Real Pink

Breast cancer is not just one disease - there are many different types of breast cancer. HER2- positive breast cancer is one of the more common types, making up about 10-20 percent of newly diagnosed breast cancers. Today, we are talking to Dr. Ian Krop, Associate Chief of the Division of Breast Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute & Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Med...

Advocating for a patient is an integral part of a patient's healthcare journey. However, many family members are unexpectedly thrown into this overwhelming situation with no idea of how to be an influential patient advocate. Not to mention, patients also should understand how to advocate for themselves (when possible). After losing her sister to cancer, today’s guest was determined to make so...

BRCA mutations are hereditary cancer mutations that significantly elevate the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. One of the reasons to get undergo genetic testing is when a family member, such as a parent or sibling, is diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age. This is the story of today’s guest.  Erika Stallings underwent screening for the BRCA genetic mutation and what she lea...

The death of a parent can come as a shock and feel extremely unfair, especially if the child and parent were both relatively young.  When a mother leaves behind her children, there is a missing presence, but memories and life lessons that will always remain. Today’s guest remembers his mother’s spontaneity, devotion to fun, warm nature, and caring spirit and credits her for shaping him into t...

Over the past 40 years, breast cancer care has greatly improved due to information gained through clinical trials. Clinical trials test the safety and benefits of new treatments as well as new combinations of standard treatments. They can also study other aspects of care, including risk reduction, diagnosis and screening. Whether a new therapy or test becomes part of the standard of care for breas...

On last week’s episode, Ashely Dedmon shared her experiences as a young caregiver and how it impacted how she approached her own health. Today we are going to continue our conversation with Ashley to talk about the impact of being born into three generations of women affected by breast cancer, losing her mother to the disease and watching her father battle prostate cancer shortly thereafter. &nbsp...

Caregiving can be a difficult and very personal role on many levels. Assisting a loved one through their cancer diagnosis, helping with daily activities, providing support and helping to make treatment decisions may all be a part of the responsibilities. When young adults are the caregiver taking care of a parent, they face many unique challenges, such as having more duties to juggle, starting the...

Navigating a breast cancer journey can cause feelings of confusion and fear, all of which are normal.  There are healthy ways to cope with the stress caused by these fears, such as mindfulness meditation, support groups or finding a creative outlet. Today’s guest has beat cancer not once, but twice! As a survivor of Lymphoma of the brain as well as breast cancer, Julia Evans knows firsthand h...

People diagnosed with breast cancer have many unique sources of stress. As we head into Mother’s Day, we will explore some of the challenges that mothers face in particular. Throughout the process, moms with breast cancer face the reality of maintaining a sense of normalcy for themselves and their children while balancing the emotional and physical toll of treatment. Today’s guest was diagnosed du...

Susan G. Komen has long worked to mobilize our communities to take action. Susan G. Komen’s Center for Public Policy serves as the leading voice of the more than 3.8 million breast cancer survivors, 168,000 people living with metastatic disease, and the scientists, health care professionals, caregivers and members of the public who are concerned about breast cancer. Komen works to educate people a...

A breast cancer diagnosis can bring a wide range of emotions including shock, fear, sadness and anger. The support of family, friends and others can be helpful as you go through diagnosis, treatment and beyond. Thankfully, there are support groups to help you navigate breast cancer easier and to improve your quality of life during and after treatment. Today’s guest has dedicated her life to helpin...

About 1-5 percent of breast cancers in the U.S are Inflammatory Breast Cancer.  This is an aggressive form of breast cancer, with signs that tend to arise quickly, often within weeks or months. There are some challenges of diagnosing IBC, such as the fact that it may first be mistaken for an infection or mastitis because of its symptoms.  Routine mammography may also miss IBC because of...

Most breast cancers are not related to genes or family history. However, if you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, your family members, especially sisters, daughters and mothers may have an increased risk of getting breast cancer. When cancer does affect multiple generations in a family, the impact can be far greater reaching than just the physical symptoms. Our guest today lost her mother to...

Sometimes pre-clinical studies show that a drug has a good chance of helping patients, but when the drug is tested on patients, it doesn't work as expected. Today, we are talking to Dr. Shom Goel, Group Leader and Medical Oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the University of Melbourne, in Australia & Komen-funded research scientist. He will talk with us today about the history...

Many scientific researchers face challenges in their work and the Covid-19 pandemic has only added to these challenges, but researchers are incredibly resilient and continue to push forward because they know their work will help patients and improve lives. Today, we are talking to Dr. Jennifer Guerriero, Instructor in Medicine and the Director of the Breast Tumor Immunology Laboratory at the Brigh...

In the U.S today, Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age, in later stages, with more aggressive types and have a lower 5-year survival rate. These disparities aren’t just caused by health issues but also by social injustice—unequal access to health care, a lack of diversity in medical research and services, unaddressed cultural barriers and more. Michael Co...

Breast cancer, unfortunately, can come back even if doctors believe the chances are low. We don’t know why breast cancer recurs or when it will – it could be as soon as a few years after you’ve completed treatment, or it can be 20 years later. As a breast cancer survivor, you can stay in charge of your breast health by knowing the warning signs of recurrence and talking with your doctor when somet...

Our guest today knows first hand how important it is to stay on top of your breast health. Fashion designer Betsey Johnson was diagnosed with breast cancer 21 years ago and is here to share her story. Today is our 100th episode of Real Pink and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our listeners and amazing guests that we have on the show for their support and partnership in working t...

A breast cancer diagnosis was a catalyst for a major career change for Valeria McClure. Special Guest: Valencia McClure.

Everyone is at risk of breast cancer, but some of us are at higher risk than others. We know that black women are about 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women. These disparities are unacceptable. Your race and where you live should not determine whether you live. Here today to help us learn how to stay on top of our breast health is Dr. April Spencer. Special Guest: Dr. April Spe...

Cancer treatment has come a long way over the years. At the forefront of these medical advances are therapies known as “biologics.” Today I am speaking with Andrew Spiegel from the Global Colon Cancer Association to talk about biosimilars in cancer treatment and how he has used his voice in patient-centered policy and other discussions to ensure safe biologic medicines are available and accessible...

About 4 percent of all breast cancers diagnosed in the U.S. occur in women under 40. Our guest today was only 25 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was newly married and life had yet to really begin for her and her husband, yet they immediately found themselves dealing with issues of treatment, recovery and survivorship as top priorities. Special Guest: Jennifer Humphries.

Talking openly with your doctor is one of the best ways to feel good about your breast cancer treatment decisions. But, sometimes, talking with a doctor can be overwhelming, confusing and create more questions than answers. This week, we are resharing the first episode of Real Pink. Samantha Harris joins the show to help us learn how to ask the right questions, ensure that we have the right suppor...

Welcome to Season 3 of the Real Pink podcast! The word “cancer” can bring about sudden and intense emotions. You may have feelings like fear, anger, frustration, depression and even helplessness. These emotions are normal. No one can tell you how to feel, how not to feel or to change the way you feel. Allowing yourself to express your emotions can help you begin to cope. Today’s guest is Cara Sapi...

It is estimated there are more than 168,000 women living with metastatic breast cancer in the U.S. in 2020. Janet Robinson is one of these. She was diagnosed 5 years ago with breast cancer after discovering a dent in her left breast. She has since had 2 recurrences and 2 years ago she was diagnosed with MBC. Today Janet will share with you how a second opinion saved her life and how she has found...