Annabelle Gurwitch Has Stage 4. And Better Things to Do.

Annabelle Gurwitch walked into urgent care for a COVID test and walked out with Stage 4 lung cancer. She was 60. She had never smoked. Her doctor told her to update her will. Five years later, she is still here. Still working. Still annoyed by the word “warrior.” Annabelle is a New York Times bestselling author, two-time Thurber Prize finalist, longtime television personality, and one of OncoDaily’s 100 Most Influential Women in Oncology. Her latest book, The End of My Life Is Killing Me: The Unexpected Joys of a Cancer Slacker, is the funniest, most honest, and most useful thing many readers will encounter about living with an incurable diagnosis. In this episode: the reframe that animates her life now, and why “live like it’s your last day” was making her worse. The night her son found her unconscious on the bathroom floor, and what she learned about dosing the hard way. Why she calls herself a cancer slacker instead of a warrior. The German word that buys her happiness on a regular basis. Why she is the lead plaintiff in a class action lawsuit against pharmacy benefit managers. And the question every patient should be asking their care team. If you have ever felt like a fraud calling yourself a warrior, or like the version of “wellness” being sold to you is making things worse, this conversation is for you. Chapters 00:00 The urgent care visit that wasn’t supposed to be 06:00 Live like it’s your first day. Not your last. 11:30 The German word for a Sunday with friends 17:00 Pharmaceuticals, caffeine, and emergency chocolate 24:50 Why cancer warrior didn’t fit. Slacker did. 30:30 The night her son found her on the bathroom floor 33:30 Max tolerable isn’t the same as minimum effective 46:50 Big wellness wants your money. The free version works better. 52:13 Why she’s suing the pharmacy benefit managers 1:07:50 What she’d tell anyone wanting to kick cancer’s ass Connect with Annabelle Website: https://www.annabellegurwitch.com The End of My Life Is Killing Me: The Unexpected Joys of a Cancer Slacker: https://open.spotify.com/show/7EbpvpM... Listen and follow Kicking Cancer’s Ass: Apple Spotify Substack - www.kcapodcast.com