Living with Joy: Cris Ross on Two Cancer Diagnoses, Learning to Receive Support, and the CaringBridge Page That Changed Everything
Episode Description
Cris Ross spent more than a decade serving as Chief Information Officer at Mayo Clinic, helping lead one of the most respected healthcare organizations in the world through periods of enormous change and complexity.
Then, in 2018, he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
Used to solving problems and carrying responsibility for others, Cris approached treatment the same way he approached work: stay focused, push forward, and keep going. But cancer - and eventually cancer recurrence - forced him to confront something much harder than treatment itself: learning how to let people help him.
In this episode of The Bridges Between Us, Cris reflects on the emotional and physical realities of living through two cancer diagnoses, including chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, caregiving, and the uncertainty that comes with recurrence.
He also shares the turning point that led him to start a CaringBridge page after initially resisting the idea. What began as a practical way to update people became something much more meaningful: a way for friends, family, and community to show up for him during one of the hardest seasons of his life.
Throughout the conversation, Cris speaks candidly about perspective, vulnerability, gratitude, and what it means to keep choosing joy even when life changes unexpectedly.
For more on his book, Diagnosed, please visit: https://www.amazon.com/Diagnosed-Insiders-Guide-Healthcare-Journey-ebook/dp/B0CRKXC5SH
Topics covered:
- Receiving a colorectal cancer diagnosis while leading at Mayo Clinic
- Navigating chemotherapy, radiation, and recurrence
- The emotional shift from caregiver and leader to patient
- Why Cris initially resisted starting a CaringBridge page
- Learning how to receive support from others
- The role family and caregiving played during treatment
- Living with gratitude, perspective, and joy after cancer
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