TriggersI’m awakened by the soft melody of "Killing Me Softly" inside my waking nightmare. Not the original version by Roberta Flack but by a version that I’ve never heard while...reactionscomments
Not Just Some Back Pain...In February of 2019, I woke up in severe back pain. I had been having some issues but this was by far the worst and I could no longer explain...reactions3comments
Life, BC (Before Cancer): Remembering Your Former SelfOne day everything is normal, and the next your whole world gets flipped on its head. Life becomes separated into two distinct times; before and after. Amid the chaos and...reactionscomments
Metastatic Mysteries: Losing and Finding My VoiceIn 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...reactionscomments
The Funniest Things?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...reactions2comments
Testing Family Members for the BRCA GenesThe 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...reactionscomments
Single Parenting MBC Series: The Dating EditionBeing 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...reactions2comments
Race and Cancer, Part 1For 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...reactionscomments
What is Inflammatory Breast Cancer?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...reactionscomments
Benefits of JournalingLiving 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...reactionscomments
Electronic Resources and Connection During COVID-19My 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...reactionscomments
That Port Life: Embracing My Chemo Port“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...reactionscomments
Recruiting Scientists to Your TeamI 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...reactionscomments
Community Shares: Advanced Breast Cancer SubtypesAdvanced 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...reactionscomments
Understanding Why The Caged Bird SingsGrowing 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...reactionscomments
Understanding HER2-Positive and HER2-Negative Breast CancerA 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...reactionscomments
Community Shares: Metastatic Breast Cancer and Frequency of TestingWhen 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...reactionscomments
Today I StruggleToday 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...reactionscomments
A HER2+ Diagnosis InterviewWe 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...reactionscomments
Community, a RebootI'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...reactionscomments
