About the host

Hi, I am Serena Hu, your host for the Talk About Cancer podcast.

When my dad was dealing with late-stage kidney cancer back in 2017, I tried my best to support him in every way, but I didn’t know how to support him in facing his own mortality. I never raised the topic because frankly, I didn’t know how to talk to him about it, as I’ve never seen anyone in my family model that behavior before.  Also, I was afraid that by bringing up the topic, I would inflict more emotional pain on him when it was clear that he was not ready to leave this life behind.

Three and a half years after his death, I created this podcast to capture and share the emotional experiences of cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and family members. I decided to take this 360-degree lens because so much of our cancer journeys are about the relationships in our lives. While everyone is given a treatment plan, no one gives us a plan for navigating the emotional rollercoasters and tough conversations. By including the perspectives of all, my hope is that we can all better understand the experience of those closest to us and gain the wisdom, courage, and humility to have the conversations we are afraid of having with one another.

It’s been such a privilege to listen to and record the deeply personal and honest reflections from my guests. Each one of their stories is so unique yet the underlying truths are the same. These conversations have brought me so much healing and joy during the quietness of the quarantine and I hope they will do the same for others at different parts of their cancer experience.

If you'd like to get in touch, you can email me at info@talkaboutcancerpodcast.com or find me on Instagram @talkaboutcancerpodcast.

Be well.