Living

It was a Spring day in 2018 when I met Katrina. Pollen covered the streets of Chattanooga like a thin blanket, and birds whirled around overhead. It was the first...

Many people with advanced or metastatic breast cancer told us they had never known anyone with late-stage breast cancer before they were diagnosed. After hearing those words – “you have...

People often experience taste and smell changes when they have advanced breast cancer or when they are getting chemotherapy or radiation therapy to treat cancer. The cancer treatments themselves cause...

Everyone who is dealing with advanced breast cancer has their own experience, from the moment of detection to choosing the right course of treatment. Before or during diagnosis, there are...

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor or any sort of medical professional. All of my comments and suggestions in this post (or any other) are based on my own experiences or my...

I remember when the "chemo bell” was donated to the treatment room where I am an infusion nurse. The local news came and did a clip in our treatment room...

When it comes to living with advanced breast cancer, people rely on different things to help guide them through their daily struggles. Some people in the community have mentioned that...

For the second year, I was able to attend the Stampede, which is an effort by Metavivor towards legislative advocacy, and the Die-In, which is a form of a sit-in...

People with serious mental illness often die 15-20 years before people without serious mental illness. Some types of serious mental illness include bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia. The...

The power of community should never be underestimated. When it comes to living with advanced breast cancer, someone may feel alone when first receiving news of the diagnosis. Perhaps you...

In May of 2019, Piqray (aka Alpelisib) was fast-tracked by the FDA and in August of 2019, I was prescribed it, after experiencing a mild progression after two (2) years...

There is a lot of focus these days on surviving breast cancer. And many people do get cured. If your cancer is found early and hasn’t spread, you have a...

In our Impact of Cancer Survey, we asked what terms people diagnosed with cancer preferred and disliked. The answers were all across the board, from survivor to metavivor to “just...

The morning I realized that my showers would no longer be the same, I held my left breast in the palm of my hand as if it were a newborn...

We are incredibly saddened to share that AdvancedBreastCancer.net team member Rebecca Timlin-Scalera passed away on December 14th, 2019. Rebecca was a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt...

I’ve been thinking about community a lot lately. I have looked at community differently at different times in my life and, being an introvert, always with a bit of trepidation. Being...

When I was diagnosed with cervical cancer, I knew that I was going to be fine - sterile but fine. When I was diagnosed with mouth cancer, I knew that...

I went to Washington DC for the 2019 Metavivor Stampede, the METup Die in, and for two readings of the play, IV: A Documentary Intervention. My husband and I flew to...