Life on Pause

At twenty years old, Eliot Dean was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. For weeks, his world shrank to a single hospital floor he couldn't leave — a window with a good view, a lot of sunsets, and the slow, difficult work of getting through treatment.Five years later, in remission, Eliot thought the worst was behind him. Then routine blood work came back suspicious. Same markers. Same diagnosis. A different kind of fear.In this episode of Life on Pause, Eliot shares what no one tells you about facing leukemia twice — and what it means to fight it the second time, when you already know how hard it is. He talks about the stem cell transplant that saved his life, the brother who made it possible, the bell he rang on the other side, and the trip to Costa Rica he'd been putting off for too long.Eliot speaks honestly about the "not knowing" — the statistics, the survival rates, the questions he demanded answers to because he wasn't willing to be a passive patient. He talks about THON, Four Diamonds, and the full-circle moment of realizing the organization his sister fundraised for as a student became his lifeline as a patient. And he shares the philosophy he's carried out of the other side: don't wait. Don't be scared.His story isn't about one diagnosis. It's about two — and everything that changed between them.Thank you, Eliot, for sharing your story and your strength.Topics Covered:• Being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 20• Life on a single hospital floor — confinement, coping, and small freedoms• The relapse — facing the same diagnosis five years later• The stem cell transplant and his brother Collin as the donor• Self-advocacy and demanding to understand your own treatment• THON and Four Diamonds — a full-circle community story• Ringing the bell — the second time• Life after cancer: Costa Rica, not waiting, taking it day by day• What he'd tell the version of himself who was twenty and newly diagnosedAbout Life on Pause:Life on Pause is a podcast for and by young adults with cancer. Produced by Penn State Health's AYA Oncology Program, each episode is rooted in honest storytelling and community connection. Our content is reviewed by medical and psychosocial experts to ensure accuracy and care.Join Our Community:💻 Website: https://www.lifeonpausepodcast.com/🎧 Subscribe on Spotify & Apple PodcastsContent Warning: This episode contains discussions of cancer diagnosis, relapse, stem cell transplant, and the emotional weight of facing a life-threatening illness more than once.

🎥 VIDEO EPISODE NOTE: This story was created for video and includes incredible visual moments from THON Weekend — from walking through Penn State's player cheer tunnel to experiencing the energy of 16,500 students in the Bryce Jordan Center. For the full experience, watch on YouTube: [LINK]When Grace Schneider was diagnosed with B-cell leukemia in 2020, her family discovered something unexpected: Penn State's THON — the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, where students stand for 46 hours straight to support children fighting pediatric cancer.This is their third year experiencing THON Weekend, and in this episode, we follow Grace's family through an incredible weekend of Family Explorers programs. Her father Ben reflects on how the compassion and caring of college students humbles him every year. Her brother Brooks shares what it means to "beat cancer along with my sister, even though I didn't have it." And young adult cancer survivor Eliot Dean describes the energy that feeds him each time he returns.From touring Penn State's football facility and meeting players like Nicholas Singleton, to walking through the player cheer tunnel, to experiencing the 46-hour dance marathon at the Bryce Jordan Center — THON Weekend creates connections that last far beyond one weekend. Ben shares how both his kids now dream of attending Penn State and playing sports here, inspired by the college students who showed up for them.Brooks talks about what it meant to support his sister through treatment — sending cards, texts saying "get well soon, keep fighting" — and how THON volunteers became his connection too. Eliot, who has been attending since 2016 despite his diagnosis at age 20 and relapse five years later, explains what "taking the long way around" really means when you're living with cancer.Behind it all is Four Diamonds at Penn State Health Children's Hospital, which ensures families never receive a single bill for their child's cancer treatment. Since 1977, THON has raised over $254 million to cover every cost not paid by insurance — and the support extends far beyond finances.This isn't just a story about a dance marathon. It's about community, hope, and what happens when 16,500 students decide to stand up for kids who can't.Topics Covered:What THON is and how the 46-hour dance marathon worksFamily Explorers programs across Penn State's campusThe sibling perspective on childhood cancer ("I beat cancer too")How THON inspires kids fighting cancer to dream biggerWalking through Penn State football's player cheer tunnelMeeting Penn State athletes and building lasting connectionsWhat Four Diamonds covers beyond medical billsHow college students create community for cancer familiesLiving as a young adult cancer survivor and returning to THON year after yearGrace's journey from leukemia diagnosis to thriving todayAbout Life on Pause: Life on Pause is a podcast for and by young adults with cancer. Produced by Penn State Health's AYA Oncology Program and Four Diamonds, each episode is rooted in honest storytelling and community connection. Our content is reviewed by medical and psychosocial experts to ensure accuracy and care.Join Our Community: Website: https://www.lifeonpausepodcast.com/ Subscribe on Spotify & Apple Podcasts Learn more about THON: https://thon.org Four Diamonds: https://fourdiamonds.orgFeatured Voices:Ben Schneider - Father of Grace, diagnosed with B-cell leukemia in 2020Brooks Schneider - Grace's brother, age 12Eliot Dean - Young adult cancer survivor, THON attendee since 2016

What happens when treatment ends but the journey continues? For young adult cancer survivors, the ringing of the bell marks not an ending, but the beginning of something more complex — survivorship.In this powerful episode of Life on Pause, five young women who participated in Penn State Health Children's Hospital's inaugural PhotoVoice project come together to share their experiences using photography to tell the stories they struggled to put into words. Facilitated by social worker Meredith Noel and art therapist Alexis Steefel, this program gave childhood cancer survivors a space to explore themes of impact, visibility, loss and found, time, and "here."Monica Henderson (rhabdomyosarcoma, 20+ years post-treatment) shares how PhotoVoice helped her break decades of silence and honor "little Monica" who never got to share her story. Gabriela (Hodgkin's lymphoma, 4 years post-treatment) describes finding community after feeling isolated as the first in her family diagnosed with cancer. Shelly Bliss (Ewing's sarcoma, 11 years post-treatment) reflects on photographing her prosthetics as a powerful measure of time and healing.From Monica's dish soap bubbles representing "visibly invisible" survivorship to Lily's peeling paint symbolizing layers of untold stories, each photograph became a window into experiences that too often go unspoken. The participants discuss the pressure to package their stories with "a pretty little bow," the struggle to own the term "survivor," and the transformative power of finally being heard and understood.This isn't just a story about cancer — it's about sisterhood formed through shared truth, the courage to be vulnerable, and the healing that happens when survivors can tell their whole story, not just the inspirational parts.Topics Covered:The PhotoVoice methodology and five weekly themes (Impact, Visibility, Lost & Found, Time, Here)Why survivors struggle to own their narratives and the term "survivor"The gallery exhibition at Penn State Health and family reactionsSibling dynamics, twin relationships, and invisible traumaSurvivor's guilt and the pressure to be gratefulLiving with late effects and ongoing health challengesThe moment they decided to ring the bell together — on their own termsHow photography gave voice to what words couldn't expressBuilding a survivorship community for the futureFeatured Participants:Lily Montgomery (Host) - Acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivorMonica Henderson - Rhabdomyosarcoma survivor, 26 years oldGabriela (Gabby) - Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor, 21 years oldShelly Bliss - Ewing's sarcoma survivor, 20 years oldMeredith Noel - Social Worker and PhotoVoice Program FacilitatorAbout Life on Pause: Life on Pause is a podcast for and by young adults with cancer. Produced by Penn State Health's AYA Oncology Program, each episode is rooted in honest storytelling and community connection. Our content is reviewed by medical and psychosocial experts to ensure accuracy and care.Join Our Community: 💻 Website: https://www.lifeonpausepodcast.com/ 🎧 Subscribe on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

What does health maintenance really mean when you're a young adult cancer survivor? Eliot and Hailey—both acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors—share the reality of life after treatment: checkups every six months, school accommodations for brain damage, mental health boundaries that weren't optional before, and learning which exercises won't break bones weakened by chemotherapy.Recorded at Life Lion Emergency Services in Hershey, Pennsylvania, this episode draws a powerful parallel between maintaining emergency helicopters and maintaining your own health after cancer. Just like mechanics check every system before a helicopter flies, young adult survivors must maintain their mental health, physical health, reproductive health, and everything in between.In this honest conversation, Eliot opens up about his journey through diagnosis at age 20, achieving remission, experiencing relapse, and receiving a life-saving bone marrow transplant from his brother. He shares how cancer taught him to "cut out the BS," pace himself, and recognize that slow and steady wins the race.Hailey, diagnosed at 12 in February 2020 right before COVID lockdown, discusses living with brain damage from treatment—dead brain cells in two lobes that affect her memory, dexterity, and processing speed. Despite doctors telling her she's "performing too well for how damaged her brain is," she thrives using accommodations like dictation software and extended time. She shares the painful moment someone called her cancer diagnosis "just a break" from field hockey, and how she learned to set boundaries to protect her mental health.Topics Covered:• Redefining health maintenance after cancer (mental + physical)• Setting boundaries to protect mental health post-treatment• Living with treatment-related brain damage and school accommodations• The "gray area" of young adult cancer—too old for pediatric, too young for adult care• Cancer imposter syndrome: not looking "sick enough"• Physical fitness adaptations (bad bones, limited dexterity, ongoing symptoms)• Reproductive health challenges and Four Diamonds support• Family support for ongoing medical appointments• Finding community in the AYA cancer space• How cancer sparked curiosity about oncology and neuroscienceAbout Life on Pause: Life on Pause is a podcast for and by young adults with cancer. Produced by Penn State Health's AYA Oncology Program, each episode is rooted in honest storytelling and community connection. Our content is reviewed by medical and psychosocial experts to ensure accuracy and care.Join Our Community:💻 Website: https://www.lifeonpausepodcast.com/🎧 Subscribe on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

When a Life Lion flight nurse saves a teenager's life, he never expects to meet him again. Ten years later, that young man returns—not as a patient, but as a father—to say thank you.Ten-year-old William, a leukemia survivor, discovers a new dream while exploring a Life Lion helicopter: "I may want to be a helicopter mechanic." Maria, a Wilms tumor survivor, remembers the kindness of her transport crew. And Lisa Kreider shares a stunning revelation: Life Lion saved her life sixteen years ago after a car accident—then saved her daughter Maria during cancer treatment.But the emotional center belongs to Dan Schaeffer, Life Lion's Chief Flight Nurse. At a recent fundraiser, a young man approached him: "Thank you for taking care of me." Dan didn't recognize the face. Then came the moment: "I want to introduce you to my family and kids."Ten years ago, Dan transported a seventeen-year-old with a traumatic brain injury. Today, that teenager is a father."You don't think about those things in the moment," Dan reflects. "That hit really home to me. This is what I do. This is why I do it."This episode follows Four Diamonds families to Life Lion EMS Day, where the people doing the rescuing get to see what happened next. From Dexter McConnell, a pilot who flies in weather others turn down, to Matt Baily, who treats "the sickest of the sick"—this is a story about profound connections and the impact that ripples out in ways we can't imagine.Topics Covered:William's journey from leukemia patient to aspiring helicopter mechanicMaria's Wilms tumor treatment and Life Lion transportLisa's revelation: two generations saved by the same teamDan Shcaeffer's emotional reunion with a patient ten years laterThe challenges of flying Life Lion: weather, training, and split-second decisionsLife Lion EMS Day: teaching kids that aircraft maintenance parallels their own healthcareThe "Life Lion Family" culture of support and camaraderieMatt Baily's story of the Lancaster infant in cardiac arrestFour Diamonds' role in removing financial burden for cancer familiesHow life-saving work ripples out in ways we can't imagineAbout Life on Pause: Life on Pause is a podcast for and by young adults with cancer. Produced by Penn State Health's AYA Oncology Program, each episode is rooted in honest storytelling and community connection. Our content is reviewed by medical and psychosocial experts to ensure accuracy and care.Join Our Community: 💻 Website: https://www.lifeonpausepodcast.com/ 🎧 Subscribe on Spotify & Apple Podcasts