Living

In November 2018, I was feeling weary and exhilarated all at once. I had just traveled the country for several weeks of in-home ethnographies. I loved getting to know the...

An account I follow on Instagram (@humanbeatscancer) recently asked: "What is the funniest misconception you had about cancer?" Many of the responses were also about the misconceptions about the treatment...

The BRCA genes made world headlines in 2013 when Angelina Jolie underwent a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer following a BRCA1 gene mutation diagnosis. Ms...

Being a single parent can be stressful and challenging. Now add in managing metastatic breast cancer to the responsibilities of parenting. Two of our AdvancedBreastCancer.net advocates share their experiences as...

For most of my life, I lived around other WASPS (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants) in the Midwest. We did live in a few other places (Albuquerque and Maryland) but what I remember...

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is rare and aggressive. The symptoms of IBC are different from most other types of breast cancer. There is usually no lump that forms. Instead, breast...

Living with advanced breast cancer can raise many different emotions and feelings as you process a diagnosis, go through treatments, and wrestle with thoughts about mortality. It can feel overwhelming...

My new friend, Marianne Sarcich, has spent a great deal of effort and time putting together an amazing list of resources for anyone who has cancer and updates her list...

“Is that a...hicky?”, my friend asked on a girl’s night, eyes fixed on my chemo port. “Nope”, I replied, annoyed. “That’s my port.” “Port?”, she asked, puzzled. “A port for...

I count several scientists as part of my team. Frankly, I never thought that would be the case and as I was explaining how my medical oncologist and I lean on...

Advanced breast cancer is complicated. Not only is it diagnosed by stages, but it has many subsets that tend to correspond to how well the cancer will respond to treatment...

Growing up I always loved, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," by Maya Angelou. It resonated with me on levels that I didn’t even understand. I now understand the...

A diagnosis of breast cancer can be hard to take in. On top of the emotional burden it brings, this disease is complex with various types and subtypes. Learning about...

When it comes to advanced breast cancer —that is, breast cancer in stages III and IV, everyone’s normal looks different when it comes to the frequency of tests and scans...

Today I struggle. I struggle with faith, living, dying, clergymen, bishops, pastors, evangelists, gospel artists, patience, letting go, holding on. I struggle because I don’t have all of the answers...

We recently sat down with one of our breast cancer advocates, Claire, to talk about her experience with breast cancer, specifically her diagnosis and what are the biggest challenges she...

I've written before about community and the opportunities we have to support and lift others up, to share the hard-won information we have gathered during our time as a patient. During...

Rev. Isaac Dusenbury is a chaplain at Duke University Hospital. He completed his chaplain residency at Duke University Hospital’s Surgical and Intensive Care Unit and graduated from the Divinity School...

I'm going to say the thing that we’re not supposed to say, but is the truth of what we are dealing with: we don’t have to smile through COVID-19 -...

I’m going to say something that will spark an opinion almost as soon as I say it, but please - I ask you to hear me out before coming to...