Strong. Healthy. Empowered.
In this powerful episode of the SHE MD podcast, special guests Taylor Odlozil and Dr. Kristin Taylor share a deeply emotional journey through love, loss, and hope. Taylor opens up about meeting his wife Haley, her shocking stage 3C ovarian cancer diagnosis, and the devastating lows and precious highs that followed. Dr. Kristin Taylor provides medical insights, discussing Haley’s treatment and the importance of early detection. Dr. A. explains why an annual pelvic ultrasound should be part of every woman's healthcare routine. From navigating chemotherapy to facing end-of-life decisions, this episode offers heartfelt lessons in resilience, the role of surrogacy, the power of advocacy in healthcare, and ovarian cancer awareness.
Taylor Odlozil is a widower, father, and content creator. He is a resident of The Woodlands, TX. Taylor graduated in 2014 from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Petroleum Engineering. He is also an Ironman Triathlete and an Eagle Scout. He married his high school sweetheart, Haley Odlozil, in 2016, just two months after she was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. He is a single dad to a 5-year-old son named Weston. Taylor was Haley’s primary caregiver for 8 years until she passed away in July 2023. He began sharing their story publicly 9 months before Haley passed away. Due to this, he has a large platform that allows him to continue to share her story and bring awareness to ovarian cancer. His purpose now is to inspire and help others who are struggling with not only cancer but mental health.
Kristin N. Taylor, MD, FACOG, is a gynecologic oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center since 2019. She graduated from Yale University with a degree in Psychology, and received her medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College. She completed her residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island/Brown University. Dr. Taylor also completed a subspecialty fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at the University of California, San Diego and is board-certified in both Obstetrics & Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology. As a Gynecologic Oncologist, she provides surgical management of gynecologic cancers with a particular focus on fertility-sparing surgery and robotic surgery, and provides medical treatment including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy. In addition to her commitment to providing compassionate, individualized care to her patients, Dr. Taylor is dedicated to research to developing novel treatments for ovarian cancer that does not respond to standard therapies, and improving access to care based on racial, socioeconomic and geographic disparities. She is the recipient of the Early Career and New Investigator Mentored Fellowship in the Ovarian Cancer Subcommittee with NRG Oncology, an organization funded by the National Cancer Institute which is dedicated to developing clinical trials of promising new cancer drug combinations. Her work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, and she has contributed expert commentaries for national organizations including the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Key Takeaways From This Episode:
1. If you have a family history of ovarian cancer, get genetic testing. A very low threshold exists for seeing a genetic counselor and getting genetic testing.
2. You know your body. If you suspect something is wrong, see a doctor and get ultrasound imaging. Be relentless and find a doctor who will perform the test.
3. Trust yourself and advocate for your health. See your doctor if you're experiencing symptoms discussed in this episode.
4. September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, it’s a time for women to learn about this type of cancer and screening.
5. Taylor Odlozil reminds us to live in the moment and know that today is a gift.
In This Episode:
Quotes:
“I used to always stress out about the future. I don't look past today now. I just learned that today is a gift and we're not going to get stressed out about tomorrow because it's today, so that was a lesson I learned early. It was the only way you can live normally when you're dealing with cancer because if you're not present in the moment, you can't experience joy.” Taylor Odlozil
“When I'm meeting a new cancer patient, and it’s like what you said, Taylor, when you walk in, you see people who don't have hair, and it hits you. Oh my goodness, I'm in a cancer center. I say I'm Dr. Taylor. Nice to meet you. I'm sorry you have to meet the oncologist today, no one ever wants to, and I just pause because I think just recognizing that they don't want to be here, but you know you have to be, and I recognize that, and we're in this together as much as I possibly can be.” Dr. Kristin Taylor
Resources:
Dr. Kristin Taylor, MD - Cedars-Sinai
Twitter: @DrKTay
Genetic tests: https://myriad.com/
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