8: From Thyroid Cancer in the Medical System to Birthing Outside of It
Free Birth Society
Emilee Saldaya
4.6 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 18 September 2025
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What happens when cancer treatment becomes the greatest catalyst for sovereignty?
In this episode, I speak with Jocelyn, a Tennessee mother who walked away from conventional medicine after surviving thyroid cancer and having her thyroid removed at 25 years old.
That experience changed everything. Jocelyn made a vow: never again would she hand her body over to the system. She carried that fierce sovereignty into motherhood, choosing to walk the sovereign path in her pregnancy and birth.
She speaks to the comfort of finding the perfect sovereign birth witness and how being around animal birth her whole life helped her understand what she needed to do.
Inside this episode:
- How surviving thyroid cancer led Jocelyn to question everything she’d been taught
- The moment in the hospital that made her vow never to surrender her body again
- What a wild pregnancy looked like day-to-day, with no tests, scans, or appointments
- What it takes to hold the line with family and community when your choices challenge the norm
Timestamps:
[00:00] Introduction
[03:23] Facing thyroid cancer and the trauma of a life-threatening hospital experience
[11:25] Regrets about rushed surgery instead of looking into alternative treatments
[29:41] Disappointment with midwives leading to the discovery of freebirth
[37:52] Finding trust and support through The Lighthouse and connecting with a birth keeper
[41:03] Jocelyn’s freebirth story
Resources Mentioned:
Veda Revival | Website
The Complete Guide to Freebirth | Course
The Lighthouse | Website
Find more from Emilee on Instagram, YouTube and the Free Birth Society website.
Disclaimer: Free Birth Society, LLC of North Carolina shares personal and educational stories and experiences related to freebirth and holistic care. This content is not medical advice, and we are not a licensed midwifery practice. Testimonials reflect individual experiences; results may vary. For services or scheduling, contact [email protected]. See full disclaimer at freebirthsociety.com/youtubeterms.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | My whole life, I never really understood the purpose of participating in the system. |
| 0:07.0 | I had to go back into the system once I figured out that I had thyroid cancer. |
| 0:13.0 | That hospital experience is really what prompted me to find free birth 10 years later. |
| 0:19.0 | So many women are having this epiphany |
| 0:21.3 | that once they can untangle, |
| 0:23.1 | that birth doesn't have to be this really scary medical event. |
| 0:28.0 | Their interest in motherhood blooms. |
| 0:30.5 | I was sitting with this younger version of myself, |
| 0:33.5 | having a vision of a 10-year-old version of myself sitting in the room with me. |
| 0:39.6 | I was just floating in this spiritual energy. |
| 0:42.8 | It was electric. |
| 0:44.6 | I really had a moment of forgiving myself in this birth for having gone through this thyroid |
| 0:52.1 | cancer experience, just the hardest, best thing I've ever done. |
| 0:56.0 | Hi, women, before we dive in today, I need to name something important. |
| 1:03.0 | This episode, along with all episodes that you will hear until our winter break in mid-December, was recorded before my birth prior to mid-August. |
| 1:14.7 | Since then, our family has walked through the unimaginable. Our son was still born, and we are in deep |
| 1:24.3 | mourning. As the show's air, you'll hear and see me pregnant, which now feels incredibly painful and |
| 1:32.7 | weird, given that you are holding the sacred knowledge of what came after. |
| 1:40.0 | So please forgive the dissonance. |
| 1:42.7 | These stories still deserve to be shared and heard. |
| 1:46.7 | We welcome your prayers, your loving thoughts, and your support as we navigate this spiral of such deep grief. |
| 1:56.3 | I hope you find resonance and nourishment in this conversation today. |
... |
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