Spirituality and Cancer Care With Michael Eselun, BCC
When faced with a cancer diagnosis, some patients rely on their spirituality to cope and find meaning behind the experience. For some, spirituality is a belief in a higher power. For others, it’s simply a recognition that there is something greater than oneself. In this conversation, Michael Eselun discusses how patients, caregivers, and others facing challenges, rely on or call into question their own spirituality.
Michael Eselun, a two-time TED-X speaker, serves as the chaplain for the Simms/Mann-UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology, having shaped the spiritual care program from its inception. He has worked extensively in oncology, hospice, palliative care and with acute psychiatric patients. Highly regarded as a keynote speaker, Michael speaks extensively to healthcare professionals, patient populations and faith communities across the country. He weaves stories with vulnerability, insight, and humor– stories to wrap around the deeper questions of life, mortality and meaning. Michael speaks from deep personal experience while also sharing the experiences of his patients, making connections between seemingly disparate life journeys. Michael was recently inducted into the UCLA-Semel Institute Eudaimonia Society, in recognition of having lived a meaning-driven life— nominated for this honor by ten of his colleagues and peers.
Beyond the Clinic: Living Well With Melanoma is a twelve-series podcast hosted by Raymond Liu, MD, Director of Cancer Survivorship for Kaiser Permanente San Francisco. For more information on our program, Beyond the Clinic: Living Well with Melanoma, and to find out about upcoming topics and guests, click here.