Gila Pfeffer: Humor Writer and Breast Cancer Prevention Advocate
Writer, humorist, previvor, survivor, and breast cancer prevention advocate Gila Pfeffer joins Leah for a thoughtful, funny, and deeply honest conversation about loss, resilience, and finding humor in the most unlikely situations.
Gila talks about her memoir, Nearly Departed: Adventures in Loss, Cancer, and Other Inconveniences, how humor can be a survival tool during cancer treatment, and her cheeky Feel It on the First campaign that raises awareness of breast cancer screenings and risk reduction. Gila shares her experiences from undergoing a risk-reducing double mastectomy as a BRCA+ previvor to becoming a cancer survivor who is a powerful voice in breast cancer awareness.
This wide-ranging interview moves between generations—Gila’s experience as a daughter watching her mother go through cancer, and later as a mother facing her own diagnosis—highlighting the power of storytelling to help us make sense of what feels impossible. Honest, insightful, and refreshingly human, this episode is for anyone navigating cancer.
Follow Gila on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gilapfeffer/
Subscribe to her Substack
Send your Feel It On the First pictures to Gila! gilawrites@gmail.com
Things mentioned in this episode:
Read Gila’s first publication in McSweeney’s An Open Letter to Tiffany & Co. About Their Advertising Campaign for the Ring That Helps Women Remember They Survived Cancer
The Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Calculator
Koning-Vera, compression-free mammography
Eleonora Deplinsky, MD Gynecologic medical oncologist https://www.instagram.com/drteplinsky
Robyn Roth, MD breast radiologist https://www.instagram.com/theboobiedocs
Sharsheret, a nonprofit dedicated to providing personalized support, education, and community for Jewish women facing breast and/or ovarian cancer.
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Humor writer and breast cancer prevention advocate
Gila Pfeffer is a humor writer, breast cancer previvor, survivor and prevention advocate. Her award winning memoir NEARLY DEPARTED: Adventures in Loss, Cancer and Other Inconveniences has been described as heartbreakingly hilarious and lifesaving complimentary copies of which are on your table to take home and enjoy. Her FEEL IT ON THE FIRST campaign uses tongue-in-cheek humor to remind people to prioritize their breast health in an empowering, non-scary way. These posts have directly led to earlier diagnoses and treatment for some very grateful women. She's passionate about the power of genetic testing and risk profile assessment and is, herself, a BRCA1 gene mutation carrier. Gila’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, Today.com, Oprah Daily, Tablet Magazine and more. She's is a mom to four grown and flown kids who reluctantly admit that she's cool. She lives in NYC and London.