Carry The Fire

When Ryan Gullen, bassist for the popular Canadian rock band The Sheepdogs, lost his father to esophageal cancer, grief showed up in unexpected and complicated ways. In this deeply personal episode, Ryan reflects on navigating hope, guilt, and the quiet aftermath of loss, all while balancing his music and life on the road. Plus, Dr. Madeline Li, a world-leading psychiatrist from The Princess Margaret, unpacks what grief really looks like, why it rarely follows a tidy path, and how we learn to live with it.

Welcome to Season Two of Carry The Fire, hosted by Lisa LaFlamme. We have ten new and inspiring personal stories about what happens when world-leading doctors, researchers and their patients come together to ignite breakthroughs in cancer research, treatment, and care.
Special guests this season include Olympic bronze medalist ice dancer, Piper Gilles, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Dakota Joshua, musician Ryan Gullen of The Sheepdogs, and award-winning author Claire Cameron, as well as everyday Canadians who are helping to create a world free from the fear of cancer.
Carry The Fire is a podcast from The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Canada’s largest cancer charity, dedicated to raising funds for Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Ontario. This season launches Tuesday, April 7. Subscribe to hear a new episode every week.

Meet Sangita Patel: entertainment journalist, wellness influencer and TV host who promotes health and wellness. At the peak of her professional life she was diagnosed with a rare thyroid cancer that threatened her future. Fortunately, The Princess Margaret’s own Dr. Pasternak is the only surgeon in Canada with the specialized expertise to perform a groundbreaking procedure that would leave virtually no trace—allowing Sangita to continue her work and find her voice again.

Meet Paul Carleton: Faced with a terminal diagnosis and some hard decisions, Paul was motivated to keep going by the love of his family and a deep desire to see his daughter graduate and walk her down the aisle. Led by world-class Dr. Keith Stewart, Vice President, Cancer, UHN and Director of the Princess Margaret Cancer Program, Paul and his team at The Princess Margaret embarked on a journey to do the impossible.

Meet Luana Locke: a loving mother, daughter and sister who has had cancer six times. A genetic condition comes with a near 100% chance that she and others in her family will face cancer at some point in their lives, and yet Luana isn’t worried. Innovations in screening and genetic testing at The Princess Margaret are keeping her and her loved ones safe, highlighting the importance of early detection.