Dr. Jamie Aten is the Founder and Executive Director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute and Chair of Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership at Wheaton College. A survivor of colorectal cancer, he's also the author of A Walking Disaster: What Surviving Katrina and Cancer Taught Me About Faith and Resilience.

During our conversation we discussed:

• How Terror Management theory explains why some people struggle to support those going through traumatic experiences like cancer.
• How he struggled to ask for help during his treatment and how he overcame this challenge.
• Redefining "strengths" and "weaknesses."
• How growing up in a small, blue collar town impacted his view of the world and his career choice.
• How he came to be diagnosed with colon cancer in 2014.
• Why those touched by cancer should be cautious of optimism.
• How Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can affect cancer patients.

Links Mentioned In the WE Have Cancer Podcast

Jamie's book, A Walking Disaster: What Surviving Katrina and Cancer Taught Me About Faith and Resilience - https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Disaster-Surviving-Resilience-Spirituality-ebook/dp/B07M6QL56C/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ZRLYE0B9A1PN&keywords=a+walking+disaster+by+jamie+aten&qid=1571591927&sprefix=a+walking+dis%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1

CancerToday article, Coping With Trauma - https://www.cancertodaymag.org/Pages/cancer-talk/Coping-With-Trauma.aspx

Humanitarian Disaster Institute - https://www.wheaton.edu/academics/academic-centers/humanitarian-disaster-institute/

Lotsa Helping Hands - https://lotsahelpinghands.com/

Follow Jamie on Twitter - https://twitter.com/drjamieaten

Follow Jamie on Instagram - https://instagram.com/drjamieaten

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Email Lee

Lee@wehavecancershow.com