Andrea and Megan Wagner - Mother and Cancer Survivor, Founders of Reading4Research

The Ascent Podcast with Joe Burgess

In this episode, I interviewed two amazing and resilient people, Andrea Wagner and her daughter Megan. A little over four years ago, when she was eight years old, Megan was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. Since then, she's had to become the ultimate fighter, going through two rounds of chemo, and as a result, a heart transplant. In my interview, we learn about Megan's process for fighting this disease. In addition, from Andrea, we get a glimpse of the emotional rollercoaster that she, her husband Matt, and their other children Michael and Maddie, have had to endure.

Throughout all of that, Megan and Andrea have now created their own charity in partnership with the University of Minnesota Foundation called Reading4Research. We learn about how their charity came to be and the impact they are making.

Despite all these trials Megan and her family have endured, this is an inspirational story of hope, with gratitude for all the good things that can come out of a bad situation.