Rebecca J. Hogue

Never Knew I Wanted to be a Breast Cancer Survivor

Society EN ↓ 6 episodes

“Never Knew I Wanted to Be a Breast Cancer Survivor”, is a candid, story‑driven podcast where I share my experience of navigating a life‑changing diagnosis while searching for who I was, who I was becoming, and who am I today. Three weeks after moving to California in 2014—with no family history or warning signs—I found myself thrown into the American healthcare system as a Canadian, a PhD student with a project going no where, while wrestling with my identity. This show is where I unpack those moments: the fear, the absurdity, and the learning curves. In 2023, I was diagnosed with regional re...

Author

Rebecca J. Hogue

Episodes

When Planning Meets Uncertainty 23.04.2026 11:23

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ I’ve learned that statistics only mean something before you get a diagnosis. They provide hope (e.g. 80% of breast cancers are HER2 negative), but they mean nothing once you receive the diagnosis. It is no longer relevant what the statistics are, like 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime or that a certain percentage of breast cancers are hormone...

Waiting to prepare 20.03.2026 8:16

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ For the future, I’m wondering how much I should prepare so that I can pick up where I left off? Should I set up something that just keeps going while I’m away? And what do I just let go? When I first heard that I had cancer, I had friends that I reach out to. These friends put me in touch with other friends – all helping to form a network of support. In times...

Before Knowing 19.03.2026 8:06

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ I can logically think about what I want, and how this might play out, but I cannot emotionally prepare. I have no idea where to begin with the emotional side of this decision. How does one prepare to lose a body part? As Scott and I walk around Sausalito, I find myself looking at other women’s breasts. I never really noticed other women’s breasts before, but now...

What should I hope for? 26.02.2026 12:52

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ I struggle with my identity. Who am I now? Who do I want to be? While I await the biopsy and other test results, I find myself uncertain and wondering – what should I be hoping for? If you are going to have breast cancer, the next question is, what kind of breast cancer?

It's probably nothing, but ... 14.02.2026 13:58

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ After a long bike ride, celebrating the unpacking of the very last box, I step into the shower in my new home in Santa Clara, California. After a year of back-and-forth, I’m finally living with my husband again. It’s been a long year, and I’m so happy to be home. And then I feel it — a hard spot on my left pec. It must be a muscle strain… only it doesn’t hurt, w...

Never Knew I Wanted to be a Breast Cancer Survivor - Trailer 27.01.2026 1:51

Hi, I'm Rebecca Hogue, I'm the author of the BC Becky blog and the book Never Knew I wanted to be a breast cancer survivor and this is my new podcast, which shares the name with my blog and book - because "I never knew I wanted to be a breast cancer survivor, but the alternative doesn't look so grand". “Never Knew I Wanted to Be a Breast Cancer Survivor”, is a candid, story‑driven podcast where...