DESCRIPTION
On this segment of the @CancerInterviews podcast, Tim Sohn will tell us how unusual bruises on his leg led to his being hospitalized, then diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer. He was able to reach survivorship after a regimen that included two forms of oral chemotherapy.
Originally from New York City, Tim makes his home with his family in the woods in Shahola, in northeastern Pennsylvania, about an hour outside Scranton. He does social media marketing work, and for fun, he loves to explore nature outside and near his home.
Tim Sohn seemed to be in good health when in 2006, he noticed some bruises on one of his legs. He went to his primary care physician, who ran some blood tests. When the doctor got the test results, he contacted Tim, instructing him to go to the hospital “right now.” He was in the hospital for four days, after which he was told he had chronic myeloid leukemia, and was put on a regimen that included gleevac, an oral chemotherapy medication. He used gleevac for part of his journey, then switched to sprycel because at some point, the gleevac loses its effectiveness.
Tim was shocked to get this news but was extremely grateful for the support of friends and family, a network that included his mother, who worked at the hospital where Tim was treated. He says the toughest part of his journey was not the side effects from chemotherapy, but the mental part of knowing he has cancer, and learning the chronic myeloid leukemia came back a second time.
He is also grateful for the performance of gleevac and sprycel, two forms of oral chemotherapy medication, but is also happy to note there have been advances in oral chemotherapy medication options since 2006.
Tim Sohn eventually got the upper hand on chronic myeloid leukemia, said it was extremely exciting to get this good news, and added it is wonderful to have the opportunity to share this story on Cancer Interviews.
At this point, Tim felt he wanted to change the course of his life and do things that made a positive impact on the cancer community.
He has gone on to write a book and has an in-person event in which survivors and supporters appear to talk about their stories.
Tim Sohn’s book is “Perspectives On Cancer,” and Tim says the goal of the book is to let people know that if diagnosed, they are not alone, and the book gives them a chance to share their stories in print. He really enjoyed writing a book for the first time and collaborating with numerous individuals who had an inspiring story to tell.
He also has a podcast, a weekly live stream show, “Showing Up Perspective On Cancer.” While the shows are live, if one misses an episode, they can catch it on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or X. Tim loves the spontaneity of live streaming and says it is not unusual for a show to include laughter, smiles, tears and all the emotions that accompany the cancer journey.
By way of advice for others, Tim says to be sure and accept support from others. It could be from family or friends. It may need to be from a therapist. But one thing you don’t want to do with your cancer journey is to internalize it.
Additional Resources:
Website: https://www.perspectivesoncancer.com
Book: “Perspectives On Cancer” by Tim Sohn
Podcast: “Showing Up Perspectives On Cancer”
TRANSCRIPT
Bruce Morton: Our guest on this episode of the Cancer Interviews podcast has gone through a rollercoaster. He was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, survived and then was diagnosed again. This is the story of Tim Sohn, of Shohola, Pennsylvania, one that includes his expending plenty of time and energy to help with their cancer journeys, and now we are going to hear that story. So, Tim, welcome to Cancer Interviews.
Tim Sohn: Thank you so much for having me, Bruce. I am honored to be here.
BM: Tim, before we get to your cancer journey, it is our custom to learn a little about guest’s life exclusive of cancer. So, if you would, kindly tell us a bit about where you are from, what you do for a living and what you do for fun.
TS: Yeah. So, I am in Pennsylvania right now, northeast Pennsylvania, about an hour from Scranton, Pennsylvania, live in the woods with the bears and the turkeys. I am originally from New York City. In terms of fun, I love to walk in nature, I love to take photos and videos of nature. I am with my family. In terms of work, I do social media marketing work I help businesses and nonprofits that want to make a positive impact in the world and live streaming as well.
BM: As for your cancer, for all of us who have survived cancer, there is that time when things go from normal to abnormal. We seek medical attention, and it ultimately results with our diagnosed. For you, how did that chain of events materialize?
TS: In 2006, I had some bruises on one of my legs, bruises like that I had never had before. So, I went to my primary care physician, they did some bloodwork, and not that long afterwards, I got a call saying I needed to go to the hospital “right now.” I was in the hospital for only four days, after which I was told I had chronic myeloid leukemia, and I was put on a treatment of using gleevec, which is oral chemotherapy medication. I used that for part of my journey, and then at some point I switched to sprycel because at some point, the effectiveness of the gleevec wears off over time.
BM: It is not a question as to whether this is horrific news. Of course, it is. But each person is different, and each person handles this news in a different way. In your case, what went through your heart and mind?
TS: I was in shock. So many people in my extended family had had cancer. Some are survivors, some are going through it right now, but my initial reaction was just shock, but I am very grateful to have a family that was very supportive and continues to be supportive throughout my journey. My mom even worked in the hospital where I was diagnosed. I was grateful for the support from my family and the great oncologist that I continue to see to this day.
BM: We’re confident you’ll be able to learn some tips and tools to help you through your personal cancer journey, but first we’d like to invite you to give us a ‘like,’ leave a comment or review below and share this story with your friends. Kindly click on the Subscribe button below and click on the bell icon, so you’ll be notified when we release our next interview. And if you or a loved one are facing a cancer diagnosis, please click on the link in the Description and Show Notes below to check out our free guide, “The Top Ten Things I Wish I Knew Before I Got Cancer.”
Tim, to talk to you about when you first got cancer, different types provide patients with multiple treatment options or no options at all. In your case, did you have options?
TS: I did have options. There was gleevec, and I was given the option of a clinical trial. I opted against it because nobody had ever taken it before. Gleevec seemed to be working well. It was still very early on as to when gleevec came out, but I am grateful that I went with that, and now it’s sprycel. They have worked. My journey has gone up and down and sideways, but now there are many treatment options for chronic myeloid leukemia in terms of oral chemo medications, so it is great to see the advances over the years.
BM: Chemotherapy, regardless of the form in which it is administered, is not pleasant. For you, what was the toughest part of your experience with chemo?
TS: I would say the mental part, for me, because I have been very blessed in my journey as I really haven’t physical effects from cancer or side effects from the oral chemotherapy medication. So, really, the mental aspect and then when my cancer came back. At that point it was very hard because I wasn’t expecting the diagnosis, so the mental part has been the biggest challenge for me.
BM: Referring to the first diagnosis, when did you notice things taking a turn for the better?
TS: All along, I terms of physically, I felt fine. This was kind of a surreal experience for me, having the cancer, but I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel, so I didn’t feel any physical effect. It’s hard to describe that experience.
BM: But when your doctors were saying that you were getting better, how exciting was that?
TS: It was really exciting. I was so excited. I was contacting my family and friends and then after that initial moment, I asked myself what all this means. I asked myself if I wanted to do something different in my life. I found myself wanting to re-evaluate all different kinds of things and make more impact on the cancer community. I had already started my show of “Showing Up Perspectives On Cancer,” when I found out my cancer went away not much longer after I created the show. So, I wondered how else could I make a bigger impact on the cancer community? That eventually has been through publishing a book and two in-person events where we have survivors and supporters talk about their stories. We all show up, let everybody know that you are not alone and encourage them to share their stories.
BM: And we are going to hear more about your show in just a bit, but to bring up an unpleasant part of your journey, just when you thought you had survived leukemia, you encountered a bump in the road.
TS: I had found out my cancer had gone away completely, so I was in that space in which I had no cancer, and then I went to the oncologist one day after he had done a genetic test to gauge the number of leukemia cells in my body. He asked me if he had told me about the test results, results from three months before this appointment. I said no and asked what test he was referring to. That’s when he said my cancer had come back in a very small amount, but it has come back. So, that was just totally unexpected, and I was not excited about this news. I was wondering what do I do now, and I think part of the conversation that needs to be had was deciding what I needed to do for myself to maintain your sanity because you don’t know from one month to another depending on your specific cancer, you don’t know where you are going to be in the journey and what does that mean for you?
BM: I would think that mentally and emotionally, this second diagnosis had to leave you at a crossroads. Either you could feel defeated after going through so much to attain survivorship, now you have to face this challenge all over again, or you could tell yourself you had survived once before and you could do it again. How did you handle this crossroads?
TS: For me it was, it was very difficult. I found that the closest people that I knew, some of them did not understand the impact of cancer coming back would have on me. Mentally it was really hard to grapple with the idea that cancer had come back.
BM: You mentioned that physically you haven’t been affected so much by your diagnosis, but emotionally these days, is it still a rollercoaster for you, or do you feel like you are driving down a smooth, well-paved road?
TS: I do some things to help myself. I see a therapist. I love taking walks in nature, like I was saying earlier and taking nature photography, but it is still a challenge. I did learn my cancer has come down even more, so that is a good sign.
BM: Now let’s get to a good part of this story, as you are doing a lot to try to help others, in both a literary sense and a podcasting sense. You had mentioned that you had written a book, it’s been published, not an easy thing to do. Tell us more about the book.
TS: The book is called “Perspectives On Cancer,” and the goal of the book is to let people know that they are not alone and to share their stories. It includes my cancer story as well as the stories of ten other survivors and supporters. If anybody wants to find it, they can go to www.perspectivesoncancer.com to find the link for that. It has been an incredible experience, writing a book for the first time and collaborating with a number of people in the book who have never been in a book before, and for several it is the first time that they are sharing their stories in a book. So, it’s been cool to hear about their experiences.
BM: In addition to your having a book, on an ongoing basis, you reach out to others through a podcast. If you would, tell us about your podcast and people can go if they want to tune in.
TS: Absolutely. So, the podcast, the live stream show is called “Showing Up Perspectives On Cancer.” It is an 8:00pm, Eastern Time, and the show is a place for us all to come together and share our stories, and we have a guest every week. We also have an amazing global community that shows up, so you can watch on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or Twitter. If you want to find out more information, you can always go to www.perspectivesoncancer.com.
BM: This interview is being recorded, but your podcasts are live. If you would, extol the virtues of live content.
TS: Live podcasting really gives you the opportunity to interact with your viewers. Cancer is a really personal issue, but people, regardless of their cancer experience, will have questions or they are looking for support from others who have gone through something similar. So, when it comes to livestreaming, it is great for building relationships with other people, whether it comes from viewers or guests. I also like livestreaming for a show around cancer because in the hour of the show, oftentimes we have laughter, we have tears, we have smiles, we have all the emotions associated with cancer.
BM: If somebody wants to watch it, where do they go?
TS: www.perspectivesoncancer.com. There you will find a link for everything we do.
BM: Tim, we are going to wrap now and while we begin all of our interviews in the same way, we close in the same way as well. I want to ask you to imagine you have encountered somebody one-on-one, somebody who just been diagnosed with cancer a second time. There might be a lot of things you would want to share with this individual, but if there is one part of your message you would want to be sure to get across, what would it be?
TS: It would be to accept the support from others. Oftentimes, it’s hard to accept the support, depending on where you are in your journey, but you will find that you will need support, whether it is from family or friends or maybe you need a therapist to help you through your journey.
BM: Our guest is Tim Sohn of Shohola, Pennsylvania, and in terms of his book, in terms of his podcast, one more time, the address for his website, for his book, for his podcast, the place for all of the things Tim has to offer, it’s www.perspectivesoncancer.com. So, that’s going to wrap it up, Tim. Thanks very much for sharing your story in terms of the past and present, and all you can do for others in the future. So, Tim, one more time, thanks for being with us on Cancer Interviews.
TS: Thank you, Bruce. I appreciate it.
BM: And as we conclude, we remind you, that if you or a loved on are on a cancer journey, you are not alone. There are people like Tim, websites like www.perspectivesoncancer.com, that can ease your journey. So, until next time, we’ll see you on down the road.
Additional Resources:
Website: www.perspectivesoncancer.com
Book: “Perspectives On Cancer” by Tim Sohn
Podcast: “Showing Up Perspectives On Cancer”
SHOW NOTES
TITLE: Tim Sohn, Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Survivor – Shohola, Pennsylvania, USA
When Tim Sohn spotted some unusual bruises on one of his legs, he sought medical attention. This led to hospitalization and a subsequent diagnosis of a form of blood cancer, chronic myeloid leukemia. With the aid of two types of oral chemotherapy, Tim survived. His experience inspired him to help others diagnosed with cancer, in the form of a book and a live podcast. This is his story.
Additional Resources:
Website: www.perspectivesoncancer.com
Book: “Perspectives On Cancer” by Tim Sohn
Podcast: “Showing Up Perspectives On Cancer”
Time Stamps:
02:04 Bruises on one of Tim’s legs led to a cancer diagnosis.
03:14 How he handled the news of his diagnosis.
04:56 Treatment options.
06:43 Asked to share what it was like when his treatment took a turn for the better.
09:16 Tim learned he had been diagnosed with leukemia a second time.
11:00 His reaction to a second diagnosis.
17:11 Tim’s message to those diagnosed with cancer a second time.
KEYWORDS (tags):
cancer
gleevec
cancer interviews
chronic myeloma leukemia
sprycel
bruce morton
chemo
tim sohn
blood cancer
oral chemo
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