Legacy
Over the years, AdvancedBreastCancer.net has lost powerful voices in the advanced breast cancer community. Hear the stories of those advocates who are no longer with us as we celebrate their life and message.
Linda Christopher
Linda Christopher was formerly the Director for a Spirituality Center located in the Philadelphia suburbs. As Director, she organized retreats and created programs with nationally known speakers. In November, 2000, Linda was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer. Presently, she is facing a diagnosis with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer. From 2001 until 2017, she organized a Cancer Support Group known as the “Circle of Light “. Read more.
April Doyle
April was diagnosed with Stage 1B intra-ductal carcinoma in 2009. After a bilateral mastectomy and chemotherapy, she was cancer free until it returned as Stage IV breast cancer in 2014. Read more.
Emily Garnett
Emily was a mother, wife, and elder law attorney who was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in November of 2017, just days after her son’s second birthday and less than a week after her fifth wedding anniversary. Read more.
Tori Geib
Tori Geib was diagnosed in 2016 with Metastatic Breast Cancer (DeNovo), soon after her 30th birthday. At the time she was diagnosed, Tori worked as an Assistant Sous Chef at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and as Food and Beverage Manager at Mad River Mountain Ski Resort. Read more.
Bob Holden
Bob was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in January 2003. In 2001, Bob went to the doctor because he had felt a lump in his breast. The doctor said it was probably nothing, but did refer him to another doctor. The second Doctor diagnosed him with gynecomastia. Bob was relieved that it wasn’t anything serious. In 2002 Bob’s clavicle fractured for no apparent reason. He had surgery and the biopsy came back benign. Read more.
Marlena Murphy
Marlena Murphy, a mother of one daughter, was diagnosed with stage III triple-negative breast cancer in 2018 when her daughter was 11 years old. She maintained a positive attitude throughout treatment and found herself encouraging friends upon hearing her news. Read more.
Amanda Raffenaud
Amanda was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in 2018. Not only was she completely shocked to be diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 38, but she was shocked to learn it had spread to dozens of bones in her body. She had no early-stage breast cancer diagnosis and was even under the care of a breast surgeon for four years prior to her metastatic diagnosis. Read more.
Vicki Thompson
Vicki Thompson spent the last 20 years as a photojournalist in Silicon Valley. While photographing big tech was not her dream career, she was paying her dues and amassing an impressive portfolio. Vicki was well on her way to being the sought-after magazine photographer of her dreams. After all, she was young, not yet 40. Read more.
Danielle Thurston
Danielle Thurston was a metastatic breast cancer thriver, first diagnosed with stage II triple negative breast cancer in 2017 at age 33 after the birth of her third baby. In 2019 she found out the cancer had returned, this time in her lung and with it, a stage IV diagnosis at age 35. Read more.
Rebecca Timlin-Scalera
Dr. Rebecca Timlin-Scalera was a Neuropsychologist, wife, mother, and life-long athlete, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2015. Originally mis-diagnosed with terminal stage 4 cancer, then weeks later re-staged to 3c and given a "chance at a cure," she was shocked to learn about the huge disparity in the breast cancer world between early stage breast cancer/stages 1-3 and late/stage 4. Read more
Alyson Tischler
Alyson Tischler was first diagnosed with Stage III, ER positive breast cancer in 2008, at age 35, when she was a brand-new mom. While reducing breast feeding and transitioning to bottle feeding for her then 6-month-old son, Simon, she discovered a lump in her breast and quickly went into her Ob/Gyn. Alyson was shocked to find out that this this lump was breast cancer, and she spent her first Mother’s Day wondering if it would be her last. Read more.
Lynette Waller
Lynette was a retired victim advocate living with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. She had three grown children and a wife, Kaye, who is a musician and author, as well as Lynette's caregiver. Her degrees were in vocal music and pedagogy and she taught private voice and piano for 30 years. Read more.
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