Are You Newly Diagnosed With Advanced Breast Cancer?

At AdvancedBreastCancer.net, we work with community members and our health leaders to empower them and their caregivers to take control of living with advanced breast cancer. By providing a platform to learn, educate, and connect with others, we're building a community of support.

This video series includes advice, encouragement, and personal reflection to inspire you to amplify your voice and know that you are not alone.

Pay attention to self-care

Living with a terminal illness is a heavy load for anyone to bear. Add to that the pressures of daily life and the thought of self-care are often pushed to the back burner. Self-care takes on many different forms. For some, it might mean a day at a spa, indulging in a book, getting out, and exploring nature. For others, it's time with friends and family, or simply allowing yourself to slow down, breathe, or take a nap. "Self-care isn't selfish; it's a necessity."

Learn to ask for and accept help

A terminal diagnosis is often followed by friends and family reaching out to see what you need help with. While those acts of love and support are greatly appreciated, they often slow down or even stop. It is okay to ask for help when you need it, whether that be a hot meal, a ride to the doctor, or a shoulder to cry on. Stacie talks about how she flipped the script from feeling like she was burdening others to asking for and accepting help.

Allow yourself emotional release

We all have different ways of managing our emotions. For some people, it helps them to cry, yell, and get angry. For others, it can be therapeutic to share their story or jump into advocacy. It can be cathartic to release emotions in any way that feels healthy or productive. Susan shares a few things that she's learned about herself since her metastatic breast cancer (MBC) diagnosis, including allowing the time and space for emotional release.

Bring gratitude to each day

It can feel like a cliché, but a cliché for a reason. Taking a few moments to be thankful each day can have a profound effect on your mental and physical well-being. Doing so can help restore a sense of hope or bring peace to a chaotic day.

Being grateful can mean appreciating the beauty of the sunset, the presence of a loved one (person or pet), a comforting meal, the humor of a book, or simply feeling good that day. It may not always be easy, but finding gratitude in what you have now can help with those really hard days.

Learn to advocate for yourself

Advocacy can take on different meanings for people. For those living with MBC, there are usually 3 different types: self-advocacy, individual advocacy, and systems advocacy. All kinds of advocacy are important and effective, and we all have a role to play.