This week's reflection from Cody explores Emily Pearl Kingsley’s parable “Welcome to Holland” alongside Rachel’s real-life story: a young woman whose plans for a big-city life and long career are interrupted by cancer. It traces her grief, adjustment, and the ways she reframes her life.

Through Rachel’s experience, this week's episode reflects on choosing how to live when plans change—acknowledging loss, discovering unexpected joys, and finding meaning in a life that turned out different than you might have imagined.

At 26, Rachel was living her dream life in Chicago. She’d moved from her small town Texas roots and was young, independent, and thriving in the city.

But mysterious symptoms that began in college refused to go away. After being dismissed by doctor after doctor—told it was anxiety, IBS, or nothing at all—Rachel found herself in crisis. Unable to work, she packed a suitcase and flew home to Texas, putting her Chicago life on pause.

What followed was a whirlwind of appointments that led to an unexpected discovery: stage 4 metastatic neuroendocrine cancer, a rare “old person’s cancer” that had already spread throughout her body. The diagnosis was devastating but also, strangely, a relief—finally someone believed her.

Now 28, Rachel has moved back to Texas permanently for her family’s support, undergone major surgery, and is navigating what it means to live with a slow-growing but incurable cancer that gives her a prognosis of 15 to 20 years.

In this episode, Rachael and Cody explore what it means to have a terminal diagnosis that still puts a lot of life ahead of you, how to live a full life with a chronic and fatal condition, even how to navigate dating and finding love (Rachael’s story of how her girlfriend showed up for her on their third date is so…dang…sweet).

Rachael also shares practical advice for supporting cancer patients without making them comfort you, discusses her complicated relationship with the evangelical Christianity of her youth, and explains why the zebra is the symbol for this rare disease.

It’s all a lovely reminder that you don’t need to be dying to live intentionally, that advocating for yourself matters even when no one believes you, and that there’s always a lot more life to live.

Amanda's mantra as she was entering brain surgery really stuck with Cody after last week's interview: "Stay awake. Stay alert. This is my life."

In this week's episode, Cody reflects on presence versus resignation, invoking Eckhart Tolle’s teaching and examining how often we try to merely get through life instead of fully living it. Amanda’s courage and focus become a model for noticing the present moment.

An update on Amanda closes out this reflection. She's had another scan and this time her scanxiety proved correct. There were signs of progression and she is now facing the potential of another craniotomy. We'll give more updates as we have them, and hopefully talk with Amanda again about where she is now in her journey.