Podcast Normalising The C Word

A newly launched podcast is making its mark by bringing the conversation about cancer to the mainstream.

Aucklander Helen King and Taranaki local Belinda Tran-Lawrence produce a weekly show, The C Word: Kiwis talk about cancer, even though the pair have never met.

The two women share a common experience of being diagnosed with Her2 positive breast cancer in 2018. Tran-Lawrence reached out to King after she saw an article about King’s cancer experience in the Sunday Star Times.

“When you’ve been through something as big as cancer you connect with other people who understand what that’s like,” explained Tran-Lawrence.

Seeing a need for a locally produced programme telling Kiwi stories former journalist King came up with the idea to make a podcast.

“Hearing other people’s stories has really helped me in my recovery, we want to educate people that having cancer doesn’t stop once treatment ends. It’s a long road to healing for a lot of us and we wanted to provide a platform for people to talk about that,” King said.

The show is proving popular as the audience grows week to week.

“Raw, real conversations resonate with our audience. Having cancer can feel very lonely at times, especially once treatment is over and the support services drop away.

“For many post-treatment is actually the hardest time, the podcast provides hope life can improve and you return to a new normal.”

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