What happens when the person who usually delivers the diagnosis suddenly becomes the parent receiving it?
In this powerful episode, Sam sits down with Dr. Raksha Hemanth Raheja, a pediatrician and cancer mom whose son Rian was diagnosed with leukemia and later relapsed. Raksha shares her unique perspective of experiencing childhood cancer from both sides of the hospital bed, as a physician caring for children and as a mother desperately trying to save her own.
Together, they explore the tension between medical knowledge and parental fear, the illusion of control, and the difficult reality that expertise doesn't protect you from the heartbreak of watching your child suffer.
Raksha speaks candidly about what surprised her most when she became a cancer parent, how her son's diagnosis changed the way she practices medicine, and why she now places even greater value on parental intuition.
This conversation is a powerful reminder that parents and clinicians aren't on opposing sides—they are teammates. Doctors bring medical expertise. Parents bring an intimate understanding of their child. The best care happens when both are heard.
In this episode, we discuss:
Whether you're newly diagnosed, deep in treatment, or years into survivorship, this episode offers valuable insight into the relationship between families and medical teams and reminds us that behind every white coat is a human being doing their very best to help a child heal. Because when it comes to caring for our kids, we're all on the same team.
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