This is the lost Episode 0 of The Chemo Files. It was the first episode of the project created by Debbie, Warren and Noah Levinson in 2015, shortly after Debbie's diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer and just before her double mastectomy. You can find the rest of The Chemo Files on Soundcloud (https://soundcloud.com/chemo-files) or iTunes (ht…

In search of the craziest Christmas gifts and the simplest. Host Debbie Galant talks to shoppers outside of Macy's and takes a tour of the gag gift section at Urban Outfitters. With Noel Nowicki. Music by the Woodcrest Brass Band of Rifton, NY and R. Tists of Portland, OR.By Debbie Galant

Host Debbie Galant finds a vintage edition of "Fun with Dick and Jane" and struggles with her nostalgia for Dick, Jane and Sally and their grandparents' farm. Is she unconsciously buying into Donald Trump's message about America's lost greatness? With Noel Nowicki, Amy Selwyn, Warren Levinson and Ayla and Amir Avdicevic. Music from Stefano Vita, Sh…

Bestselling author Marie Kondo is the undisputed queen of decluttering, but how does her advice stack up against the bookcase of a former English major and a published novelist? Mixed at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Thanks to VCCA fellows Charles Fishman, Charlie Graeber, Dolores Johnson, Eric Sasson and Kelley Swain for their contrib…

Judging by our nervousness when we think we've left them behind, our cellphones may just be the most personal possession we own. And we rely on them for just about everything we do, despite thinking they're the downfall of civilization -- especially in somebody else's hands. But one cellphone user, in Boca Raton, Florida, who packs two iPhones ever…

What happens when the thing you find while cleaning out your loved one's possessions is the very symbol of malevolence? In Episode 2 of Stuff Dot Life, we find two klan robes in the attic. With Tom Greene, Oren and Tamima Friedman, David Cunningham and Alison Kinney. Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Jodie and Emlyn O'Regan. Klan Anthem by White Rider…

In the pilot of Stuff Dot Life, host Debbie Galant trudges up to her attic and discovers her 31-year-old wedding dress. In the midst of a decluttering campaign, she asks, "Does it go or does it stay?" Stuff Dot Life is a podcast about our things, and their relationship to our lives. This episode features Warren Levinson, Frank Polefka, and Amy Selw…

In this final episode of the Chemo Files, Debbie Galant and her son Noah Levinson discuss the end of chemo and the beginning of everything else. Special thanks to Debbie's brother, Mark Galant, and to Molly MacDonald of The Pink Fund.By Debbie Galant

In Episode 8 of the Chemo Files, we take time to hold the mic up to the Cancer Sisterhood, the interconnected web of women who've had cancer, and to thank them for all that they do. Tape editing and music by Noah Levinson. Interviews by Debbie Galant. Special shoutout to Mary's Place by the Sea (marysplacebythesea.org).…

In Episode 7, as Debbie battles increasing fatigue from chemo, along with the shortened daylight hours, we explore the myth of Persephone. And we find comfort from an unlikely source: the TV show Friday Night Lights. Special guest: Ellen Bakalian, adjunct professor of classics at Montclair State University. Produced by Noah Levinson. Music and soun…

This week, we look into the science and controversy of the American Cancer Society's new screening recommendations encouraging fewer mammograms. With interviews from Dr. Michael Scoppetuolo, Dr. Michael Baum, and Dr. Nancy Elliott. Tape editing from Warren Levinson, and new logo courtesy of Joe Amditis. With new music from Evan Schwartzman ("Chemis…

In Episode 5, we talk hair loss, heart surgery, wigs, Iris Apfel – and of course baseball. Thanks to Evan Schwartzman, who supplied musical interludes, and Terry Cashman, composer of "Talkin' Baseball," whose song has earwormed into our brains and into our hearts.By Debbie Galant

Just as Debbie comes through her first chemo more or less intact, we discover that Warren has a life-threatening problem of his own: a major arterial blockage. In this episode, mostly written and recorded at the hospital the week before a scheduled triple-bypass, we learn that even the sick can be caregivers to each other.…

Raw sound of Noah teaching Debbie some songs on ukulele, interrupted by a nature call. Some explicit language.By Debbie Galant

In Episode 3, Noah Levinson comes on board as the show's producer, holding the mic in the oncologist's office and working hard to scrute the inscrutable. Meanwhile, there's a wig-shopping adventure, a family staycation and more life lessons, in an episode we call Zen Student. Host: Debbie Galant. Producer: Noah Levinson. Editor: Warren Levinson. Co…

As New York City's mayor and police commissioner freak out about women baring their breasts in Times Square, host Debbie Galant comes to appreciate her breast reduction, courtesy of cancer. Thanks to Becky Dawson for covering GoTopless's Nipple Pride Parade (and Margot Levinson for telling us about it). "Titular Two-Step" by composer Evan Schwartzm…

In Episode 1 of The Chemo Files, host Debbie Galant talks about having surgery for breast cancer, which involves a lot of people bringing gifts and strange dreams. Edited by Warren Levinson. Satie musical interlude arranged by Evan Schwartzman. Logo by Joe Amditis. Concept by Noah Levinson.By Debbie Galant