Cancer Clear and Simple
Welcome to 'Cancer Clear and Simple,' the podcast dedicated to simplifying cancer. Join us as we discuss the world of cancer, breaking down complex concepts for our listening audience. One of our goals is to equip individuals and families dealing with cancer by providing clear, and concise insights. Through personal stories, expert interviews and practical tips, listeners are enabled to make informed decisions. Whether you're a patient, caregiver, or just simply wanting information, tune in to 'Cancer Clear and Simple' for a easy-to-follow guide on understanding and coping with cancer.
Cancer Clear and Simple
Jesús Trejo | Comedy, Caregiving & the Circle of Life
Care can feel like a private storm—until someone holds the door, sends a goofy gif, or says me too. We sat down with comedian Jesús Trejo at the Carbone Cancer Center’s Fall Cancer Conference to unpack what caregiving really looks like across a lifetime: advocating for an aging parent, showing up through late-stage needs, and learning patience all over again with a six-month-old at home. The thread that connects it all is simple and hard at once—ask for help, take tiny pockets of time, and let humor do its quiet work.
Jesús shares how bringing caregiving stories to the stage turned isolation into connection. After shows, people would lean in with their own challenges, proving that honesty invites community. We explore why caregivers so often need the same two resources—time and laughter—and how to find both in practical ways: one-minute recharges, a quick walk, a supportive group chat, or a moment of gratitude that shifts the day’s center of gravity. The insights are grounded in personal experience and backed by research, making them as usable as they are human.
We also talk about perspective—the way care at the start and end of life mirrors itself, calling for patience, gentleness, and presence. Jesús explains how art and caregiving feed each other: comedy sharpens empathy, and caregiving gives comedy its heart. If you’re stepping into a caregiver role, you’ll hear a clear, compassionate message: show yourself grace, do the best you can with what you have today, and let small acts lighten the load.
If this conversation helps, share it with someone who needs encouragement. Subscribe for more grounded stories and practical tools, and leave a review to tell us what resonated most. Your voice helps other caregivers find their people.
So my experience as a caregiver has been for so long, you know, with my late mother, you know, I was a caregiver to her for such a long time. I'm kind of going through that again. It's like a cycle with my father. Now I have a six and a half month-old baby, and I'm finding that it's like it's the same sine wave. It's like I've I I view caregiving differently because I've seen it on both ends. I've seen it on the later stages of life, and I've seen it in the early stages of life. I'm still going through it.
SPEAKER_01:Hey everybody, my name is Joshua Wright. I'm here at the 23rd annual Fall Cancer Conference for the Carbone Cancer Center. I'm here with the keynote speaker of the day, comedian and extraordinaire, Mr. Jesus Trejos. Welcome to the show. How are you feeling today?
SPEAKER_00:Great. Thank you for having me. This is great. Look, we're in the convention center in Madison, Wisconsin. I had Cheese Curds yesterday. I'm I'm I'm ready to go. Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_01:That means he is locked in. I love it. I love it. Um, so you've been open about your caring about your parents while pursuing your career. What's one thing that you've learned about caregiving that surprised you?
SPEAKER_00:One of the things that I've learned about caregiving that really surprised me was, you know, caregiving as it is is a very lonely um journey. You know, it feels lonely at times. It feels like the world is on your shoulders, it's very hard, but you know, it's hard to ask for help. But I was surprised to find that the moment I was able to ask for help, how much people were willing to help? And you really find a community because you know, people people understand what it is to be a a caregiver, which is either for uh a child, uh an older loved one, uh like uh pets, maybe pets, um, you know, so like a loved one with uh special needs. There's different versions of caregiving. So when you reach out, I think that's a universal like I understand, and let me see how I can help. So I I I was really surprised because sometimes you're like, I don't want to bother people. And um, yeah, when you find the courage to finally go ask, you know, you one is very pleasantly surprised how much people will really show up, you know, and and I'm I'm very grateful that I had a lot of people show up during my journey.
SPEAKER_01:Very nice. Is there somebody that like a position, like maybe somebody at the corner store that you you didn't know stepped up, or was there somebody that popped in your mind when you thought of that surprise person that you know what it wasn't necessarily the surprise thing, but you know what?
SPEAKER_00:It's like, you know, we can look at something like we're what what you're saying, like like a specific person, that's the macro, but the micro is when strangers that I don't even know their name, when I was like pushing my mom's wheelchair and they would open the door because they saw me coming. It's those acts at the micro and macro level that just make people like I didn't have to say nothing. And sometimes it's like you see somebody you know that's gonna need, yeah. It it it's just lessening the weight of the day. Yeah, sometimes it's all we need, and you know, loved ones, friends, co-workers, bosses, to even the stranger that was uh that held the door open a little longer for you. Yeah. You know, it's like we need people like that, and that's part of the caregiving community.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you for being very specific about that example. That's how I like put together things in my mind, and so that was concrete. I was able to very um so balancing your work in comedy and caring responsibilities uh must resp require some amount of creativity. Um, so how does your creative practice help you in your caregiving role?
SPEAKER_00:You know, my creative practice, I'm a stand-up comedian, you know, I do some acting, I do some writing. So I think all of that really helped me put stuff into perspective. Like because I'm a stand-up comedian, you know, stand-up comedy is an art where you are like you bring your life to the stage, right? So through authenticity, you know, you're able to find uh connection with people. So it's like I felt that the more I was open about this thing, which at first I was like, I don't know if I want to, you know, it's hard to perform and talk about the things that you're going through, but when you're specific, I after shows, I I was so surprised how people would come up to me and be like, hey, I'm going through the same thing, you know, I'm going through like taking care of my parents. That's one of the things that I talk about where I was like, I'm raising my parents. After a while, you know, the tables turn and you gotta so it is it's one of the motifs, but it's like the big art, like the big how can I say like the big title of caregiving. Yeah. You know, that really helped give me perspective because I found that no matter where I went in the like anywhere where I traveled to and did a show, I was able to kind of it it was like a mutual kind of a like if it fed each other. Okay. I was a better caregiver because I can do my art. I was a better artist because I was a caregiver. So it's like it's mutually like they they coexist. Okay.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Man, that's really cool. Um, and I'm glad that you were able to share with us that process because I can't imagine what, you know, uh it the strain that it might take sometimes. But to know that there it's it's feeding in a kind of a way each other makes me give more like that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, for the art. Yeah, like for the art, like you know, stand-up comedy is is something where you're trying to find the humor, maybe in the in the dark corners of certain premises, you know, it's like caregiving is you know, it can be very rough, but it takes the same amount of energy to find things to worry about and feel heavier. It's the same amount of energy to look at the other side of that and look at the positive side, and why not bring humor and laughter to people going through something like that, you know? And um yeah, comedy has been my my north star, and I feel like it's yeah, it's it's it's it's been the coolest thing to find the intersection between comedy and caregiving.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, that was a great nugget. I hope that you all caught that. Please go ahead and rewind the tape if you missed that. So um from what you've experienced, what supports do caregivers need most that maybe isn't talked about enough?
SPEAKER_00:So caregivers need so much support or like across the board, right? You know, caregiving is something that that um requires so much energy, both physically, mentally. You know, a couple years ago I did a documentary with AARP uh called Care to Laugh. And that project came about because they were doing a like a research study with uh University of Notre Dame and and um Google. And what came back was so the research was focusing on what do caregivers need most. And what came back was that they needed time and they needed laughter. So that's why the Care to Care to Laugh program came about and then the documentary, but you know, it's like time, you know, make sure you're like take care of yourself, finding those nuggets of those nuggets, those those pockets in the day for you to even if it's one minute, uh that's that's one minute that you can recharge your battery, that kind of thing, but also look for the pockets in the day that you're able to find the humor. I think that's that's like the big key for me.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. Finding the pockets, finding the places. Um when you went to go, uh you almost said like plug in. I almost thought like my cell phone, even even for a second or a minute to recharge that battery.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it's it's it's like an invisible thing. I'm gonna plug into this, you know, the wavelength that I'm I'm I'm plugging in to see the comedy in the day. Um I'm plugging in to just sit here and and be grateful for for everything that I have. Yeah, I mean, and and everything that I don't be grateful for that too, because that's like a blessing in itself, you know.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, okay. That's awesome too, because the a technique that I have is, you know, just with friends sending me small shorts on YouTube or something like that, we'd have the group chat, or we'll throw a gif in there, gif in there, um, to kind of just make the the comment or whatever.
SPEAKER_00:You know what's special about that? That that even if it's just like a picture or a hey, what's up, or like a quick reel, or like a short, or like whatever it is, it lets people know that you're thinking of them.
SPEAKER_01:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:That right there is already is like a like a boost of endorphins of like, okay. And you may not know what everyone in that group texts is is going through. There's probably like, let's just say there's ten people. Out of those ten people, two of those are not gonna go in there and be like, I'm having a really rough day. But in that rough day, if they take that little time, that little pocket in the day, and they just look at that funny picture, you know. It's like, or hey, look what I'm eating. Oh, that's pretty cool. It it teleports you out of the heaviness and it gives you just enough of a shot of endorphins to one, let you know that you have you're surrounded by good people, and two, it's like, that's all I needed to get through today sometimes. So Okay, gotcha. That's great, man.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, man, yeah. Okay, um, and how has the experience of caregiving altered the way you view care in both your personal and professional work? Say that one more time. So, just in terms of um, has your experience of caregiving altered the way you view care? Yeah. I mean, you were you've been talking a lot about um just the simple pieces of it, also the heavy pieces about it, but um, has your experience changed the way you see care?
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely. So my experience as a caregiver has been for so long, you know, with my late mother, you know, I was a caregiver to her for such a long time, and it went from early on, you know, advocating, you know, going to the doctor, doing this kind of thing to more of a like a hands-on, like more physical, like, you know, helping my mom go to the restroom and this kind of thing, you know. Um so I I went through that that journey, right, as a caregiver. And now I'm kind of going through that again. It's like a cycle with my father. Now I have a six-month-old, six, uh, six and a half month-old baby, and I'm finding that it's like it's the same sine wave. It's like I've I I view caregiving differently because I've seen it on both ends. I've seen it on the later stages of life, and I've seen it in the early stages of life. I'm still going through it, and I can tell you that it's it's um it's a fine balance. Okay. And it requires the same amount of patience. And I almost feel that I'm a better caregiver now to not not a better, but I'm I'm yeah, better is not the word. I I I I I think I'm I'm more I'm more aware as a caregiver, you know, being a dad to my six-month-old because I went through the stuff that I went through with my late mother. So uh it gives you perspective. Ultimately, being a caregiver, the longer you do it, it just gives you the perspective you need to tackle your caregiving needs in the future. Because you either know somebody that's caregiving, you're gonna be a care caregiver, or guess what? You're gonna need one. So it's like there's no way around it. It's like we we're all connected to this thing. A little bit, yeah, yeah, yeah. With like golf. Golf? Yeah. Boxing. That was a hole in one. That was a hole in one? Wow. That that was that was a hole in one in my book. You heard it here first. Look, man. It was a par five hole in one. Thank you. You know how hard you have to drive the ball to get there? No, I don't have like I mean, look, look, I I love it.
SPEAKER_01:That's that's exactly right. Just in terms of how I felt about what you're saying. That that um perspective of being able to see both, because um the Lion King pops up in my mind, the circle of life. Circle of life, right? Beautifully said, yes. Um, but just the way that you're framing how there's overlap and parallels in each spurt piece, but it enhances, or, you know, like you're saying, um, how you're thinking about things is forever changed, but in a good way.
SPEAKER_00:In a good way, yeah. It doesn't all have to be heavy. Uh-huh. The heavy's gonna find you. You know, it's it's it's gonna be right there. It's around the corner, and guess what? You're gonna you're gonna meet it when you meet it. But you know, yeah, try not to carry all this stuff. It's it's it's it's some beautiful, some beautiful signs and and and things along the way. Have you ever read the book The Alchemist? No. I need I need to. I recommend it. Okay. You know, just seeing the signs, you know, seeing seeing these uh Yeah. Okay. Opening opening yourself up to the good signs.
SPEAKER_01:So Okay. Thank you for the book recommendation. And as we're wrapping up here, if you could give one message to someone who's just stepping into a caregiver role, what would you tell them?
SPEAKER_00:For anyone that's stepping into like a caregiving role early on or for the first time, all I can say is show yourself grace. You know, this is a hard journey, be easy. Be easy on yourself. You know, you're not gonna know all the answers, and that's okay, that's natural, and uh you're gonna learn a lot, you know. So it's like, you know, you know, understand that you're doing the best you can with what you have at the time. That took me years to understand in uh in therapy. And um, you know what? It's it's uh yeah, just just know that you're doing the best you can with what you have in this moment in time.
SPEAKER_01:Okay. This has been such a great honor and pleasure to be able to sit down and talk with you. Hey, thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00:It's a real pleasure to Yeah, likewise. A pleasure to meet you and and and your team. Thank you for for letting me uh hang out with you guys for a little bit.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and then um uh looking forward to your keynote speaker speech later today. Yeah. But um please feel comfortable coming back to Wisconsin. We love to have you here. Oh, yeah. Um, do you want to shout out anybody uh just in this in this moment?
SPEAKER_00:Think shout out to, you know, yeah, shout out to all the caregivers out there doing some good work. You're not alone, keep doing uh the good work. Um yeah, yeah, we we we are a better world because uh you're here and in it and caring. So thank you to all the caregivers.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, with that, folks, thank you so much for joining us for another episode of the Cancer Clear and Simple Podcast. I'm your host, Joshua Wright. Please go ahead and find us, look us up, tell a friend, and make sure that you tune in next time to the Cancer Clear and Simple Podcast.
