Emily Daniels arrived at the E.R. short of breath while pregnant with her second child to discover she had Stage IV lung cancer. She had never smoked a day in her life.  Emily’s diagnosis belongs to more than 50% of lung cancer cases without a definitive explainable cause. Did you know that lung cancer in non-smokers might be caused by exposure to radon, secondhand smoke, air pollution, and even wok smoke?  Had Emily been diagnosed 10 years ago, she would not be alive to tell us this story. In this episode, she is joined by her husband, Brian Daniels - former CU Buffs star — and her oncologist, Dr. Ross Camidge, a University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus trailblazing oncologist who pioneered a breakthrough treatment aimed at some rare types of lung cancer. The treatment consists of two targeted therapies that have kept Emily alive for the past three years.  Now a mother of two, Emily talks about what inspires her fight against her diagnosis and the risks she took while pregnant in order to keep her baby. Choosing not to be treated with chemotherapy at the time was “a major life choice.” Her tough choices beg the questions: What to make of your life when you are forced to live it in three-month chunks? What if Emily has years, or maybe decades, left to live? It is because of her children and because of the unanswered questions, that she has chosen to fight.  She organizes a golf tournament to fund lung cancer research and has raised $100k in the past three years. She also works with LUNGEvity, a non-profit organization focused solely on lung cancer awareness and research. For his part, Doctor Camidge remains hopeful. While he agrees that lung cancer is grossly under-funded  — it receives 1/10 of the funding received by breast cancer — he has trained his oncologist’s sights onto a smarter vision that includes personalized medication and the meticulous study of “molecular persistence,” or what makes cancer cells persist, so he can stop them from getting wise.  Emily still has a Stage IV diagnosis. But thanks to her and to Doctor Camidge’s persistence, she’s living a mostly normal life. She remains active in yoga, she is a mother to two healthy children, and in her free time, she has become a patient-advocate for lung cancer. Now that’s unstoppable! #UnstoppablePodcasts

Call him a dwarf, a little person or one of the funniest, most in-demand comedians working today, but never call him a midget. That’s Brad Williams. He was born with achondoproplasia, which stunts the arms and legs, but in Brad’s case grew his sense of humor. Bullied as a young child because of his dwarfism, Brad retaliated with a razor-sharp wit which at age 19, he turned into a booming career as a stand-up comedian. In this hilarious episode, Brad tells how his dad taught him to be unstoppable by embracing his difference, not ignoring it. Which is why if you can’t make a joke about yourself, then Brad won’t hang out with you. Brad reveals the hardest thing he has to do as a dwarf, how he named his daughter “Elway” – we’re not making this up -- who was also born with achondoproplasia, and the $465,000 he raised for a kid in Australia with the same disorder. Despite his so-called “shortcomings,” Brad has appeared in comedy clubs around the country, and on numerous TV shows including Legit, Dave Attell’s Comedy Underground, Sam and Cat, Live at Gotham, the Tonight Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live. His one-hour comedy special “Fun Size” was the highest rated comedy special on Showtime in 2015. A year later, he followed it up with a second special called “Daddy Issues,” its airing prompted the New York Times to write “no one is doing it more hilariously than Brad Williams.” His podcast “About Last Night” is a mainstay on iTunes #UnstoppablePodcasts

Our Unstoppable podcast hosts, Les Shapiro and Vic Lombardi, are fighting the cancer fight. Both of them. What are the chances? In this chillingly honest six-month checkup, they get intimate about the last thing they want from their loved ones and the things that drive them crazy about having to live inside bodies they no longer recognize. What happens when your body is incompatible with your chemotherapy treatment? The side effects of fighting cancer aren’t what many of us think. As much as cancer affects you physically, it is the mind games that wear you down. “I’ve changed my diet,” says Vic. “I’m exercising harder than ever. Why can’t I stop coming back for tests?” he wants to know. For his co-host, Les, shame is the issue. “I didn’t want to show weakness,” he admits. “I wanted to be the exception. It turns out I’m not the exception.” Our hosts have told the stories of unstoppable athletes and Olympians holding medals in gritty thumbs-up poses who talk in fighter metaphors. Their biggest fear? That after the the arduous journey through chemotherapy, radiation, and reoccurrence, this disease will kill the storytellers. Many cancer stories are lost. It’s easy to shy away and to shut down. Our two cancer warriors are here to make sure that does not happen. They shy away from nothing as they tackle the hard-hitting questions others are afraid to ask. Which is why they invited their oncologist to this episode. And because coincidence looms larger than life, both are being treated at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Les’ oncologist, Dr. Ross Camidge, Professor of Medicine-Medical Oncology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, is no stranger to cancer, either. Dr. Camidge discusses with Les why his recent radiation treatments went sideways because of “The Shapiro Effect,” and the breakthrough program they started — making Les the first patient in the world to use this pioneering double-barreled medical approach. For anyone who wants to feel validated in their fears about the mental warfare that knows no rest, this podcast is like a 911 call from the cancer trenches. It is the stories that terrify and sadden us that can open us to questions that can inspire and transform our lives. How long do I have? That is the question our podcasts hosts keep asking themselves. And what is next for them? “I’m going lease to lease,” says Vic. That’s his next move as he awaits the next round of results. If only cancer would shut up for a day or two. #UnstoppablePodcasts

What does it take for John Elway to overcome deep personal tragedies to return to the sport he loves? Sports-writer Jason Cole found out. Cole, who has written about the NFL for more than 35 years for the likes of Bleacher Report, the Miami Herald and Yahoo Sports, talks about what makes Elway unstoppable in his sixth book, “John Elway: A Relentless Life,” the unauthorized biography of the Hall of Fame quarterback, two-time Super Bowl Champion, and now President of Football Operations and General Manager of the Denver Broncos Cole interviewed more than 200 people over several years, including Elway himself, in what was one of the most exhausting and intense writing experiences of his life. Cole discusses what happened with John after he retired — when he went through a very dark period — and how he he returned to football at the bottom, and waited more than a decade to return to his beloved Broncos. As Cole describes, Elway’s story is filled with one seemingly unstoppable challenge after another. You can get a copy of Cole’s book at your favorite bookstore or on Amazon. #UnstoppablePodcasts

What does it take to make some of the most famous calls in sports – all while suffering from chronic, almost crippling back pain? Veteran sportscaster Verne Lundquist reveals how he called Tiger Woods’ dramatic chip-in birdie at the 16h hole to win the Masters in 2005. Verne has been broadcasting American sports for nearly 50 years and is known for being the voice for NFL Films, the Masters, several Olympics and one of the most watched sports events in history – the 1994 Winter Olympics – where he called the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan skating debacle. And, after four decades of covering American sports, whom do you think Verne Lundquist says was the greatest, most unstoppable athlete he’s ever seen? Verne is joined by Dr. Jason Stoneback, who talks about his unstoppable dream team of doctors and specialists who do whatever it takes to save a limb or fix a broken bone. Dr. Stoneback is on the faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and serves three roles as the Chief of the Orthopedic Trauma and Fracture Surgery Service, the Director of the Limb Restoration Program and the Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. #UnstoppablePodcasts

What makes you special? It isn’t what you think. What happened to Joe Theismann is not what Joe Theismann will tell you happened to him. His take on the day that ended his career as an elite NFL quarterback has made a huge difference on how his life turned out. Theismann’s football career ended on November 18, 1985 when he suffered a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula in his right leg while being sacked by linebackers Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson of the New York Giants during Monday Night Football. But a gruesome injury and the end of his days on the gridiron were not the end of his life. “Snap your fingers,” he says. “That’s how fast your life can change.” But you shouldn’t let it define you. The road from injury opened the door to Theismann becoming an ESPN sportscaster, motivational speaker, restaurateur and actor. “These days people no longer associate me with a broken leg. They recognize me from the Hallmark movie, ‘Love on the Sidelines.’” As an actor, Theismann has appeared in Cannonball Run II and The Man with Bogart’s Face. He went on to play himself in the TV series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Necessary Roughness.” He also starred in the TV movie “The Man from Left Field,” and in the Hallmark Original “Love on the Sidelines.” And as an author, in his latest book, “How to Be a Champion Every Day,” Theismann recounts stories from his impressive career, providing an inspirational guide for how to succeed on a team, in your career, and in your everyday life. #UnstoppablePodcasts

“If I ever walk again . . .” she says. The woman is tall, a fact easily overlooked because she is folded into a wheelchair. Her voice is loud and she laughs often. When she laughs, her black ponytail bounces when she jokes about movements her eyes can see but her body cannot feel. The woman’s name is Amy Van Dyken, the six-time Olympic gold medalist known for her powerful freestyle stroke, and now more for her powerful personality. But that’s not what makes her special. Van Dyken’s swimming career crashed when she was thrown from her ATV in Show Low, Arizona and sent her flying down a six-foot drop. Her husband, former Broncos punter Tom Rouen, found her facedown on the ground and waited by her side as emergency workers arrived. “Talk about PTSD,” she jokes, speaking of Tom. The life-changing news: the former Olympian had severed her spine; her body paralyzed from the waist down. Van Dyken’s recovery has been remarkable. Her determination rarer than rare. People who know her call it will power. But the question remains. What is it? Are you born this way, or can you learn it? Not a day goes by that Van Dyken doesn’t wake up to train, to get better, or to do one more push up. With every stretch, with every drop of sweat, and every curse word, she begins to answer the question we came here to ask. Van Dyken is now free from the shell brace that once enveloped her torso and limited her every move. “I’m not wheelchair-bound,” she’s quick to point out. “I live in a wheelchair.” The difference matters to the former competitive swimmer who trains for hours each day to conquer the challenges of adaptive Crossfit by strengthening her upper body — the part she can control. And because she refuses to think of herself as limited, Amy Van Dyken shows the world through social media what it looks like to recover and to live — not with a disability, but in spite of one. That’s what makes her special. As for walking again, Van Dyken does not think that’s in the cards. “But if that becomes possible, I’ll be the first to line up. My name is Amy Van Dyken. And I am Unstoppable!” And check out and join Amy’s foundation which provides wheelchairs for kids: http://www.amyvandyken.org/ #UnstoppablePodcasts #theFemalelead #CrossFit #CrossFitGames

What price do you have to pay to do what you love? Anyone can show up when they are feeling great, but what qualities do you need to have to keep showing up after 29 surgeries? Mark Schlereth played guard in the NFL for 12 seasons, most of them through agonizing pain. He later became a football analyst for Fox Sports and began a career in acting. A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Mark struggled with dyslexia as a child and did not learn to read until he was seven years old. He credits his father and his orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Martin Boublik, with the four qualities that have made him unstoppable as a football player, a husband and a father. In what he calls “a game within a game,” Mark talks about what it means to finish what you start, the true meaning of commitment, no “would-have’s,” and the two conditions his dad gave him back in the seventh grade before letting him go after his life’s dream. He is joined by Dr. Martin Boublik, Assistant Professor, Orthopedics at the University of Colorado’s School of Medicine at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Dr. Boublik is also a co-founder of the famous Steadman Hawkins Clinic and is the Head Team Physician for the Denver Broncos. His work is deeply rooted in his care philosophy: “Whether my patient is a professional athlete, a weekend warrior, or someone hoping to once again chase the kids around the backyard, the most gratifying part of my practice as an orthopedic surgeon is helping someone return to an active lifestyle.” Dr. Boublik talks about the years he cared for Mark and pro athletes, protecting yourself from bone injury, new treatments for broken knees and how Mark really passed his first physical with the Broncos. How desperate are you to live your dream and what sacrifices are you willing to make? This winning team — Mark Schlereth and Dr. Boublik — inspire with their individual missions to conquer pain and dare ask the hardest question of all: Shouldn’t you be about something? #UnstoppablePodcasts

What can you control in the battle against cancer and who are the cancer angels? Controversial former NBA coach, George Karl, joins our UNSTOPPABLE cast to talk about what it means to live on the edge of COVID-19 when you are a three-time cancer survivor. He is joined by Doctor Antonio Jimeno, Professor of Medicine/Oncology and Otolaryngology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Dr. Jimeno talks about the disturbing rise of head and neck cancers in the US, why these cancers are so unique and important, new treatments and the journey cancer patients take in becoming unstoppable survivors. As for Karl, getting over a torn knee was child’s play compared to what was to come later in life. The first cancer diagnosis, prostate, was a blow. When he thought he’d beat it, he was diagnosed with head and neck cancer. Those two battles left Karl so weak that afterwards, he had to learn to eat again. With the help of people he calls his “cancer angels,” Karl pushed through, only to discover that he had ocular melanoma. “This is the one that will kill you,” he says. But nothing lit the fire against fighting cancer than getting the news that his son was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the prime of his life! “Cancer can make you smarter and tougher,” he says. “But you have to get through it first.” #UnstoppablePodcasts

In this electrifying episode, NFL Hall-of-Famer, Terrell Davis, shares the one thing that has made him unstoppable despite a life where he has had to overcome injury, the loss of his father in his early teens, systemic racism and blinding migraines since he was nine years old. He is joined by Doctor Marius Birlea, Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Jeffrey Rynek, Nurse Practitioner at CU Anschutz’s Headache Clinic, who tell us that not all headaches are created equally. What is a negative aura? And how did Terrell Davis conquer the second quarter of the Super Bowl in the middle of a blinding migraine attack? Doctor Birlea shines the light of relief for the 40 million migraine sufferers in the U.S. and talks about new non-invasive treatments that have few side effects. But of all the obstacles Davis had to beat on what he calls his “improbable journey to the NFL,” it was losing his father what made him think that life had no purpose. As for the game itself, when all seemed lost and he was about to quit football, Davis had a revelation that shocked him right before the game that changed his career. A proud father of three children, Terrell Davis also shares his views on how to change systemic racism through positive, inclusive involvement. “Do we live in a great country?” he asks. “Absolutely! Can we make it better? Absolutely! That’s what we’re fighting for.” #UnstoppablePodcasts