Betsy Beggs === Vince: [00:00:00] Thank you for doing your hair this morning. I, I did as well. Betsy: I want it to look like yours. Vince: Uh, don't joke. I mean, that can be arranged. We could do that. And it's low maintenance. I mean, whether it's raining, high, humidity, whatever, doesn't really matter. That's all. Your mom actually knew me when I did have hair. Okay. Really funny story. This could be some good B-roll. Go ahead and hit record, Chris. Yeah, because this, this will be kind of funny. Daniel: We're live. We're live. Vince: We are okay. And, and I'm poking fun at myself here, which of course is easy to do, easy to do as Daniel will test. Uh, so when I, when I knew your mom back in college, I actually did have hair. It was starting to go, but I did. And here's a funny story. So I got married two, two and a half years. Yeah, two, two and a half years after graduation. And I don't know, my, our, I have three kids. They were younger, but, um, one of the first times they were watching our wedding video, uh, which there's two stories there, but one, that's the first times and they, and they can actually talk. So they were probably four or [00:01:00] five, six, something like that. They look up and, and my oldest goes, oh wait, mom, why are you up there with Uncle Joe, which is my younger brother, because they've only known me with not having hair, and they see someone up there with hair and they're like, what's up with that? I'm like, that's. That's crap. But it is. I mean, Daniel: I, I have not known you with hair. Vince: Well, yeah, but 'cause you're not that much older than she is. I Daniel: know, I know. I'm just saying it would be, it might be jarring. Vince: Did we get you Daniel: in a, can we get you in a wig? I was waiting Vince: for you to say that and you've actually, I was gonna say you've seen that, which sounds really creepy. Uhhuh. So I did actually put a wig on at the last on Evening with Heroes Gala, um, based on a Hina Montana wager. So. Yes. Super creepy. Not the appropriate wig for me. Not that any of them are, but that can be done. Betsy: Um, how did you find it, Montana Weger situation? Vince: That excellent question. Um, I. I don't remember how it came up. Oh, it was something to [00:02:00] do with Tatum Parker and I, Tatum is a, a young cancer survivor. She's probably, she's probably really close to your age given, give or take a year or two within, within the same age range. Um, and I can't, we did, we did a podcast episode with her a couple years ago. Somehow it came up, someone remembered that it came up, and so we did an interview with her at the last gala. And so I came out as. Creepy, Hannah Montana. There's probably other terms for it, but I'll just leave it at that. And, uh, and as soon as that bit was over, I was quick to take that wig off because I looked at myself in the mirror. I was like, oh my God, I'm scaring myself. It was bad. Uh, real quick, other piece of that, uh, wedding video, if you go to, so it's on VHS tape, which I think you're old enough to know what a, remember what a VHS tape is if you watch it Now, there is a 32nd clip. Somewhere in the first. Like the gr, my gr my, my best man's speech at the reception that [00:03:00] suddenly cuts to like the Wiggles or some kid cartoon because one of our kids accidentally either went up to the machine and hit the record button not knowing or hit, you know, hit the remote record button. So there's a 32nd window of some kid show. That's unreal. I can't make that stuff up, but it is what it is. Alright, well. Um, let's see, at least Betsy's on East Coast Time. 1115 in New York City, standard year, 8:15 AM Seattle time. Um, yep. Obviously I'm in an indie. Um, so just say our, our first. Podcast episode that, that covers the entire country. Daniel: Yeah, Vince: I like Daniel: it. It is, I dunno why he said that sounds weird, but it just, it just, and it just so happened to work out that way. It wasn't, it wasn't necessarily planned either, so Yeah. No, no. It's, uh, our first one like this, so get it. Get it on the books so we can do more of 'em this way if we have to. Vince: Yeah. I, I'm feeling, I'm feeling really good about this one though, because I [00:04:00] think Betsy's gonna bring, um, some energy, um, certainly her story or I'm not talking like you're not here, Betsy. Your story is, is is very intriguing and as I said earlier, I. Um, I guess I'm old enough to be your father and, um, well, I'm certainly not your father. Um, I've known your parents for a long, long time, and so this one hits hold for me too. Um, and I think one of the reasons you may ask us, okay, well, either A, why did you start The Heroes Foundation or B now that you're, you're getting ready to go into your 25th year in 2025, like, how have you continued doing this while also having a. Day job and a business to run and starting to right, raising a family and all that stuff. And aside from maybe schizophrenia or something, um, it comes down to alcohol, passion and grit. And, um, I think those are based on what I know about you through your parents, I think those are qualities that you have as well. And we will get into that. And so anyway, I'm, I'm very proud [00:05:00] of you for, uh, what you've accomplished, but I'm also very proud of, of the attitude that you've had, um, based on, on your experience, but we'll, we'll get into that. I don't wanna jump the gun, per se. Is this thing on. Hey guys. Welcome back to another episode of the Summits podcast. Thank you all from joining us from wherever your podcast or if you're tuning in on the Heroes Foundation YouTube channel. Thank you for doing so, by the way, if that's what you're doing, uh, please feel free to hit that little subscribe button up in the corner and that notification bill icon so you can be alerted to when new episodes like this very one drop. If you haven't done so, no big deal. Won't cost you a dime, it's absolutely free, but we would greatly appreciate the more you do that, the more of the fun. Google algorithm, uh, helps us out. Um, alright. Today, special day for us. [00:06:00] Um, got a, got one of the, the young guns in the country as a guest. Uh, she just so happens to be the daughter of a good friend of mine from college many, many years ago. Um, but not too many. Uh, miss Betsy begs Betsy, welcome to the Summits podcast. Betsy: Thanks for having me. Vince: You're welcome. Uh, Betsy, you're a born and raised cruiser in beautiful, what I like to call God's country, Bloomington, Indiana. Our, our, my fellow co-host who happens to be a Purdue boil maker, may not agree with that, but it is what it is. No comment. That's fine. Some. Well, Betsy, why don't you do us a favor and introduce yourself. Betsy: Absolutely. Well, uh, thank you both again for having me today. I, like you said, I grew up in Bloomington, Indiana. Lived there until college when I went to DePauw. Had a great experience at DePauw. Um, was really involved, you know, in my sorority. All sorts of organizations. Loved my experience there. Um, and then decided I [00:07:00] wanted to. Do something else and see a little bit more of the world. And so I spent a couple of summer internships at, uh, an investment bank in New York City and loved the experience, learned a lot, met really interesting people, uh, worked with really interesting companies and thought that that's what I wanted to do after graduation. So, um, after graduation, I packed my bags. My dad would say there were more than bags than I think my brothers took to college. They're both in the army and. They pack light. I do not. Uh, but, so we moved out to New York City and, and that was it. So had a, had a, you know, two and a half year, uh, stint in New York City so far. Or I guess it's been about three years now. And I love, I love the big apple. I'm far away from my parents, which I miss. But, um, you know, the city's great and there's lots to do here. Vince: Yeah. All right. So I'm gonna back up and, and, and hit a couple things here in that, um. So your mom happens to work for Indian, the Indiana University. Sorry, Daniel. The right, yes. [00:08:00] The, um, I, I think I've asked her this question as well, but what drew you, I mean, obviously you've been surrounded by IU your whole life. Yes. What drew you to DePaul? Not nothing wrong with DePaul. It's great school. But what drew you to DePaul instead of just going to IU in your backyard? Betsy: Well, so if you were interviewing events, I would tell you that I loved the liberal arts and I wanted to read and write and think critically, and all of that is true. But also when I was a senior in high school, I was hanging out with my friends in downtown Bloomington, right on Kirkwood. You know exactly where I'm talking about. Yeah, county Central. Right in front. Exactly, exactly. We were getting lunch or something and all of a sudden I hear my name coming from down the street and it's my mom coming out of a meeting with her coworker. I cannot do this for four years. That's fair. I've gotta be. So I, uh, I, I loved iu. I thought the Kelly School of Business business was great. Um, you know, obviously lifelong Hoosier will always be a Hoosier fan to the extent that I watch sports. But, um, just decided that I wanted to try something else and, [00:09:00] and DePauw was a great fit. I. I loved the people. I loved how involved you could be. There were lots of carryovers from my time in high school. So there was, you know, a dance marathon and there were Greek activities that I was excited to try 'cause my dad had gone there as well. Okay. And had a great experience. And so, um, there was just a lot to like about DePauw and I ended up having a great experience. Vince: Yeah. Fair answer. Um, kind of figured that's, that was the case, but had to ask, uh, my wife who happened to be grow up. Most of her, like later grade school and high school years in Bloomington, uh, she went to Purdue. It's almost like, oh my God, how can you go to Purdue when you're basically from Bloomington? And very similar answer in that her parents didn't work for iu, but just, it was almost assumed that you just matriculate. She went to Bloomington North, would matriculate from there and go to iu. And she's just like, I, I don't want to another extension of high school. I want to go do something else. And there you have it. Yeah. Um, so you, you said you're in a sorority at DePaul. Which sorority were you in? Betsy: I was [00:10:00] an alpha fee. Vince: Alpha fee. Okay, perfect. Daniel: What's, uh, so you mentioned, obviously you've been in New York for a little bit now. What is the, um, either a hole in the wall or something that pe most people don't know about New York, whether it's a restaurant, something new or something like that, that you've learned over the years? That if what we were to travel there for a road share or something like that, that we would have to do when we're in New York. Betsy: Ooh, that's a good question. Daniel: No, off the beaten path, not the touristy kind of stuff. Right. Just something hole in the wall unique that, uh, you wouldn't find without a local knowledge. Betsy: See, it's funny 'cause I love the touristy stuff, so I, okay, all right. Sometimes I'll go on, you know, the walking tours, I love the Mm-Hmm. The. The downtown, uh, financial district, Manhattan Walking tour is like one of my favorite things. I think it's so interesting. So sometimes you can find, sometimes the touristy stuff is not so bad. I was actually up at the wor in the World Trade Center last week and it 360 degree views of Manhattan. It's so beautiful. That's cool. You can [00:11:00] see every direction. But that's pretty cool. And um. I like the street carts so you can find a hot dog or pretzel or whatever on the street. I think those are not a bad option, and especially around the holidays, New York is the best place to be in the holidays because the, um, the lights and the shops and everything is all set up for the winter. So I love going to the Rockettes. I love the ballet. And, um, just all of the things that you think of when you think of New York City Christmas, I, this is a pretty great place to be this time of year. Got it. Daniel: Got it. Well, we know who to call for, uh, you know, a tour guide or whatever there when we're in town. Right? Vince: Absolutely. Which is the best hot dog cart in New York City? There we Daniel: go. Betsy: Uh, great question. It's the one on Broadway and Fulton. Okay. Near my house. So that's the one that I got if I'm ever out on a walk during the day, and typically I go and other people aren't with me because I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I eat the. Read, [00:12:00] whatever. Vince: Yeah, exactly. You're pretty good. Well, Bess, you were an economics major at DePaul, correct? Betsy: I was, yes. Okay. Vince: So let me ask you this. I mean, there's, and, and maybe I'm generalizing it if I'm totally inaccurate, please correct me. Um, I would assume Goldman Sachs legit job. I mean, not too many people move on to Goldman Sachs investment banking's. Um, it's a. Premier firm here in the country. Um, I would assume you're probably surrounded by a bunch of Ivy Leaguers and or Upper East coasters. No offense to any of them. Um, I certainly would not have been in that category. Um, I did graduate, just wasn't at the top of my class, but hey, whatever. Again, we'll go back to that grit and passion thing. Um, my question to you is how did, how did you go from econ major at DePaul into investment banking in New York City? You mentioned some internships, but kind of what drove that and how'd that all come about? Betsy: It's a great question. So, um, I remember standing in my freshman dorm room. I, I had heard, actually, no, it was [00:13:00] before that. So when I was a senior in, in high school visiting DePauw, there was a student who spoke on a panel and he was gonna be in investment banking at another firm. He, that's what he was gonna do after college. And I remember thinking that he was so articulate and. Really had his life together. He had it all figured out. And most importantly, he was going into his senior year and he had a job already, so he was gonna get to enjoy the rest of his senior year. Right. And not have to. Of finding a job and I thought that sounds great. So, um, so started at DePauw and I remembered standing in my freshman door and telling my roommate that I really wanted to be an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. And I had no idea what that meant. I had no idea really what Goldman Sachs was or what the firm was. Um. But from there, I had the good fortune of meeting a couple of alumni, DePaul alumni, um, who really helped me understand what the industry was, what exactly, you know, 'cause everything in finance, I think people sort of use complicated words to understand things that, or to, to make sense of things that we [00:14:00] all really. Understand on a fundamental level. And so he really took me under his wing and, you know, explained what we do and, um, you know, here are the qualities that we're looking for and here's how you can, you know, you know, make yourself a successful candidate. And really advocated for me during the interview process. So, um, throughout my freshman year, I was just meeting people. I was, you know, having conversations about marketing and finance and operations and all sorts of things that I. You know, di didn't know what, what I wanted to be. Um, but fortunately in investment banking you tend to have to pick a horse pretty early. And so the horse I picked was, was banking. And fortunately ended up at Goldman the summer after my sophomore year of college, which is year earlier than when most people do it. Okay. I was, I was a big for my, for my internship class. Vince: Now, was that internship after your sophomore year, was it in New York City? Betsy: It was, so that was Vince: impressive Betsy: that I had ever visited New York City. I flew out by myself. I had two really big suitcases that I could [00:15:00] not carry. I mentioned I'm not a packer. And, uh, and so that was, that was the second time I literally had never seen, I never, I didn't know what the, um, empire State Building looked like. I, I just showed up and, and did it, and it was so exciting and so. Fun. Um, I, I, I, that summer, I really looked back fondly upon that summer. 'cause it was the first time I think I felt like, okay, I'm, I'm doing it. I'm on a path. I'm growing up. I'm, you know, I'm on my own, surviving in a big city. And that was really, that was an exciting summer. Vince: Yeah. Uh, really a random fact as I like to call it a but fact. Um, what is one of the main ingredients in the construction of the Empire State Building? Betsy: I don't know. That wasn't on the tour. Vince: Indiana Limestone. Betsy: Is it really? Vince: There you go. The more you know, Betsy: well, next time I'm on the Midtown tour, I will let them know. Yeah. Vince: I was not on Dean's list. But don't, don't want you, you, sorry. You want me on your team for Trivial Pursuit? Yeah. Daniel: Don't, don't [00:16:00] challenge his trivia knowledge. Yeah. It's Vince: random, random, useless, can say butt facts as I call 'em. Yep, yep. Um, so, okay, sophomore year internship, you go back to DePaul for junior year. Um, I assume, and this is maybe a bad assumption, then after junior year, did you go back or did you do a separate internship somewhere else? Betsy: So my junior year, um, fall semester, I was back on campus. I was living in the sorority house also having a great time. Um, I had fortunately gotten the return offer to come back for a second summer internship, so I knew I didn't have to worry about finding an internship and, uh. And then the spring, I was supposed to go abroad to Paris, so I actually did go abroad to Paris. I was taking courses in language and art and history in French. So my French was getting pretty good, and I was in Paris for all of about seven weeks before the world shutdown because of Covid. So I was there and I [00:17:00] remember when the day that, I mean, everyone remembers the day that Covid hit or the day that they realized what covid was the day you went into lockdown. And so when the day that I realized I had to go into lockdown, I. Was the day before the borders shut between France and the us. Daniel: Mm-Hmm. Wow. And Betsy: it was unclear whether or not the border would be open by the time I could get a flight. And so I waited for hours in the Air France line only to realize that all of the employees knew they were gonna be laid off the next day, and none of them spoke English. So. First of all, they, they were, you know, too busy, overworked. They, they, they didn't wanna help. And also they spoke English and or didn't speak English. And so, fortunately, I don't know how it happened, but somehow, some way I flew into Boston and then got home. Um, and then, you know, I had to isolate for a couple of weeks, but that was a little bit that I was not sure if I was gonna get back into the United States at that point. Vince: Right. Wow. Well, hey, good stories, man. Uh, you made it. You made it. You made it. Yeah. Yeah, you made it. So let me ask, [00:18:00] uh, we'll fast forward a little bit. You graduated from DePaul. Um, when, when did the job offer come? I. Betsy: So the job offer came, uh, as I sort of hoped it would when I was that senior in high school, hoping I wouldn't have to worry about right. Finding a job. Senior year, I was really lucky because investment banking stayed the way it was and they, you know, there were return after, after. Return offers after the internship. So I did the internship from, uh, from Fountain Square Mall. There was a basement office that was not being rented. My parents happened to be moving that summer, so one of our family friends was kind and took pity on me and let me use this basement in the bottom of Fountain Square Mall on the Bloomington Square. To do my internship. And so I would go in there on all hours of the day, you know, with my little laptop and my little monitors and, uh, and, and do my internship that way. But fortunately, the, the offer, return offer came back at the end of that summer. And so I knew I was gonna move to New York and I, it was all settled. So then senior year, the rest of senior year was great. [00:19:00] I, uh, I lived with a, with a bunch of friends in a house in Indianapolis. We lived, um, actually in a Fountain Square, or no, what is it? Yeah, yeah. Fountain Square. Vince: Yeah. Betsy: Near where, um, it was, the neighborhood was called Woodruff Place. It was a, we loved a great time, lived there for a semester, and then my spring semester, my last one at DePauw, we were all back on campus. And so it was like the culmination of all of this, of all of us working hard. All my friends had jobs by then, so we'd all worked really hard, studied really hard, and now we could just. Enjoy being together before real life started. Vince: It's okay to say party really hard too. Yeah. You enjoyed being nice PC answer. All right, well that's, um, sorry. I'm automatically giving you a nickname. Um, I think I, I think I heard your mom say that a couple times. So you're in New York City, you, you got a couple years or a year or so under your belt. Um, let, let's, let's go down this path now. Um, Betsy, what is your cancer story? [00:20:00] Betsy: I, yeah, so, um, it started about a, not even a year after I moved to New York. Yeah. So I moved to New York in. Cancer story starts in February. I was at a Super Bowl party and uh, I was at this Super Bowl party and I had a bowl of chili and like one beer and you know, Superbowl party, whatever. And I went home and I got so sick. I was just. Felt sicker than I'd ever felt. I thought that's weird. And it was vegetarian chili and I'm more of like a meat and potatoes kind of gal. So I was like, maybe I'm just rejecting this vegetarian thing. Like maybe this is just not for me. Um, and so didn't think anything of it, but I remember thinking that that was a bit weird. And then from February until I would say probably. June, I started to get sicker and sicker, so it got to the point where I was throwing up, you know, three times a week and then four times a week, and then it was like every night. I would eat my [00:21:00] dinner 'cause I would always eat my dinner at my desk and I would go get sick afterward. And I didn't know why I, I thought I was maybe allergic to something or had like a gluten, I don't know, like a gluten thing or acid reflux or whatever it was. Had no idea what was going on. But I think even between February and April or May, I, I went home for Easter and my Tara and saw me and I. I had lost a bunch of weight. I, I obviously wasn't trying, um, but I just looked sickly. I looked, I looked like a sick person. Mm-Hmm. And so, um, that sort of continued and I got, you know, worse and worse over the summer. And so I. You know, of course I would go to a, I would make doctor's appointments and they, they would kind of say, well, you know, you should probably sleep a little bit more, because I, I was working a lot. I was, you know, 80, a hundred hour weeks most of the time. So they'd say, oh, you should sleep more. And I'd say, okay, like, you don't really do that. And they'd then my back started hurting and they'd say, oh, well you should get a different chair, like a, a a chair insert for, for your back. [00:22:00] And, Vince: but no blood draws up to that point. Betsy: Yeah, actually I had, I had done blood jaws. Okay. Yeah. I, they had drawn my blood. Everything was normal. Nothing was really to be concerned about. They thought maybe I had low iron, so I took a vitamin, but it was all just, you know, I was sick, clearly sick. There was nobody that. Knew what was going on. Um, and, and I wasn't really on like a fast track to get better. I don't, I don't know if you guys are this way, but I'm not one that will stay home if I have like a sore throat. I just kind of power through and push along. Right? Vince: Yeah. Betsy: And so that's sort of what I was doing. I was powering through, pushing along, doing what I could, you know, getting through work and, and all of that stuff. And, and, um, towards the middle of the summer. I had lost about 40 pounds at that point, and um, my voice had gone. So if you think I'm like scratchy voice now, I was in a whole different category. I. Back then and didn't know what [00:23:00] was going on. But I would sit at restaurants with people or in loud places and they couldn't hear me from across the room. I couldn't speak, and it was starting to change the way I interacted with people 'cause I couldn't really speak out loud. Um, I was becoming very sort of shy. I also just was tired all the time and, and didn't know what it wa didn't know what was going on. So this is February until the summer. Um, I actually got Covid during that summer, so I was home. Oh, wonderful. And, um, you know, just felt really sick. I, I don't know what else it was, but I just felt really sick and. Didn't really, you know, took an Advil for the, for the headache and then kind of went about my day and kept working. And so I was working, I was sick. Um, but I, I wanted to just keep going and like keep that. I, no, I didn't think that any doctor was gonna be able to tell me what was wrong. And so I just wanted to keep going about my business and not, you know, working and not, not thinking about any of it. But, um, August of 2022. So at this point I'd been in New York for one year. [00:24:00] Um, I, on a Sunday night was working. And I went, I, I told my dad earlier in the day that I thought my heart was not doing well. Like I thought something was wrong with my heart. And so I did one of those medical doc, you know, those e-visit doctor things? Vince: Mm-Hmm mm-Hmm. Betsy: He was like, oh, you know, you probably just monitor it. It's probably okay. Probably not anything. Don't worry about it. So, okay, fine. Um, later that evening, I called my dad and I was like, dad, I'm having a, I, I'm having a heart attack. Something has got to be done. I, I don't know what to do. This is not normal, but I think I'm having a heart attack. And he was like, okay. Uh, a adults, when they get sick, go to the hospital. You've been putting this off for months. You need to go to the hospital now. And so I walked myself to the er. Um, it was really close. I didn't need to Uber. I just walked and, you know, brought my little laptop so I could keep working. Uh, and, and I went to the er. And so I told them when I got there, you know, they see me and of course I'm [00:25:00] very, you know, at this point I've lost about 50 pounds. So I'm pretty thin, a little bit sickly looking. I have this voice where I can't really talk and I'm coming in complaining of a heart attack. And I think they probably didn't know what to do with me, but eventually, um, they took me back, they drew my blood, and then they did the x-ray. And in the X-ray, I, I remember the nurse's face when it sort of dropped and I thought, that's a little weird. I've never seen that before. Um, Vince: but this is the first time they did an X-ray since you all started feeling bad. Betsy: E yeah. E ever actually. Okay. The first X-ray of my chest ever. Vince: Right. Betsy: I, I remember the look on her face that she was a little concerned, and then they held me a little longer. And at this point, I'm calling my parents. I've let work know that I'm not coming, I won't be coming in tomorrow. Um, and um, I, I, I did the CT and then that's when I really, I. I really saw the look on the nurse's face and clearly [00:26:00] something was wrong. Clearly there was something on that CT that even, you know, that even without a doctor could tell that something was not right. And so it's at this point, you know, two in the morning or something and I'm starving. I haven't eaten. Um, and eventually they take me up in an ambulance. I think I was the most. Anticlimactic ambulance ride they had all month because I could walk my, you know, I was walking around like I walked to the hospital. You Vince: walked yourself to the er. That was one of the things I wrote down. Your mom told us that story and we're like, wait, what? I remember that. She's like, yeah, she walked her ass to the er. And I'm like. Oh, okay. Daniel: Yeah. Well, and on top of that, now sh you, you brought your laptop with you, so just in case between an X-Ray or an MRI or something like that, you can, you could pop out a couple emails. Betsy: Right. It's funny because everyone at work is saying, no, go take care of yourself. It's fine. You know, we will be here. Do do what you need to do. And I was like, no, it's okay. I'm fine. I can do it. It's fine. Um, which was really dumb in hindsight. [00:27:00] But whatever. Um, so anyway, so I, I got taken up to Weill Cornell, um, in the sixties up, you know, upper East side of Manhattan in an ambulance I'd never been in an ambulance for before. So that was pretty cool. And then at that point I got into the room and they're starting to hook me up to all the machines and all the tubes and stuff. And then I get really scared 'cause I'm alone in this hospital. And, um, starting to Vince: set in that something something's serious. Betsy: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what, so, uh, so, so then my mom gets there and they figure out that they, they tell us that they've done some more blood tests, and they think it could be a lymphoma, it could be something else. They, they never, actually, one thing that struck me is that they never actually said you have cancer. It was sort of like, well, we think it could be this, or we think it could be that. And um, and then sort of the realization comes upon you as the listener [00:28:00] or you know me and I'm thinking, oh my gosh, you said lymphoma. That means cancer. Surely I can't have, and then. Uh, yeah, and, and it just, it, it surprised. I didn't wanna believe it. I didn't understand it. I, I didn't know what it meant, but, you know, they were answering all our questions. The team at Weill Cornell was absolutely amazing. And so then the next day I went in and they did a biopsy. I still have a little scar on my neck. They also placed a chest tube to remove all of the. Fluid that was in my chest. Yeah. And after that, I felt amazing because I had all this fluid in my chest, half of my chest was covered in fluid. Um, and I, I could finally eat again and I could finally keep food down without getting sick. 'cause there weren't, there wasn't, you know, cancerous fluid pushing down on my organs. Right. And I was the happiest person ever to be eating hospital food. 'cause I hadn't been able to eat anything month. So and so, um, so we did the, the, you know, the, the biopsy. They [00:29:00] started testing it, you know, the fluid with the chest, the, the chest fluid and tube. And, um, then the PET scan was the next day. And then finally they said, you know, this, this, we think this is stage four. Um, it's, you know, stage four means it's not curable, but we have a couple ideas of what this could be. And so we ended the hospital stay. Um, the doctors and nurses were just so fantastic and we ended the hospital stay believing that I had some sort of stomach cancer with maybe a lung cancer involvement, but that it was definitely stage four and I believe that I was going to have to start chemo probably the next week or the week after. Um, but they, we wanted to freeze my eggs after that. So just in case I wanna have a, you know, family later. And so, um. So all of to starting, so I get outta the hospital, um, I'm starting to do all of these, you know, processes that are like, I never thought I was gonna have to ever do that, you know, [00:30:00] lot, you know, emotions are crazy, super shocked about what is happening and what I, I can't even put into words. I mean, you know, this feeling, uh, unfortunately, but you just, like your world is so rattled, Vince: right? Betsy: And, and I can't, I couldn't figure out what had just happened. You know, in some ways it's very calm because you feel like the worst is sort of behind you, but in other ways you realize that your whole life is going to change from now. And, and so that's sort of an unnerving feeling. But, um, I went through the next, you know, week or so, and then by the time. Um, of the end of, of, you know, pre-chemo treatments and all of that that I was doing, they realized my oncologist brilliant, realized that I could have this mutation. And so he tested the muta or he tested my tissue that they had taken a couple weeks earlier and they found this ALK positive mutation. Which is, it accounts for, um, about 5% of all lung cancer cases are alk positive lung [00:31:00] cancer. It is a genetic mutation. It's not hereditary, so it's not something that I got from my parents. It's just one of those things that happens. I think Vince, you said it's like the lottery. We never wanted to win, Vince: right? Betsy: Like that lottery was the op positive gene and um, it, it's most common in women under 50 who are never. So that was me and yeah. Um, it was, so two things I remember about that. One was, there was a, there was a period of time where I believed that I was going to have to do chemo and I. I don't know if, if you ever went through chemo, I'm sure you did, but I would, I heard and read all the things about chemo and every time I would, you know, pull my hair, I would just, so, because I thought, oh no, I'm gonna lose all my hair, or I. Oh, no, I'm right. Right. It's not that bad. I mean, not that it's not a good one, but it wasn't the one at the time I was [00:32:00] 23. Come on. I, I know. Yeah. Um, and so I, I, I thought, oh my gosh, I'm gonna lose all my hair. And just such fear and anxiety about what chemo could mean and what chemo would look like. Um, but my family and my friends were, were. I can't even say how amazing they were and, and, and work was so supportive and just the amount of people that I had rallying behind me. I will forever be grateful for that time of my life because as hard as it was and as awful as it felt, there was so much love and support from people that I didn't even know. Cared or had a cancer experience or, you know, had this, uh, you know, a traumatic thing happen to a loved one. It was just so, so encouraging and overwhelming, and I just felt so, so grateful. So that's the second. Remember about that time period? Vince: Yeah. You mentioned earlier [00:33:00] that Goldman was very supportive. Um, and that's great to hear because I think in someti in, in some cases, and this this is a generalization, um, these large public companies are viewed as, you know, being all about the shareholder and all about work and all about, you know, you mentioned 80 to a hundred hour weeks and all that, and you think that, okay, that they're only focused on one thing and you're just a number like whatever to hear that they, you know. We're, we're all human at the end of the day. Mm-Hmm mm-Hmm. Um, and, and to, to understand that someone who's not from New York City who's working in this environment, but then this situation happens and you have the support of that community is, is huge as we all know. And that's, that's great to hear. Betsy: Yeah. They were incredible. And I, I got to take some time off from work. They made it so easy to. To step away and were just supportive. And they were friends. You know, they, they listened, they checked on me. Um, they [00:34:00] offered to introduce me to doctors in New York. 'cause you know, my, we're not from New York. I, I didn't know any Mm-Hmm. Doctor New York. Yeah. But they offered to help connect me to people for second opinions and, and just really were so supportive. And I, I just couldn't be more grateful for the way work-wise and my friends and my family were during that time. 'cause it, it just, it was incredible. Vince: Yeah, so talk to us. Um, I guess guide us from there. You, you finished chemo? Uh, about what time of year is this? Betsy: Yeah, so it's, so it's fall, call it, um, September-ish. And I was fortunate. I, so I didn't have to do chemo, thankfully. 'cause okay, at the 11 hour they found this mutation. And so, mm-hmm. The next day, literally the next day I started these pills called Alectinib. It's one of the targeted therapies that's designed to target just the bad cells that are caused by this ALK mutation. And so, um. So I started [00:35:00] alectinib, I take it twice daily, four pills each in the morning, four pills at night. And uh, and, and that was it. I mean, that was the whole treatment and I had no sight of that. I had no, um, there, there's, there's nothing. It's, it's the most amazing thing ever. And, and I felt so good after it. Within a week I was up and walking and I was. You know, visiting friends and I was planning a trip home. I was at, my brother had a, my brother's both go to school upstate and had a family weekend. After that, I was up at the family weekend, you know, right away it was the most incredible drug. And you know, I think because of research and because of support for these sort of mutations and looking for what else is out there in, in cancer, um, that's why I was. That's why this drug exists. And, and I, this drug has saved my life. I've been on it for two years now. I feel amazing. And, um, as forward, actually about a year. [00:36:00] So it was earlier this January I did another PET scan. I, I thought I wasn't feeling well again. Uh, turns out I was just, I think I was just tired. Some, you know, overtired, whatever. But I did a PET scan and all of the cancer that was in my body, except for a tiny spot in my chest, has been zapped. And so this drug has shrunk the cells or killed the cells. I don't know what it does, but it has removed all the, the lighting up parts of my PET scan, which were all through my chest and in my arm. Um, it's, it's gone and I think so because of this drug and because of that knowledge of the scan, um. I just, I have a whole new lease on life that I didn't have prior to it. And so I think part of it is, you know, having the access to the drug that I can keep taking every single day. And part of it is just the knowledge and being armed with enough understanding of what my condition [00:37:00] is. Not so much that it's overwhelming, but like enough to be dangerous that I can now make really, you know, informed decisions and live my life in a way that's gonna, um. That is hopeful and, you know, plans for the future because there was a time when I thought I'm 23, I turned 24, you know, not, and I'm 25. Today I have stage four cancer. I'm probably gonna die in five years, maybe six or seven if I'm really lucky. I actually have a bet with my dad that, uh, I'm only gonna live 10 for 10 years after diagnosis, and I think now that I'm gonna lose that bet. I didn't believe I was gonna lose that bet. I thought I had 10 years, nothing more. And so I lived like that. I, I was, you know, I, I wasn't really investing in relationships. I wasn't really trying to make New York City home anymore. I thought that that was the end for me, and now that I have this scan and know that I'm okay. As okay as you can be. I mean, I'm not cured or anything, but I feel like I can [00:38:00] do anything. And I've had like this, I think, you know, I, I we're in the lottery that nobody wanted to win. But also, I'm so fortunate that I've had the experience of this because, um, I know that I have this incredible community of family and friends and people rallying around me. And so I ha I get that love and feeling in addition to now this holy son life feeling that I can do anything. Yeah. Vince: You know, I'm sitting there listening to, I'm doing my best not to get emotional because, you know, we've, we've all invested so much time and energy and passion into what we're doing here. Um, to hear that story is like, okay, that's bleeping why we do this. Um, I'm not, I'm not a scientist. I'm not the one in the lab spending hours, you know, developing this drug. Who, whose, whose drug is it? Which company? Betsy: Uh, it's a subsidiary of Roche. Okay. Genentech. Vince: Okay, so shout out to Genentech. Um, big shout Betsy: out to [00:39:00] Genentech. You know, Vince: it's, uh, I, I have potty mouth, so I, I'm trying to refrain. It's, it's amazing. Um, this story, the, you know, there's other stories. I have a friend of mine, stage four melanoma, and literally had he been diagnosed five years earlier. Almost a, okay, I won't say a hundred percent, 99% chance he would not still be here today, but he is, um, same for you. Um, it makes me super happy. Um, it, it, it. It takes all those competitive juices inside me, and it just, like, I feel like I could run to a wall right now because I'm so amped about the fact that, you know, this is, this is evidence, this is progress. That if we continue to push the envelope, look what's achievable. Uh, but we can't take our foot off the gas. Mm-Hmm. Um, let me ask you this. What is, and you kind of alluded to it, but what is the [00:40:00] prognosis at this point? What, and, and do you, do you keep taking this drug for. Um, ever essentially, or until they say, okay, you can stop now, Betsy: basically. So there's alectinib and then there are about two after that, that are in the same family of drugs. So I'll take this until it stops working and I stop working. That means there's progression. Mm-Hmm. I get scans every quarter. I'm, I now go to, um, I'm now at Memorial S. Stone Kettering. My doctor and the team there are wonderful, and so I get the scans every quarter. Check for no progression. As long as there's no progression, I'll stay on Alectinib, and then if Alectinib stops working, I'll go to the next one. And then there's one after that. Then it's clinical trial, then it's chemo, and then that's as of now, that's the end of the line. So there are people, as you mentioned, Vince, this drug hasn't been around for a long time. If I were 10 years older, I probably would be dead because this drug just wasn't invented at the time. Right. That. That I would've needed it. [00:41:00] And so, you know, who's to say what? There will be in 10 more years, there could be a vaccine. I know there's been a lot of work done around the mRNA technologies, um, potentially to, to lead to a vaccine for, for alk positive cancers. Yeah. There's been a ton of work around other medications, other drugs in this family. And so, you know, I'll, I'll take it in stride. I'll go until it doesn't work anymore and it could be. I, I, I know of people on Alectinib who have been taking it for over 10 years. So who's to say I can't take it for 10 or more? And then there'll be another one, another one, another one. Mm-Hmm. So, um, I remember my oncologist said, one of my oncologists said that he wouldn't be surprised if I lived until I was 90 and he wouldn't be surprised if I lived, you know, eight months or something. 'cause you just really don't know. With cancer, I think we all get this terrible. Lottery and you don't know how you're gonna react. And so I, I, I have to choose to take, make the most of the time that I have and do what I can with it [00:42:00] because you, you truly just never know. Yeah. Vince: Yeah. I would say, and I'm sure you, you already know this, you're a smart girl. Um, focus on the 90-year-old statement and focus on those folks who have been taking it for 10 years. Totally. Um. And, and just keep, I, I love the attitude. We know attitude is incredibly important in, in, in life in general, but especially in, in times like this. So keep up with that attitude. Lean on that community for sure. Um, know that you've got two more warriors to add to your community and we're happy to support you. However, however we can. Uh, the last thing I would say is. Um, I hope you have a return flight to Indy right around the end of January in 2025 because on the 25th of January, 2025, there'll be the 25th and evening with Heroes Gala. And I'd be really disappointed if you weren't there because your mother will certainly be there, um, and, and may or may not be playing a role in that event. So I want you there to see that as well. [00:43:00] Betsy: Well, you can count on me. I'll be there. Vince: Awesome. Um, what I, I gotta, we've asked this question a lot. Um, you're not so far removed from it, but I'm gonna ask it anyway. A year, whether it's now a year from now, 10 years from now, you come across another 23, 20 4-year-old Betsy. And what, what do you say to him or her if they find themselves in the same situation that you're in or you were in? Betsy: It's a good question. I, I, I thought about this in advance. Um, I think I would say that, uh, it will get better. There is always another day you'll take, you know, take it one day at a time because it does get better. Um, there are rea, there are a lot of reasons to be hopeful and mm-hmm, it doesn't feel that way when you're staring at, [00:44:00] you know, potentially a lifetime of pain, be related to cancer or even a shorter life than you thought because of cancer. But it does get better. You don't think about it as much. Um, I think you have more control than you think about how you experienced the diagnosis. So you mentioned attitude earlier. I think attitude is incredibly important. Um. Yeah. I think the other thing is that, that I, I didn't appreciate that is most, maybe most relevant for someone who's about my age is that one, people in their twenties often haven't had a lot of experience with cancer. People in their thirties haven't sometimes had a lot of experience with cancer, and your diagnosis is incredibly important and personal information, and you have a choice. About when and how to share it with other people. And so what I mean by that is I remember, you know, meeting people kind of out of the blue and I couldn't think of anything [00:45:00] interesting to say about myself. And so I'd tell them I have cancer. And it's like, whoa, that's really weird. And, but it's like that. At the time, that was the only thing I was thinking about. So that was the only thing I could think to tell anyone. But, um. You, you do have to be kind of judicious about where you share the information and how and, and make sure you're ready for it. 'cause it, it is just such a personal thing and everyone has a story. Sure. Vince: Mm-Hmm. Yep. Agreed. Yeah. Agreed. Um, gosh. Well, I just wanna, I wanna thank you for spending the time with us. Mm-Hmm. And sharing your story, uh, to your point. Everyone reacts to sharing their story in different ways. Um, so I, we appreciate, uh, you doing so. Um, I already said you got, you, you got two more people on your, on your team. Um, yep. We're happy to help however we can. And, um, you know, don't be a stranger. I, I'll certainly keep tabs on you from via your mom, but don't be a stranger yourself. And if there's something we can do to a, to [00:46:00] assist, please let us know. And I, I, I can't wait to see you in January. Betsy: Well, thank you both so much. I really appreciate the work you're doing with Heroes Foundation to contribute to research and patient care. And I, I know my mom mentioned it as well, but you just, I, I can't. Convey how grateful I am, um, having been someone in that seat. So thank you for the work you're doing. Thanks for the time today, and I'll see you in January. Vince: Sounds great, and, uh, sounds awesome. You know, first of all, it's our pleasure. Shout out, kudos to your employer, Goldman Sachs. Uh, job well done. Folks. Uh, shout out to Genentech. Keep working your butts off in the lab. We appreciate everything you guys are doing to advance the treatments that are out there. Um, the fact that you said that not only is this drug available, but there are others. In waiting. Um, that's, that's, that's huge. That's, that's all, that's all I can say. Um, all right. Well, we thank all of you guys for joining us on this episode of the Summits podcast. We hope you felt the, the emotion, the energy, and, and if you have some [00:47:00] comments you wanna, um, send along some well wishes to Betsy and, and keep encouraging her, please hit those up in the comments. Uh, we would greatly appreciate it. I know she would. Um, and all of you, we hope to see you in January, January 25th, an amenity. Daniel: Yeah, come on. Wherever Vince: you're from, come on in. Um, hit us up, uh, in the comments. Again, if you have any questions relative to our 25th anniversary gala, we'd be happy to answer those and, and certainly happy to see you there. Um, until next time, everyone, don't forget. Beat cancer.