About Us
& Why a Podcast
Hi. We’re Ammie (caregiver) and Jose (cancer patient). Ammie here: On April 5th, I found myself in the position of caregiver to a newly diagnosed cancer patient. I remember the day very well. Jose was sitting on the side of his hospital bed. The doctor standing in front of him and a nurse standing between the doctor and I. The moment the words came out of the doctor’s mouth, Jose just went blank. It was just like you see in the movies. He literally remembers nothing else after the word cancer.
I tried to maintain composure and started asking questions. Questions like… what stage? How bad is it? What are next steps? I’m not sure I even heard all the answers but I heard enough to know that it was a stage 4 diagnosis of Hodgkin Lymphoma.
That’s the day that our cancer journey officially began. In some ways (mostly the actual treatment) has been great. In other ways (our support and guidance from the hospital) has been horrific. We were essentially left to figure everything out on our own. We were not offered one single resource. We’ll explain in the podcast. But that’s where our passion for helping caregivers came from. We could not live with ourselves if we knew that we stood by and let this happen to another cancer patient. While we can’t fix the hospital’s systems, we can create a resource that will help anyone who needs it find some answers, guidance and external resources to aid in their cancer journey.
We are not medical professionals and this is NOT medical advice. We’re simply sharing what we’ve learned and will be interviewing others so that they may share what they’ve learned. We’ve chosen the topic of caregiving because the human part of cancer is what was missing from our treatment plan. The doctors and nurses were experts and gave expert care for the actual cancer. The human with a deadly cancer in their body and their routines at home were never addressed, not once in our initial care plan or throughout the first treatment regimine. This podcast is mostly about the human and the family who loves that human.
Comment along the way. Ask questions. Share your journey. We’d just love for this to be an engaging conversation where we can all learn and grow together.
New Episodes Weekly
Released Every Friday-ish
I try to stick to a schedule but we’re battling cancer.
Want to Be a Guest?
Tell us a bit about your cancer journey.
Send an email to podcast@caregiversguidetocancer.com
Meet The Hosts
Ammie Dover
Co-Host
I’ve worn many hats; daughter, sister, Airman, program manager, business owner, chairman of the board, marketing director, lover, and friend. Never did I imagine I’d take on a role of caregiver. When Jose got diagnosed with cancer, all of those other titles took a distant second to ensuring that he got the treatment he needed at the hospitals and at home.
I’m a type A, get stuff done kinda girl. That means I set into action immediately. I’ve spent countless hours researching and planning for Jose’s treatment and our future. Everyone’s journey will be uniquely their own. Please know that I know and respect that as I share content on the podcast. There isn’t a hard and fast rule to what will or will not work for your loved one, for your household or for you. We’re sharing what worked and even what didn’t work for us so that hopefully you can glean a nugget that will help you navigate your own journey. Know that I am praying for you. I’m praying that every person who finds this podcast receives healing.
Jose A. Rosa
Co-Host
I was a relatively healthy person before cancer. Never hospitalized. No surgeries. Besides an affinity for chocolate chip cookies that make my blood sugar spike, I was a pretty solid person, or so I thought. I had no idea that something was actively growing inside me that could potentially kill me. It wasn’t until I had this little tickle in my throat that wouldn’t go away. It soon turned into a cough that again, wouldn’t go away. I made an appointment with the doctor who gave me some antibiotics and a steriod and sent me home. The steroids masked the symptoms for a week or so but that cough came back with a vengance so the doctor ordered a chest x-ray. He didn’t like what he saw and sent me to a pulmanologist. The pulmanologist learned that I’ve had a fever since ending the antibiotics and immediately admitted me to the hospital.
I spent a week undergoing tests and scans. The CT scan showed a mass on my lungs that they biopsied. I also had a swollen lymph node on my neck that they biopsied. The results were, well I guess you know what the results were… stage 4 Hodgkin Lymphoma. Ammie and I are in the fight of our lives to make sure that we make it to our 30th anniversary. She promised me 30 years and I intend to be with her and enjoy each and every one of them.
Listen Now!