's something for everyone. 398 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:28,920 So drink up, make a difference and savor every moment. 399 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:34,680 Go ahead and check the link in the show notes for the referral link for some coffee. 400 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:40,040 And don't forget to use the code ranger at checkout to get 10% off. 401 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:43,240 Cold blooded caffeine company coffee with the cause. 402 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:49,960 Hit the link in the show notes and grab some purpose driven coffee today. 403 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:54,580 What did it feel like transitioning from Med Search to pediatrics? 404 00:22:54,580 --> 00:22:56,880 How did you physically react to that? 405 00:22:56,880 --> 00:23:00,200 I guess I like physically I loved my job. 406 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:04,880 I wanted to go to work like when I was in Med Search, I dreaded going to work every 407 00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:07,200 single night. 408 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:11,720 And then when I started pediatrics, I loved going to work like I enjoyed it. 409 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:14,520 I looked forward to it and was like, what do I get to do today? 410 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:16,080 I get to see all of these kids. 411 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:21,480 And like at that time I was in a tech position because I was still in nursing school. 412 00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:25,680 So I wasn't an RN yet, but I got to like, I got to play with the kids. 413 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:30,040 I got to take care of them, but I also got to play with them and like try to make their 414 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:35,640 hospital stay somewhat enjoyable because nobody likes staying in a hospital, you know? 415 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:41,680 And so that is kind of like what sparked my love for like where I ended up is like I really 416 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:49,160 I love like playing with the kids and trying to make their hospital stay somewhat enjoyable, 417 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:53,040 somewhat better than it was like try to make the best out of this situation. 418 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:55,440 And so like I loved going to work. 419 00:23:55,440 --> 00:24:00,480 It was a complete completely different feeling than when I was at Med Search. 420 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:05,720 Yeah, I don't know why, but when you describe that, what I kind of see like I like the metaphors, 421 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:06,720 right? 422 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:08,600 It sounds like, okay, you're in this dark space. 423 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:10,940 Like let's put a few stars out. 424 00:24:10,940 --> 00:24:12,460 Let's brighten up that night sky. 425 00:24:12,460 --> 00:24:18,120 Let's make this time as enjoyable as possible with the circumstances that we're facing at 426 00:24:18,120 --> 00:24:19,120 the moment. 427 00:24:19,120 --> 00:24:20,120 Yeah, exactly. 428 00:24:20,120 --> 00:24:21,120 Yeah. 429 00:24:21,120 --> 00:24:22,120 Okay. 430 00:24:22,120 --> 00:24:27,620 And then and again, I mean, I know just a little bit of your story from this, like falling 431 00:24:27,620 --> 00:24:34,880 into where you're at now with Chad Tuff, DIPG, like how did that because it sounds like it's 432 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:40,440 this is the position for you again on steroids. 433 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:44,280 Like yeah, it just keeps it just kind of keeps getting better on accident. 434 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:47,480 So like how did you get involved with what is Chad Tuff? 435 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,720 Like can you kind of explain that transition to? 436 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:56,720 Yeah, so I actually I worked at St. Jude, the affiliate clinic there in Huntsville for 437 00:24:56,720 --> 00:25:05,280 six years and it wasn't until toward the end of my six years there that we had started 438 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:07,720 that was COVID had yet. 439 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:10,400 We had gotten extremely busy. 440 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:15,520 We were completely overrun and understaffed and the restrictions on the hospital made 441 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:18,600 it that much harder for us. 442 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:24,920 And then like they were changing what they wanted us to do as far as nurse practitioners. 443 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:30,840 And what they were like wanting out of us, I felt like was putting my license on the 444 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:31,840 line. 445 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:37,680 So I wasn't comfortable treating the patients the way that they wanted us to treat them 446 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:40,200 within Huntsville Hospital. 447 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:44,120 And they were really looking at it from a money standpoint. 448 00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:51,000 And I was looking at it like I'm here to try to help treat these people and try to help 449 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:56,480 these families and kids get through this horrible diagnosis. 450 00:25:56,480 --> 00:25:59,400 And so I wasn't enjoying my job anymore. 451 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:04,520 I didn't get to talk with the families and learn how I could help them. 452 00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:11,320 I didn't get to play with the kids and try to make their visit enjoyable to make it better 453 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:15,640 so that they didn't realize just how sick they were. 454 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:20,040 All of that had been taken away and they really wanted me to pump in patients as quick as 455 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:25,600 I can, get in there, get out, no extra talking, nothing. 456 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:28,160 And so I was like, this is not what I went into this for. 457 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:30,960 This is not why I went into pediatric oncology. 458 00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:37,120 So actually I started looking for a job and I knew I was like, I'm not going to leave 459 00:26:37,120 --> 00:26:38,640 for just anything. 460 00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:44,920 So I got on there, I was looking, I had been looking like on Indeed and all of the job 461 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:46,920 sites. 462 00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:49,760 And one day, like I had been looking for months. 463 00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:51,760 I was like, I want to do pediatric oncology. 464 00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:54,040 I want to find something in pediatric oncology. 465 00:26:54,040 --> 00:27:03,640 So I stuck to that and one day, literally probably six months after I had started looking, 466 00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:11,240 this job opening, it popped up and it was for this foundation out of Michigan. 467 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:15,120 And I knew like from the job posting, it said DIPG. 468 00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:22,120 So I knew just from my prior oncology experience, DIPG patients, it's terminal. 469 00:27:22,120 --> 00:27:24,400 It's 100% fatal. 470 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:26,880 No one survives this. 471 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:32,720 And so I really like, I took a step back and I was like, this is pediatric oncology and 472 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:33,720 it's working for homes. 473 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:36,560 I was like, that sounds like a really good perk. 474 00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:41,120 But I thought like, am I okay with all of my patients dying? 475 00:27:41,120 --> 00:27:46,300 Like I know going into this, every single one of my patients will die. 476 00:27:46,300 --> 00:27:47,720 And am I okay with that? 477 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:50,720 Like do I think I can handle that? 478 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:53,320 So actually I didn't apply immediately. 479 00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:58,760 I kept looking and several days later, I actually, it popped back up and I went back to it. 480 00:27:58,760 --> 00:28:04,280 Like after self-evaluation, I was like, you know, this is what I went into pediatric oncology 481 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:05,280 for. 482 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:13,200 Like I went in and my passion is to help make the lives of people who are going through 483 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:17,980 the absolute worst thing in their life a little bit better. 484 00:28:17,980 --> 00:28:21,080 And this would be the perfect opportunity for that. 485 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:22,500 For one, I get to work from home. 486 00:28:22,500 --> 00:28:24,960 So that is a perk. 487 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:34,480 But in reality, like my whole job now is just to try to make these people's lives better 488 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:37,640 when they are going through the worst time of their life. 489 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:40,260 They are in the worst circumstances. 490 00:28:40,260 --> 00:28:42,440 And so that's why I actually, I was like, no, what? 491 00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:43,940 Like let's apply for it. 492 00:28:43,940 --> 00:28:44,940 So I applied for it. 493 00:28:44,940 --> 00:28:47,160 And sure enough, like they called me back. 494 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:50,760 There were several times, like when I talked to them back and forth, I was like, I don't 495 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:52,080 know if this is going to work. 496 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:55,840 Like to begin with, like the program had actually not started at the time. 497 00:28:55,840 --> 00:28:59,160 They were actually looking to start this program. 498 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:00,840 It had actually not started at the time. 499 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:01,840 So it was very kind of iffy. 500 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:04,440 I was like, I don't know if this is a stable job. 501 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:07,160 Do I want to do this? 502 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:10,360 At the time they didn't offer insurance and anything like that. 503 00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:12,880 I was like, well, I can't go without insurance. 504 00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:16,360 So if you're not going to offer insurance, like I can't do this. 505 00:29:16,360 --> 00:29:18,000 So there were several questionable times. 506 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:22,120 I was like, I don't know if this is going to pan out. 507 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:28,520 But then I ended up that like everything worked out, everything aligned. 508 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:30,600 And I was like, yeah, let's do this. 509 00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:31,600 Let's take this job. 510 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:35,740 And so that's really how I ended up with this program. 511 00:29:35,740 --> 00:29:45,160 So the Chad Tough Defeat DIPG program is actually two foundations of families whose sons went 512 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:49,080 through DIPG at roughly the same time. 513 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:54,080 One is from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the other is from Bethesda, Maryland. 514 00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:56,520 They're just outside of D.C. 515 00:29:56,520 --> 00:30:01,800 So they were two families who were going through DIPG at the same time with their sons who 516 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:03,600 were roughly the same age. 517 00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:05,760 And that's kind of how they got connected. 518 00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:08,240 The DIPG community is very small. 519 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:10,600 DIPG is extremely rare. 520 00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:16,500 There's only roughly 300 children diagnosed each year in the U.S. 521 00:30:16,500 --> 00:30:19,360 So there's not there's not a lot of it. 522 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:20,960 So that community is very small. 523 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:22,720 That's how they got connected. 524 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:29,120 In 2021, they decided they wanted to combine their foundations. 525 00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:35,720 So that is what the Chad Tough Defeat DIPG Foundation, how it came to be. 526 00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:39,080 They also they had family partners. 527 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:44,840 It's called family partners who have also had children who have had had DIPG who have 528 00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:46,920 passed away. 529 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:55,280 These family partners, they all they have foundations of their own and they raise money 530 00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:57,840 for DIPG research. 531 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:05,400 And that was what Chad Tough was really based around was they fund research for DIPG. 532 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:10,800 They got together and they said, you know, like one thing we wish we had when we were 533 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:18,200 going through our journey with DIPG was somebody like from that had a medical background that 534 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:25,720 can explain this stuff to us, because clinical trials are like a foreign language and understanding 535 00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:30,080 all of these medical terms that are being thrown at you when you're not you don't have 536 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:32,180 a medical background. 537 00:31:32,180 --> 00:31:37,160 It's very hard to understand and it's hard to understand like how the clinical trial 538 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:43,240 work and when they accept patients and why they are like no longer accepting patients. 539 00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:45,720 Like they have different periods of time when they can accept them. 540 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:51,560 And there's all of this criteria that you have to be eligible for to actually qualify 541 00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:53,320 for the clinical trial. 542 00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:58,480 And I wish they had someone who could help like explain symptoms, you know, like my 543 00:31:58,480 --> 00:32:00,520 child woke up and they're vomiting. 544 00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:03,720 Like what do I do with this and just different things like that. 545 00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:07,020 They said they wanted someone who had a medical background. 546 00:32:07,020 --> 00:32:16,120 So they developed this idea of a nurse navigator program who really specializes just with pediatric 547 00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:19,160 oncology and DIPG. 548 00:32:19,160 --> 00:32:21,760 And so that is how like they develop this program. 549 00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:32,880 And so I was in on the initial hire of a nurse to help with this navigation process. 550 00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:38,480 And because of my experience at St. Jude and what I had done previously, they said this 551 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:39,480 is perfect. 552 00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:42,000 Like you're perfect for this job. 553 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:44,440 And so that's how I ended up there. 554 00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:45,440 It's so crazy. 555 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:51,100 And then we actually like we started the program when we developed the program, we brainstormed, 556 00:32:51,100 --> 00:32:59,880 we wrote the website, like we went through every single detail of DIPG and tried to explain 557 00:32:59,880 --> 00:33:00,920 it. 558 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:05,920 So we have a massive website that we actually wrote. 559 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:12,600 We developed the standard protocols for what we're going to do like when we hire nurses 560 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:16,240 in the future, like how are we going to train them? 561 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:17,880 What do we think they need to know? 562 00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:25,960 Like just is really like from the ground developed this whole entire program. 563 00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:32,120 And now we have actually May 12th will be two years that our program has actually been 564 00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:38,240 live where we've been accepting patients and working with patients and families. 565 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:44,440 And just this month, we have reached our 300 patients that we are working with. 566 00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:50,920 So in less than two years, we have already reached over 300 families that we have been 567 00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:57,640 working with to help navigate this disease and understand like what is going on with 568 00:33:57,640 --> 00:33:58,640 their child. 569 00:33:58,640 --> 00:33:59,920 So it really is. 570 00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:01,240 It's so crazy. 571 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:05,400 I was going to say I'm looking at the website right now and one, it's fantastic. 572 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:09,720 Two, like you're right on the front page, which is so funny to see that it's like, wow, 573 00:34:09,720 --> 00:34:13,360 like that's the person making it happen, right? 574 00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:21,800 And 300 families, 40 states, 36 countries, like it's just insane the reach that you guys 575 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:22,800 have. 576 00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:26,680 And what I think is so interesting there is it sounds like, again, like you're just kind 577 00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:30,040 of like all these doors are opening and you're just kind of falling into these different 578 00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:37,880 aspects and what Chad Tufts started at, you know, funding research, like kind of more, 579 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:42,400 what is it, like the hands off approach almost like we're still very much in it. 580 00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:46,360 And now it's like, okay, now we have this team of nurse navigators, which now makes 581 00:34:46,360 --> 00:34:51,640 a lot more sense on what that means that are like kind of like the boots on the ground, 582 00:34:51,640 --> 00:34:54,080 like interacting with families, making it happen. 583 00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:56,800 So that's incredible. 584 00:34:56,800 --> 00:35:05,440 And it's really amazing because like in this past year, Chad Tufts was actually the largest 585 00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:09,040 funder of DIPG research in the U.S. 586 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:16,200 So like they have taken this small foundation that they developed and now like Chad Tufts 587 00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:25,380 donated over $6 million that they raised for just strictly for DIPG research last year. 588 00:35:25,380 --> 00:35:26,380 That is incredible. 589 00:35:26,380 --> 00:35:27,380 Geez. 590 00:35:27,380 --> 00:35:28,380 What? 591 00:35:28,380 --> 00:35:33,000 I mean, I don't know if there's like, I don't know how many other DIPG foundations there 592 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:39,760 are, but like what do you think's led to the success of like that level of success with 593 00:35:39,760 --> 00:35:40,760 Chad Tufts? 594 00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:46,800 They actually, so they get out there and they try to make, they try to make everyone aware 595 00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:48,640 because it is so rare. 596 00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:54,520 There's so many people like when I say I work with DIPG, they're like, okay, what is that? 597 00:35:54,520 --> 00:35:59,160 You know, like I have zero idea of what DIPG is. 598 00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:04,560 And so they just, they do a lot of work getting out and telling their stories. 599 00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:09,840 And it's really like the founders and the families that are within our program across 600 00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:15,240 the country, they are getting out there and they're saying like, hey, you, I'm sure you 601 00:36:15,240 --> 00:36:18,720 probably never heard of this, but like, let me tell you what this is. 602 00:36:18,720 --> 00:36:26,000 Let me tell you how terrible this disease is and how there has been no research for 603 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:27,000 it. 604 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:32,520 There's no change in the standard of care for the DIPG since the sixties. 605 00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:35,240 Like there's just, there's not funding for it. 606 00:36:35,240 --> 00:36:41,240 The government doesn't recognize it as like something as important to fund. 607 00:36:41,240 --> 00:36:45,080 And it's not like it gets put on the back burner kind of like behind like pediatric 608 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:52,560 leukemia where there's been leaps and bounds of, you know, changes and research and treatment. 609 00:36:52,560 --> 00:36:58,680 And now there is like, you know, leukemia is at a 96% cure rate. 610 00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:03,800 And with DIPG, there's not, there just hasn't been the research behind it to like try to 611 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:06,440 figure out how to treat this. 612 00:37:06,440 --> 00:37:07,440 And so that's what they do. 613 00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:12,840 Like they put a lot of work into just getting out there and making everyone aware that this 614 00:37:12,840 --> 00:37:16,180 is a problem and it can happen to anyone. 615 00:37:16,180 --> 00:37:22,080 So actually one of our founding families, the one that's from Ann Arbor, Michigan, they 616 00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:25,120 are somewhat like Michigan royalty. 617 00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:31,760 So the Cars, Chad Carr is the Chad Tough child. 618 00:37:31,760 --> 00:37:40,480 The Cars, his grandfather was one of the Michigan head coaches for football that led them to 619 00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:44,240 like, I don't know, a national championship maybe. 620 00:37:44,240 --> 00:37:49,800 He was, he was kind of like the Bear Bryant of Alabama, like with Tuscaloosa. 621 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:56,960 Like he is one of the most well-respected coaches within Michigan university for football. 622 00:37:56,960 --> 00:38:03,920 And so like they had a lot of reach just being the Carr family because it was Lloyd Carr's 623 00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:06,920 grandson who was diagnosed. 624 00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:09,640 So they had a lot of pull with that. 625 00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:15,840 And like it's, DIPG doesn't discriminate, you know, like you've got those people who 626 00:38:15,840 --> 00:38:23,560 have great connections and then you also have those who have no connections, who have no 627 00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:24,560 money. 628 00:38:24,560 --> 00:38:30,200 Like we have children who are living out of hotels because they're just in either in terrible 629 00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:34,160 situations, you know, like it just, it doesn't discriminate at all. 630 00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:37,320 So that's kind of like what their push is like, this could happen to you. 631 00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:39,320 It could happen to anyone. 632 00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:41,760 And it's devastating. 633 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:47,080 And it sounds like it's, it's not a very common diagnosis. 634 00:38:47,080 --> 00:38:51,760 So is that kind of what's leading to it not being well known or well funded like compared 635 00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:53,840 to other types of cancers? 636 00:38:53,840 --> 00:38:55,400 Yeah, absolutely. 637 00:38:55,400 --> 00:39:01,920 Because it is so rare that they feel like it's not worth putting a lot of money into 638 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:03,480 because it doesn't happen that often. 639 00:39:03,480 --> 00:39:09,480 Like they would rather put their money into like leukemia, which is very common or like 640 00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:18,520 lymphoma, which is also a very common pediatric oncology diagnosis. 641 00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:21,280 Like you can see, you get more bang for your buck. 642 00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:24,760 Like you can see where your money's going and how your money is making a difference 643 00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:25,760 there. 644 00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:28,240 Whereas with DIPG, it's not like that. 645 00:39:28,240 --> 00:39:30,320 It's so rare. 646 00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:36,720 You just don't, it's extremely hard to treat because it is in the middle of the brainstem 647 00:39:36,720 --> 00:39:40,720 is typically where this tumor is located. 648 00:39:40,720 --> 00:39:49,280 It's very hard to get any medications to that particular place without also like affecting 649 00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:51,600 the other brain tissue like that. 650 00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:53,480 It controls everything in your body. 651 00:39:53,480 --> 00:40:02,120 It's the very, a very sensitive place where it is at and actually getting drugs to it. 652 00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:04,800 It just, it requires a lot of research. 653 00:40:04,800 --> 00:40:11,400 And so like now there are researchers across the country online that we have helped fund 654 00:40:11,400 --> 00:40:14,360 where they're looking at like, okay, how can we treat this? 655 00:40:14,360 --> 00:40:15,360 How do we do this? 656 00:40:15,360 --> 00:40:18,040 How can we get medication in there? 657 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:19,960 Like we get this medication in there. 658 00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:20,960 Does that work? 659 00:40:20,960 --> 00:40:26,240 Is that helping to treat this tumor and things like that. 660 00:40:26,240 --> 00:40:35,280 So like in the past, I would say five to 10 years, the DIPG landscape has changed tremendously. 661 00:40:35,280 --> 00:40:41,480 There have been leaps and bounds of clinical trials opening up for patients. 662 00:40:41,480 --> 00:40:48,600 And we actually have a handful of kids who are one and two years out. 663 00:40:48,600 --> 00:40:53,800 We actually have a couple who are five years out from diagnosis, which is just completely 664 00:40:53,800 --> 00:41:00,440 unheard of because the average prognosis time for this disease is nine to 11 months. 665 00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:06,320 So usually like from the time you're diagnosed, you typically have about nine to 11 months 666 00:41:06,320 --> 00:41:12,000 to live and then you're gone. 667 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:17,320 And I guess to kind of like kind of wrap up that conversation with like you mentioned 668 00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,120 earlier that, I mean, that's tough. 669 00:41:20,120 --> 00:41:24,160 That sounds like something that of course for the families, for all those involved, 670 00:41:24,160 --> 00:41:29,760 but for like you and your fellow like nurse navigators to kind of, I guess, see that and 671 00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:35,080 experience that almost daily, monthly week, whatever. 672 00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:42,640 What do you guys do to kind of handle all of that heaviness, I guess, if that makes 673 00:41:42,640 --> 00:41:43,640 sense? 674 00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:44,640 It is. 675 00:41:44,640 --> 00:41:45,640 It's very, very hard. 676 00:41:45,640 --> 00:41:49,600 And that is one of the reasons why I didn't apply for the job initially, because I was 677 00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:51,280 like, can I handle this? 678 00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:54,680 Am I OK with every single one of my patients passing away? 679 00:41:54,680 --> 00:42:01,480 And I think like how we handle it is like we go into it knowing what the outcome is 680 00:42:01,480 --> 00:42:03,280 going to be. 681 00:42:03,280 --> 00:42:09,520 We hope for those like, yes, we hope your child makes it one and two years and five 682 00:42:09,520 --> 00:42:12,920 years and we hope we see more of that. 683 00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:20,440 But in reality, like we are very aware of this is what's going to happen, like this 684 00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:22,200 is what the outcome is going to be. 685 00:42:22,200 --> 00:42:27,880 This child is going to pass away and typically pretty quickly. 686 00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:32,960 So it's one of those things like when you go in with that mindset, knowing that this 687 00:42:32,960 --> 00:42:39,400 is what's going to happen, it allows you to like handle those emotions and that attachment 688 00:42:39,400 --> 00:42:41,300 in a different way. 689 00:42:41,300 --> 00:42:45,960 You still get attached to your patients and you still get attached to your family and 690 00:42:45,960 --> 00:42:51,040 you feel that deeply when one of them passes away. 691 00:42:51,040 --> 00:42:59,320 But I think like for me, just from my perspective, like just knowing prior to going into it, 692 00:42:59,320 --> 00:43:04,600 what this outcome is going to be, it makes it easier for me to cope with that, like to 693 00:43:04,600 --> 00:43:07,720 cope with losing every single patient. 694 00:43:07,720 --> 00:43:12,600 And it sounds like there's a couple aspects of that, like being very aware of the situation 695 00:43:12,600 --> 00:43:16,600 that they're in, knowing what that ultimate outcome is. 696 00:43:16,600 --> 00:43:19,840 And it sounds like just being very connected to that purpose and that mission that you 697 00:43:19,840 --> 00:43:25,580 have for yourself of kind of like being a light, shining it as brightly as possible 698 00:43:25,580 --> 00:43:32,120 so that they can, I don't know, again, like really just focus on what's most important 699 00:43:32,120 --> 00:43:37,080 at that time, which is trying to get better, trying to focus on their family, et cetera, 700 00:43:37,080 --> 00:43:40,040 and being that beacon for them essentially. 701 00:43:40,040 --> 00:43:41,040 Yeah. 702 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:45,440 And that is ultimately like why I ended up going back and applying for the job is because 703 00:43:45,440 --> 00:43:48,480 like this is my passion. 704 00:43:48,480 --> 00:43:49,720 This is what I want to do. 705 00:43:49,720 --> 00:43:59,160 And so like having that passion for this and knowing, you know, being aware of like what 706 00:43:59,160 --> 00:44:02,680 the outcome is going to be, it makes it worth it. 707 00:44:02,680 --> 00:44:06,200 Like, it's not saying that there's not hard days. 708 00:44:06,200 --> 00:44:10,760 There are hard days, but it makes it worth it in the grand scheme of things. 709 00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:16,760 Like if I can ease their burden in some way, then I have done my job. 710 00:44:16,760 --> 00:44:23,320 You know, when I have gotten that satisfaction, my self satisfaction of being able to help 711 00:44:23,320 --> 00:44:28,800 them while also like easing some of their pain and burden. 712 00:44:28,800 --> 00:44:29,800 For sure. 713 00:44:29,800 --> 00:44:32,840 Well, Ashley, I mean, that definitely shines through. 714 00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:38,600 I mean, gosh, it sounds like the universe, God, whatever, like you was placed here perfectly 715 00:44:38,600 --> 00:44:43,160 and just opened up all those doors so that you can kind of share that magic and light 716 00:44:43,160 --> 00:44:44,160 with other people. 717 00:44:44,160 --> 00:44:47,720 So I definitely want to acknowledge you for that, because I think that's incredible that 718 00:44:47,720 --> 00:44:52,300 just the openness that you've had to all those opportunities and like positioning yourself 719 00:44:52,300 --> 00:44:55,920 in a way that when the doors open, you could just kind of walk right through. 720 00:44:55,920 --> 00:44:56,920 Yeah. 721 00:44:56,920 --> 00:44:57,920 It is so crazy. 722 00:44:57,920 --> 00:45:01,200 It was really almost like it was completely out of my control. 723 00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:02,200 Yeah. 724 00:45:02,200 --> 00:45:06,200 Because I mean, honestly, like I would not. 725 00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:12,280 I don't feel like if I had really stuck to my guns and went the engineering route, that 726 00:45:12,280 --> 00:45:17,840 I would have this satisfaction that I have in life. 727 00:45:17,840 --> 00:45:22,560 You know, like I don't feel like I would be able to make the difference that I'm making 728 00:45:22,560 --> 00:45:26,960 now if I had really actually stuck with engineering. 729 00:45:26,960 --> 00:45:29,240 And that's what I wanted to do. 730 00:45:29,240 --> 00:45:36,640 I really had to be open to all the opportunities that just fell in my lap, essentially. 731 00:45:36,640 --> 00:45:38,280 Yeah, that's amazing. 732 00:45:38,280 --> 00:45:43,520 But no, Ashley, thank you so much for sharing the story and helping bring more awareness 733 00:45:43,520 --> 00:45:50,320 to DIPG and what Chad Tuff does with the foundation and the work you guys are doing. 734 00:45:50,320 --> 00:45:56,000 If folks wanted to learn more about Chad Tuff, they want to donate, want to help out or volunteer, 735 00:45:56,000 --> 00:46:00,080 where can they find you guys on the Internet? 736 00:46:00,080 --> 00:46:02,880 So we actually have two websites. 737 00:46:02,880 --> 00:46:08,080 The foundation is ChadTuff.org. 738 00:46:08,080 --> 00:46:14,360 That tells really about the foundation and more about the research funding side of our 739 00:46:14,360 --> 00:46:15,360 program. 740 00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:21,040 The program that we developed is called My DIPG Navigator. 741 00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:25,680 And that is the portion where we are actually helping the families. 742 00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:29,160 That is MyDIPGNavigator.org. 743 00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:36,040 So you can learn about both Chad Tuff and the My DIPG Navigator program within both 744 00:46:36,040 --> 00:46:37,040 of those. 745 00:46:37,040 --> 00:46:44,280 I would say more of like if anyone is interested in donating, that would be more along the 746 00:46:44,280 --> 00:46:47,240 Chad Tuff side of things. 747 00:46:47,240 --> 00:46:52,160 And then you can kind of delineate where you want the money to go to. 748 00:46:52,160 --> 00:46:56,800 Like if you want it to go more toward research for DIPG or if you would rather it go more 749 00:46:56,800 --> 00:46:59,320 toward funding for our program. 750 00:46:59,320 --> 00:47:04,240 I guess one thing to mention too that is like significant about our program is it's free 751 00:47:04,240 --> 00:47:06,240 of charge for families. 752 00:47:06,240 --> 00:47:13,160 So the families that are going through this, they do not pay for our service at all. 753 00:47:13,160 --> 00:47:20,520 We are funded as nurses strictly through the donations of the families who have gone through 754 00:47:20,520 --> 00:47:24,440 this in the past who said we wish we had this. 755 00:47:24,440 --> 00:47:32,440 So our program, the DIPG Navigator runs strictly off of donations. 756 00:47:32,440 --> 00:47:39,600 So it would be greatly appreciated for donations with that. 757 00:47:39,600 --> 00:47:43,800 And it's just to give this service to families so that they don't have to pay for it. 758 00:47:43,800 --> 00:47:44,800 That's amazing. 759 00:47:44,800 --> 00:47:48,040 That's again, that's so great to know that there are people. 760 00:47:48,040 --> 00:47:51,920 And I think that's the whole thing with the walk, right? 761 00:47:51,920 --> 00:47:53,920 That there's problems in the world. 762 00:47:53,920 --> 00:47:57,680 There's things that are out of our control and our control, whatever. 763 00:47:57,680 --> 00:48:03,040 But despite all the terrible things, like there's people out there that are a light, 764 00:48:03,040 --> 00:48:08,000 that are a beacon, that are saying, hey, this thing is terrible. 765 00:48:08,000 --> 00:48:09,880 But what can we do to make it better? 766 00:48:09,880 --> 00:48:15,480 And I think that Chad Tuff and DIPG Navigator are one of those things. 767 00:48:15,480 --> 00:48:18,320 So thank you for doing what you do. 768 00:48:18,320 --> 00:48:24,040 I'll put all the info in the show notes for DIPG Navigator, Chad Tuff, and also the social 769 00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:29,200 media links, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, it looks like, YouTube maybe too. 770 00:48:29,200 --> 00:48:33,800 But yeah, Ashley, thank you so much for hanging out with us today. 771 00:48:33,800 --> 00:48:35,480 Thank you so much for having me. 772 00:48:35,480 --> 00:48:38,360 Of course. 773 00:48:38,360 --> 00:48:42,000 I had such a great time interacting with Ashley and having her on the podcast. 774 00:48:42,000 --> 00:48:46,760 I really think that the folks over at the Chad Tuff Foundation are doing some amazing 775 00:48:46,760 --> 00:48:47,760 work. 776 00:48:47,760 --> 00:48:53,640 What I really take away from my conversation with Ashley is something that we've kind of 777 00:48:53,640 --> 00:49:00,980 talked about before with how important it is to be open to opportunity and possibility. 778 00:49:00,980 --> 00:49:05,600 Like she said, things just kind of kept falling in her lap, but that's only because she was 779 00:49:05,600 --> 00:49:09,120 putting in the work day in and day out. 780 00:49:09,120 --> 00:49:15,520 It didn't just happen necessarily, but the doors opened and she was able to walk right 781 00:49:15,520 --> 00:49:22,400 through, which again, just putting herself in opportunities way so that when it comes 782 00:49:22,400 --> 00:49:25,480 up, she's able to take advantage of it. 783 00:49:25,480 --> 00:49:28,840 Again, if you'd like to learn more about the Chad Tuff Foundation and the amazing work 784 00:49:28,840 --> 00:49:32,760 they're doing over there, everything's down in the show notes, their Instagram, Facebook, 785 00:49:32,760 --> 00:49:37,320 website, everything that you would need to learn more, donate and follow along on their 786 00:49:37,320 --> 00:49:44,200 journey to help folks focus on what is most important in a time of need. 787 00:49:44,200 --> 00:49:51,320 As always, we'll see you guys next week and remember to have fun, stay safe and be yourself. 788 00:49:51,320 --> 00:49:52,320 See you guys then. 789 00:49:52,320 --> 00:50:07,480 Bye now.