Summits Podcast

Epi 94: Overcoming Obstacles with Will DesJean

October 1st, 2025  |  31 mins 9 secs

12, amputee, beatcancer, bonecancer, brokenleg, cancer, caregiver, chemo, chemotherapy, chickfila, childrenscancer, community, fcancer, franklincentral, friendships, hero, heroesfoundation, indiana, indianapolis, indy, inspiration, itgetsbetter, iu, lambo, lookatthepositives, middledistance, notredame, oncology, osteosarcoma, pediatriccancer, prevention, research, showursummits, southbound, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, summitspodcast, support, surgery, swimming, thrivein25, unitinginagainstcancer, whyheroes

In episode 94 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah are joined by osteosarcoma survivor Will DesJean. Tune in as Will shares his cancer story, the setback he experienced this past year, and how he’s getting back to what he loves most – friends, fun, and most of all – swimming.

For more of Will’s story, tune in to episode 32 with his parents, Chris and Stacy DesJean: https://youtu.be/400NoR1ogVM

Epi 88: Staying Fit, Fighting Cancer and Giving Back with Joe Fazzini

May 29th, 2025  |  46 mins 14 secs

a/r, beatcancer, business development, cancer, caregiver, carmel, carmelmarathon, chicago, chicagoheights, chriscarr, coach, collections, community, diamondlake, duanejohnson, endurance, eveningwithheroes, fit4heroes, grandpa, hero, heroesfoundation, indiana, indianapolis, inspiration, ironman, italy, iu, lafayette, lancearmstrong, lupron, motioncycling, notredame, podcast, pointbreak, pope, prevention, prostatecancer, psa, purdue, reliantcapital, research, salliemae, showursummits, sjpcancerresearchfund, story, subaru, summit, summits, summits podcast, support, survivor, swing4heroes, teamheroes, teamjoey, the rock, thrivein25, triathlon, usatriathlon, whitesox

In episode 88 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah are joined by Joe Fazzini, a Carmel, Indiana based triathlon athlete and coach. Tune in as Joe shares his prostate cancer survivorship journey, how fitness inspires him, and his plan to give back to the Indiana cancer community.

Follow Joe on Instagram at @diamond-lake-sports as he participates in the 2024 Subaru CASA Cycling Challenge with a goal to ride 300 miles in 24 hours to fundraise for the Heroes Foundation!

Contribute to Joe’s fundraising efforts here: https://bit.ly/JoeFDonate

Epi 52: Dr. Nick Countryman shares skin cancer prevention tips

May 3rd, 2023  |  30 mins 8 secs

aad, americanacademyofdermatology, asymmetry, beatcancer, border, cancer, carcinoma, caregiver, coloncancer, color, community, dermatologist, dermatology, diameter, evolving, freeskincancerscreening, golf, hero, heroes, heroesfoundation, ihm, immaculateheart, indiana, indianapolis, indy500, inspiration, josefnewgarden, lfgin23, lungcancer, mba, md, melanoma, meridiankessler, notredame, penske, pickleball, podcast, selfexam, showursummits, skincancer, skincancerscreening, spf, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, summitspodcast, tanningbeds, tennis, tonykanaan, whatsurcancerstory, whyheroes, yale

In episode 52 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah are joined by Dr. Nick Countryman, dermatologist at Dawes Fretzin Dermatology.  As we head into Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month, you don’t want to miss Dr. Countryman’s top tips for protecting your skin from harmful sun exposure.

Epi 51: Dr. Tarah Ballinger on physical activity and cancer care

April 20th, 2023  |  22 mins 5 secs

beatcancer, cancer, cancerprevention, cancerresearch, caregiver, cbus, columbus, community, exercise, fit4heroes, getphysical, hero, heroes, heroesfoundation, indiana, indianapolis, indianauniversity, inspiration, interception, iu, lfgin23, move, notredame, ohio, oncologist, oncology, physicalactivity, prevention, research, showursummits, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, summitspodcast, thearnold, vanderbilt, vandy, wellness, whatsurcancerstory, whyheroes

In episode 51 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah are joined by Dr. Tarah Ballinger, breast oncologist at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and research gift recipient from Heroes Foundation’s Catherine Peachey Fund program.  Tune in as Dr. Ballinger shares the supportive oncology programs offered by the IU Simon Cancer Center and the important correlations between physical activity and cancer care.

Join us for Fit4Heroes!  Everyday Heroes are participating in the Heroes Foundation’s campaign through April 30 to increase their physical fitness and raise important funds for Hoosiers fighting cancer.  Register today at fit4heroes.org.

Epi 45: Summits Podcast 2022 Year in Review

January 20th, 2023  |  52 mins 50 secs

#piff, 2022, 2023, aneveningwithheroes, beatcancer, cancer, caregiver, community, deucedeuce, events, fit4heroes, gala, harpercancerresearchinstitute, hero, heroes, hoosiers, horsepower, horsepower4heroes, indiana, indianacancercommunity, indianapolis, inspiration, iu, jordans, js, lfgin23, nike, notredame, peachey, pediatric, pediatriccancer, piffparty, podcasts, programs, purdue, showursummits, sjpheroescancerresearchfund, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, summitspodcast, swing4heroes, teamheroes, teamjoey, whatsurcancerstory, whyheroes, winetasting, winetastingwithpeachey

Tune in as co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah share 2022 highlights for the Heroes Foundation and Summits Podcast and plans for growth in 2023.

Subscribe to the audio version of the Summits Podcast
https://summitspodcast.fireside.fm

Find out more about the Heroes Foundation
https://www.heroesfoundation.org

Find out more about The Brookfield Group
https://thebrookfieldgroup.com

Discover Platform 24 co-working
https://www.platform24.co

What’s your cancer story?

Hosted by cancer survivor and philanthropist Vince Todd, Jr., Chairman and Co-Founder of the Heroes Foundation, and Heroes Foundation Board Member Daniel Abdallah, the Summits Podcast is a place for people to share their stories.

Everyone has a cancer story.

From battling a deadly disease to caring for a loved one, when we rise up and face life’s greatest challenges, we see with a new vision, feel with a greater passion, and think with a deeper perspective.

Along the way, paths cross, journeys intersect, and missions converge.

For Vince Todd, it was his own cancer diagnosis that led him and his wife, Cindy, to launch the Heroes Foundation to provide meaningful support to cancer patients, education to promote cancer prevention, and resources to advance research for a cure.

What started with friends and family grew into a community. The Summits Podcast is an extension of that community.

Our stories are what bring us together.

Artists, athletes, doctors, business people - we’re all family members, community leaders, and activists.

Everyone has a story. Anyone can inspire. No one battles alone.

Join the conversation.

Let’s climb the summit together.

Epi 35: Ethan Braden on cancer research happening at Purdue University

August 23rd, 2022  |  17 mins 56 secs

albequerque, beatcancer, boilermakers, boilerup, branding, cancer, caregiver, community, elililly, hero, indiana, indianapolis, innovation, inspiration, marketing, mba, mitchdaniels, newmexico, nil, notredame, personalbrand, purdue, purdueuniversity, showursummits, sopurdue, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, summitspodcast, whatsurcancerstory, whyheroes, willamette

In episode 35 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah travel to West Lafayette to talk with Ethan Braden, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer at Purdue University. Tune in as Ethan shares the unique work of the Purdue Center for Cancer Research, the collaborative efforts the Center shares with other universities, and the story from a 6-year-old girl that forever changed his cancer perspective.

Epi 33: Dr. Andy Bullock details the cancer research happening at the University of Notre Dame

July 27th, 2022  |  26 mins 51 secs

beatcancer, cancer, caregiver, collaboration, community, cornell, earlydetection, golf, harpercancerresearchinstitute, hero, indiana, indianapolis, indianauniversity, inspiration, iu, mba, mexico, navy, notredame, phd, sandiego, showursummits, southbend, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, universityofnotredame, usnavy, whatsurcancerstory, whyheroes

In episode 33 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah travel to the University of Notre Dame to talk with Dr. Andy Bullock, Associate Director of the Harper Cancer Research Institute. Tune in as Dr. Bullock shares his time at Indiana University, Cornell University and the U.S. Navy, as well as the incredible growth he’s seen over the past decade at the Harper Cancer Research Institute. “The things we’re doing now, in cancer health disparities initiatives and collaborations with universities…those were just ideas at the time. To build those has been a wonderful experience.”

For more on the Catherine Peachey Fund’s recent gift to the Harper Cancer Research Institute, read more here: https://www.heroesfoundation.org/the-catherine-peachey-fund-announces-100000-gift-to-university-of-notre-dame-cancer-researcher/

Epi 29: Dr. Sharon Stack shares her fight against cancer

May 17th, 2022  |  13 mins 36 secs

beatcancer, cancer, caregiver, clemson, collaboration, community, duke, harpercancerresearchinstitute, hero, indiana, indianapolis, inspiration, jellybelly, lungcancer, northwestern, notredame, phd, researchcurescancer, sc, showursummits, story, summit, summits, summits podcast, universityofnotredame, whatsurcancerstory, whyheroes

In episode 29 of the Summits Podcast, co-hosts Vince Todd, Jr. and Daniel Abdallah travel to the University of Notre Dame to talk with Dr. Sharon Stack with the Harper Cancer Research Institute. Tune in as Dr. Stack shares the personal cancer story that fuels her fight, and the collaborative and cutting-edge atmosphere at the Harper Cancer Research Institute. “Everything comes from research, and it’s research that cures cancer.”

For more on our recent gift to the Harper Cancer Research Institute, read more here: https://www.heroesfoundation.org/the-catherine-peachey-fund-announces-100000-gift-to-university-of-notre-dame-cancer-researcher/