Our BC Life

It is crucial to establish a strong partnership with your care team following a breast cancer diagnosis. In this episode, Doretha Burrell, a 17-year stage II invasive ductal carcinoma (ILC) survivor, emphasized the significance of the trust and rapport she built with her oncologist, which greatly contributed to her healing and participation in a clinical trial. She also shared a lighthearted anecd...

In your 20s and 30s, you may not have had many interactions with the healthcare system besides visiting a family member in the hospital. There exists a group of people called Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA), who are underrepresented when it comes to being diagnosed with a serious medical condition before the age of 40. Our guest, Kelsey Litwin, was diagnosed with stage IIIB triple-negative (TNB...

When someone in your family is diagnosed with breast cancer, it can affect the entire family. Our guest Chrissy Spears, knows this well because her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer her senior year of college. When she and her mother received genetic testing, she was impressed by their genetic counselor’s compassion and insight.  It's interesting to learn how one experience can change t...

Guest Gail May never missed getting her annual mammograms. At first, her doctor spotted something suspicious and originally diagnosed her with DCIS, and after a second MRI, her cancer had become invasive, and she was diagnosed with invasive ductal (IDC). The impact of getting a single mastectomy filled her with anxiety because she had to adjust to not being symmetrical when using the prosthetic. S...

Season one of Our BC Life is now available! We are grateful for the courage and strength of the survivors who have shared their inspiring stories with us. We encourage you to share this podcast with your friends and family who may also be interested in hearing about the world of early-stage breast cancer survivorship. This compilation of all 2023 episodes aims to give our listeners a bird's-e...

Life can be challenging and sometimes knock you to your knees. Guest Karen D. Adams, Invasive Ductal (IDC), HER2+, ER+/PR- survivor, was put to the test as she mourned the death of her father and was diagnosed a few months later with breast cancer and then colon cancer a few years later. She also walks us through the changes of her relationship with food, especially soul food, in her survivorship...

Even with a strong family history of multiple types of cancers, guest Dawn Freeman, a DCIS with one recurrence survivor, was always into fitness and eating right. She was born with Addison’s disease, also called adrenal insufficiency, which is an uncommon illness that occurs when the body does not make enough of a certain hormone. She had been planning to leave her job and was getting all of her h...

This episode includes our first-ever previvior! Guest Kellie Goss, a BRCA1 previvor, has a strong family history of breast cancer. Her mom and little sister were diagnosed with breast cancer and she knew it would only be a matter of time before she got the cancer call. Thanks to a persistent OB-GYN, she finally agreed to genetic testing and took a proactive approach for her health.  Listen as she...

She had a doctor with a plan, and now she needed to be the patient with a plan. Guest Andrea "Andi"  Gamble, an invasive lobular (ILC) survivor, comes from a family of breast cancer – her mother, herself, and then her sister. The plans Andi didn’t realize she would need were how to cope with implants, painful expanders, delayed exchange surgery due to COVID, PTSD, and the loneliness and...

No one prepares for going from stage 0 to stage 4. My guest, Nancy Herard-Marshall, was diagnosed with DCIS in Situ in October 2013. She was hitting her five-year mark in survivorship and living life until she went mountain climbing in Haiti. She pricked her finger which later triggered lymphedema. From that moment, there would be more complications, and ultimately, a metastatic breast cancer diag...

It is essential to acknowledge the different breast/chest cancer experiences of those in marginalized communities, including the LGBTQIA community. My guest, Jamie Philips, an invasive ductal and DCIS survivor, is a queer person who experienced many alienating things throughout her chest cancer experience like being squeezed into a pink bra post-surgery to being given resources with no inclusive l...

Knowing your family history is essential to learn what you are predisposed to. In this episode, my guest Marissa Thomas, a triple-negative survivor with a Lynch syndrome mutation,  discusses learning of her family history and how she was diagnosed with breast cancer six months after her dad’s second bout with colon cancer. Marissa drops many gems of knowledge from the importance of genetic testing...

There’s a lot of anxiety once you receive a breast cancer diagnosis. In this episode, my guest Erin Perkins, a triple negative survivor, discusses the unique way she knew something was wrong and the overwhelming feelings that came when it was time to decide on the best surgery option for her body; and why, after getting an Aesthetic Flat Closure, she wanted a revision. Music Credit:  "Glow&qu...

A breast cancer diagnosis can cause a rollercoaster of emotions, especially when you are mentally prepared for a specific treatment plan but then feel blindsided by additional treatments. Guest Brenda Coronado, a stage IIB invasive lobular survivor, is fresh out of active treatment and sharing her bumpy ride of treatments and how navigating cultural differences and finding community in her native...

There are different sets of challenges when you’re originally diagnosed under 40. One of those challenges is how being surgically induced into menopause rather than nature taking its course affects the mind and sex life. That’s what guest Rachael Walker, an invasive ductal (IDC) survivor, discusses in this episode. Take a listen to how she’s learning to cope with the frustrations of survivorship a...

When you get that initial breast cancer diagnosis, you often feel powerless because so much is unknown. This episode will discuss the power of asking questions of your medical team with guest Nancy Touhill, a triple-negative breast cancer survivor (TNBC). We discuss why the relationship with your oncologist is a partnership when determining the type of treatment recommended and the unexpected ment...

Brought to you by SHARE Cancer Support, this is the Our BC Life Podcast!  Join host Megan-Claire Chase, a breast cancer survivor and patient advocate, as she dives into the nitty-gritty of what you wish you knew then and what you know now about breast cancer. You'll hear bite-sized conversations from other members of the breast cancer community about their experiences and ultimately feel more...