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...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
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...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
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...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
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...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
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...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
COVID-19 Updates, July 16: Updates on People at Risk, Testing, Reopening, and a VaccineEven after months of navigating life in the COVID-19 era, keeping up with new information and news can be overwhelming. Below are some of the latest developments surrounding COVID-19 for...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
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...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
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...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
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...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
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...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
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...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
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...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
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...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Conversations with a Chaplain: A Chaplain’s Spiritual GuidanceRev. 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...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
COVID-19 Updates, June 15: Solidarity Hydroxychloroquine Trials and COVID Vaccine DevelopmentMany of us are overwhelmed by the amount of information available on COVID-19. Keeping up with all of the news can be challenging. Here are some of the top developments...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
When Your Bucket List Gets Kicked By COVID-19I'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 -...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Can Modesty Still Exist in a World With MBC?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...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
People with Cancer Face Increased Risk of Death from Heart DiseaseAccording to a 2019 study from the Penn State Cancer Institute, cancer patients are at a higher risk of dying from heart disease and stroke than the general population. The...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Who Is An Oncology Social Worker?In a sea of doctors, nurses, scans, and lab work, there is another important tool for patients right in their cancer center, the oncology social worker. I decided to interview...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Can You Hear Me Now?Every October we post all things breast cancer, but the reality is every nineteen seconds, somewhere in the world, someone is diagnosed, and approximately every twelve minutes someone dies of...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments