Post Reports: He's dying of cancer. They chose to start their family.

The 7

The Washington Post

Daily News, News

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 June 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The 7 is off today but we're sharing a moving recent episode of "Post Reports." Since 2000, the rate of new cancer diagnoses for people ages 15 to 49 has climbed by 10 percent. This year, more than 200,000 people in that age group will be newly diagnosed with cancer. They will join more than 2.1 million Americans who were also diagnosed as young adults and are living with the disease. In today’s episode, Post video journalist Drea Cornejo sits down with host Elahe Izadi to talk about how Drea’s own cancer diagnosis three years ago, when she was 26, motivated her to report on the realities facing more younger adults. Drea documented the lives of Tanner and Shay Martin over the past six months as they navigated Tanner’s terminal colon cancer diagnosis with big life decisions including starting a family. While most young adults survive their cancer diagnosis, they still face the potential of a greatly altered future with implications for relationships, careers, finances and family planning.

You can watch The Post’s short documentary about Tanner and Shay here. Be sure to also check out the comic about Drea’s diagnosis here.

Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon. It was mixed by Ted Muldoon and edited by Renita Jablonski with additional editing by Lynh Bui, Mary-Ellen Deily and Dan Keating.

Additional reporting for this story came from Dan Keating, Ariana Cha and Julia Wall. Special thanks to Wendy Galietta, Whitney Leaming, Jessica Koscielniak and Stephen Smith.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, it's Hannah. The Seven podcast is off today for the Juneteenth holiday, but I wanted to share this episode of Post Reports with you. My colleague Drea Cornejo was diagnosed with cancer three years ago when she was just 26 years old.
0:21.7	It motivated her to report on the climbing rate of cancer among young people.
0:26.6	In this episode, she provides an intimate view into one couple's story.
0:31.9	Tanner and Shea Martin decided to start a family while navigating Tanner's terminal cancer diagnosis. It's well worth a listen,
0:40.5	so here's that episode. And we'll be back with a new episode of The Seven tomorrow. There are so many different ways we could tap into this story.
1:01.3	I have really gotten to know Tanner Martin over the past six months.
1:07.4	I just want you to hear his voice.
1:09.9	My name is Tanner Martin. I just want you to hear his voice. My name is Tanner, Martin.
1:12.6	I just turned 30.
1:14.6	I have stage four colorectal cancer.
1:19.6	I was diagnosed when I was 25 in the year, was it 2020?
1:26.6	Yeah, in 2020, November of 2020.
1:30.3	What was life before cancer?
1:33.3	Life was awesome. I was on my way to graduate and to apply to a grad program.
1:42.3	I was working a lot when I was doing pretty, pretty good in it. And just
1:48.4	in most aspects of my life, I was very pleased with how it was going. You know, in a lot of
1:54.6	ways, he's just your average 30-year-old. He's obsessed with Star Wars and he loves video games and, you know, really
2:02.5	cherish his quality time with his family and his wife, Shea.
2:07.6	You know, we're home a lot because Tanner's sick, but we've also done a lot together.
2:12.5	We've renewed our vows in Ireland and we've traveled to Italy. I think sometimes when people get told they're going to die, they stop living, like right then,
2:24.3	you know.
2:25.3	So I don't let cancer control me.
	...

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