How do you find hope when cancer leaves you feeling completely alone?
Galina Slavova is a former competitive judo champion, actress, model, author, and breast cancer survivor whose life has tested her strength many times. Born in Bulgaria, Galina survived a devastating car accident, left home in search of freedom, and rebuilt her life in the United States. In 2023, breast cancer brought a different kind of fight. Far from her family, she faced treatment and profound isolation without the support system she desperately needed.
Galina shares how cancer changed her body, challenged her identity, and forced her to discover who she was beyond appearance and achievement. Writing became a way to cope, while connecting with other cancer survivors helped her find the community she had been missing. Those experiences inspired her to create peer support for others facing cancer and begin documenting survivor stories.
Her documentary, Still Here: I Am Not Cancer, and memoir, The Wrong Side of Freedom, carry that mission forward. Galina’s story reminds patients, survivors, and caregivers that strength can appear when it feels impossible to find, and no one should have to face cancer alone.
Highlights:
- Finding strength beyond survival
- Discover how resilience can change as life asks different things of you.
- The hidden weight of isolation
- Learn why emotional support can matter deeply during a cancer journey.
- Meeting yourself after cancer
- Explore what it can mean to rebuild identity when your body and life change.
- The power of shared experience
- Hear why peer connection can offer something even loving family members cannot.
- Turning pain into purpose
- Discover how lived experience can become a way to support someone walking behind you.
Mentioned Resources:
CanCare- www.cancare.org
Galina’s website - https://www.galinaslavova.com/
About the Guest:
Galina Slavova is an award-winning author, actress, model, former Bulgarian national judo champion, and breast cancer survivor. After her 2023 diagnosis left her facing treatment largely alone, she founded the Blossoming Beyond Foundation, which offers free therapy and support to patients, survivors, and caregivers. She also began filming survivors' stories for her upcoming documentary, Blossoming Beyond, and built a peer community for survivors and caregivers.
Love the podcast? You’ll be moved by the book. The Hope in the Face of Cancer book shares inspiring, real stories from survivors, caregivers, and healthcare heroes. Raw, uplifting, and full of heart—for anyone seeking hope and connection. Get your copy: cancare.org/hopebook.
About Our Host:
Darcie Champagne Wells is the President and CEO of CanCare, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to providing support to the cancer community by pairing cancer patients with survivors. Since joining in November 2020 as the third President & CEO, Darcie has driven significant growth, increasing one-to-one support matches by 45% and healthcare referrals by 66%. In 2022, she initiated the Impact Acceleration Initiative to further expand support for cancer patients and caregivers. Her leadership has earned her recognition as a “Most Admired CEO” and “Woman Who Means Business” by the Houston Business Journal, and national “Fundraiser of the Year” by RAISE. Darcie holds a BS in Business Administration from Louisiana State University and an MBA from the University of Houston.
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📖 Enjoy the podcast? You’ll love the book.
Check out our book, Hope in the Face of Cancer—a powerful collection of real stories from survivors, caregivers, and healthcare heroes. It’s uplifting, raw, and full of heart. Get your copy at cancare.org/hopebook.