episodes
From fighting cancer twice as a teenager to climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents, Sean will share how his cancer journey pushed him to redefine his physical boundaries and tackle these purpose-driven expeditions.
Sean's Website
True North: The Sean Swarner Story (on Amazon Prime)
Sean's Twitter
Sean's Insta
When Kareena was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 15 years old, she was shoved into a world she knew little about. Now 17 and in remission, you'll hear her reflect on the highs, lows, and downright silly moments along the journey.
When doctors removed Abri's tibia during her tumor resection, they replaced it with an adult cadaver's arm bone, or what she called her arg (arm-leg). Throughout this week's episode, you'll hear how 12-year-old Abri Bentley, and her mom Nikkole, repeatedly used humor to make light of their fight with Ewing Sarcoma.
Team Abri on Instagram
Team Abri on Facebook
As a lifelong dancer, Grace was skeptical when her chiropractor told her the pain she was feeling in her hips was because they were weak. And she had good reason. In this week's episode Grace reflects on her journey with Ewing Sarcoma as a senior in high school and how it impacted her transition to the University of Texas.
Although Josie's parents were raised Christian, both had fallen out of practice in their adult lives. In this week's episode, you'll hear Josie and her mom, Jessica, share their fight with Ewing's Sarcoma, and how it ultimately brought them closer to God.
Can you imagine going to the ER twice after prolonged fevers and night sweats, not receiving any blood tests, and then getting diagnosed with a blood cancer? In this week's episode, Itzel and her parents Estefania and Raul share how insurance coverage almost got in the way of Itzel’s leukemia diagnosis along with some of the ups and downs throughout their journey.
For Aryn and many young black girls, getting your beads and braids is a rite of passage, so Aryn took it personal when cancer came and took that away. In this week’s episode, you’ll hear Aryn’s mom, Marissa, recount her journey with neuroblastoma, and how it led to them co-authoring The Beads and Braids book.
The Beads and Braids Book
Marissa's Instagram
Aryn's Instagram
Before her diagnosis, Campbell Sullivan was unconditionally committed to her ski racing career, but when a soft tissue sarcoma forced her off the slopes, she had to redefine her purpose. In this episode, Campbell will share the ups and downs of her journey, and what led to her advocating on the national stage for increased funding of childhood cancer research.
Ski Fast Foundation
Campbell's Instagram
Ski Fast Foundation Instagram
Ever try keeping food in front of a four-year-old on steroids? In this week's episode, Tamara will share how she navigated her son's leukemia diagnosis as a single parent.
When Kiara woke up paralyzed from the waist down, panic initially set in, but it didn’t stay for long. In this week’s episode, Kiara and her mom, Lisa, will discuss how they stayed positive throughout her journey by taking things one day at a time.
Throughout her journey battling brain cancer, eleven year old Grace rarely lost her cool, but along the way, she and her family found plenty of opportunities to make light of their circumstances with the best medicine available - laughter.
WITH Grace Initiative Website
WITH Grace Facebook Page
WITH Grace Instagram
Eight year old Ella and her mom, Nicole, will share their journey through leukemia, and discuss the balance between feeling grateful to be alive while advocating for less toxic therapies with fewer long term side effects.
In this week's episode, eight-year-old Bridget and her mom, Jamie, will recount their journey with osteosarcoma. You'll hear their perspectives both before and after Bridget's leg amputation, and how they've framed this experience as a positive force in Bridget's young life.
Benjamin, Super Benji Sanchez's battle with brain cancer has taken many twists and turns, and along the way, inspired an army of advocacy from his Las Vegas community. In this episode, Benji's mom, Azalea, will share how they've continued to chase rainbows through it all.
Benji's Socks
Team Super Benji Instagram Page
Team Super Benji's Facebook Page
In this episode, you’ll hear Kila Tripp share her journey with two tours of leukemia, and how they’ve shaped her drive to give back. Towards of the show, you’ll hear Kila talk about a giveback campaign she’s organized to raise 100K for pediatric cancer research at Cincinnati Children’s hospital. Since we believe in increasing funding for pediatric cancer research, we’re supporting her initiative by donating 15% of sales and giving free shipping to anyone who shops on our site with the code: fundthecurenextdoor
Kila's Fund the Cure Next Door Campaign
Fund the Cure Next Door Facebook Page
Fund the Cure Next Door Instagram
Fund the Cure Next Door Twitter
When Steven Sudell’s brain cancer became terminal and his parents Amy & Paul’s optimism began to waver, they didn’t have to look far for inspiration. Laying on his deathbed, Steven took up drawing and started a YouTube channel that would spread joy to hundreds of thousands across the globe.
Steven's Coloring Book
Steven & Paul's YouTube Channel
Through chemo, limb salvage surgery, and intense pain management, Gabby Galarneau doesn’t remember a whole lot from her nine months of treatment, but the one thing she does remember is how therapy dogs made a difference for her mental health. In this episode, you’ll hear Gabby and her mom, Kristi, share how their family managed Gabby’s fight with Osteosarcoma and their advice for families grappling with a new diagnosis.
Just months after the birth of her first child, Kezia Fitzgerald was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and a few months later, her daughter was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. In this episode, you’ll hear Kezia recount how her journey battling cancer became tangled by her daughter’s diagnosis, and how the experience led to her co-founding a company that’s helping thousands of patients across the country.
Before her leukemia diagnosis at 15 years old, Ava Paige was performing over 150 shows per year as a country music singer-songwriter. Now 10 months into treatment, she’ll share some of the ups and downs of her journey, and how cancer is influencing her career in country music.
- Ava described her career as a young country artist.
- Ava described her diagnosis.
- Ava describes some of the frustrations of how cancer limited her ability to practice her passion.
- Angel Richards gives a short interlude of why his polar bear themed non-slip socks are so special.
When Danielle was at her three month check-up after finishing treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, her oncologist told her about a girl named Ellie that was the same age with the same diagnosis. In this episode, you’ll hear about how their journeys overlapped and what it was like to confront cancer in high school.
Young Adult Cancer Organizations
Connecticut Children's Medical Center Young Adult Cancer Program
- Danielle and Ellie recount the the initial letter that brought them together.
- Danielle and Ellie talk about their experiences with different wigs.
- Danielle and Ellie discuss how cancer challenged their identity as high performing student athletes
- Emma Rae provides a short interlude of why she made non-slip socks featuring her dog, Little Red.
- Danielle and Ellie provide advice for others facing this disease.
When 12-year-old Kylie was diagnosed with metastatic sarcoma, her odds of survival were around 35%, but this didn’t hinder her father Mark’s eternal optimism that she would make a full recovery. In this episode, you’ll hear Mark share uplifting moments of community support and how he navigated the heartbreaking grief following Kylie’s passing.
Smiley for Kylie Facebook Page
Missing Kylie: A Father's Search for Meaning in Tragedy
Kylie's PSA Video | The Truth 365
- Mark shares how Kylie was originally diagnosed after experiencing continued knee pain.
- Mark outlines her initial treatment plan and reflects on the sad fact that treatments for childhood cancer have progressed very minimally because of their lack of funding.
- Mark describes how Kylie's sisters came up with the idea of Smiley for Kylie to keep her spirits high during treatment.
- Naaman and his sister Nadine have a short interlude about how every purchase of Naaman's non-slip penguin socks support other children in the hospital.
- Mark shares how Kylie's disease took a turn for the worse, and how he processes her passing.
Since being diagnosed with an oligodendroglioma brain tumor at age 12, Jeremy has managed the ups and downs of remission, recurrence, and everything in between. In this episode, he’ll share how it all unfolded and how his approach to managing life amidst an uncertain future has evolved over the years.
- Jeremy provides vivid descriptions of his diagnosis, recurrence, etc.
- Jeremy reflects on how he processed these moments, and how his mindset evolved over the years.
- Emma Rae provides a short intermission to share her grippy socks
Lynn and her mom Cindy share their journey battling leukemia, from the moments leading up to Lynn’s diagnosis to the ins and outs of managing treatment and how they look back on the experience as a whole.
The Willow Project Facebook Page
Over the last four years, the cancer community has repeatedly shown me what resilience is all about, and this podcast is about sharing their stories.
Welcome to socks with stories, a show about inspiring stories of resilience from patients, survivors, and family members. I’m your host and fellow survivor, Jake Teitelbaum. As a cancer patient, I couldn’t stand the poorly made hospital socks. So I started a company, resilience gives, to make fun, better quality non-slip socks, co-designed by children battling cancer. Over the last four years, this cancer community has repeatedly shown me what resilience is all about, and this podcast is about sharing their stories.
every journey is unique and every person has their own story

Hi! I'm Jake and I'm the host. I'm four years in remission and am grateful that my days no longer consist of hospital food, infusions, or poorly made hospital socks.
Through the socks with stories podcast, we seek to share stories from across the spectrum of cancer experiences - from frustrating and heartbreaking to uplifting and inspiring. In documenting these experiences, we hope to create a resource for families in the thick of it and to spread awareness of the disease through impactful storytelling.
Thank you to all who have tuned in thus far!
We value our community and would love to hear about your experience with cancer.