Real Pink

As we kick off Black History Month here on Real Pink, we’re excited to highlight guests who have been affected by breast cancer and are using their experiences to make an impact. Today’s guest advocated for herself to ensure that she was receiving the best, most personalized treatment for her after her diagnosis, and in the process learned the staggering fact that less than 10% of clinical trial p...

Tune into the latest episode of Real Pink for a vital conversation about the transformative impact of personalized care, its role in addressing disparities and how it can empower patients in their breast cancer journey. Dr. Ezinne Ihenachor, a diagnostic radiologist and passionate health equity advocate, helps us understand how personalized care can address systemic inequities and improve outcomes...

Tamoxifen is a medication used to block estrogen, which is needed for some breast tumors to grow. Many survivors are prescribed tamoxifen to lower the risk of having a recurrence of breast cancer, usually after breast cancer surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Tamoxifen can also be used for breast cancer risk reduction in women who do not have breast cancer but who are at higher risk, which was t...

This is Real Talk, a podcast conversation where we’re digging deep into breast cancer and the realities patients and survivors face every day. We’re talking openly and honestly about just how difficult breast cancer can be, from being diagnosed to selecting the right treatment plan, to living day to day with metastatic breast cancer, and life after treatment ends. In today’s episode, we’re talking...

On today’s show, we are joined by two sisters, who are unfortunately no strangers to breast cancer. Their biological mother passed away from metastatic breast cancer when she was 52. While they were aware that their mother’s diagnosis put them at a higher risk, it still came as a shock when Tami Salawater was diagnosed at the age of 50. Two weeks later, her younger sister Jamie Boettcher received...

Understanding your family health history can help you take better care of your health by helping to figure out your risk and take action as needed. Joining us on the show today is Jerry Carnes, a former television journalist who spent 35 years with 11Alive in Atlanta. He has an extensive family history of cancer in his family, has lost multiple family members to both breast and prostate cancers an...

To advance health equity in breast cancer care, Komen believes that everyone should have a just opportunity to be as healthy as possible despite their cultural or demographic background. That is why Komen is committed to eliminating barriers to care for individuals and communities experiencing breast health inequities now and in the future. We are honored to be joined on today’s show by two member...

This is Real Talk, a podcast conversation where we’re digging deep into breast cancer and the realities patients and survivors face every day. We’re talking openly and honestly about just how difficult breast cancer can be, from being diagnosed to selecting the right treatment plan, to living day to day with metastatic breast cancer, and life after treatment ends. In today’s episode, we’re hearing...

We are lucky to be joined today by actress, mother, breast cancer survivor and the newest Komen Ambassador Nicole Eggert. Best known for her roles on Baywatch and Charles in Charge, Nicole was diagnosed with stage 2 cribiform carcinoma breast cancer in December 2023 and is still currently undergoing treatment. She has been courageously open about sharing her diagnosis and is here to talk to us tod...

Living with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) can mean facing complex emotions. For many dealing with stage 4 breast cancer, the weight of the diagnosis brings a range of feelings — from fear and uncertainty to moments of resilience and power. One of the most powerful among the spectrum of emotions is gratitude, and this holiday season, two members of Komen’s MBC Steering Committee, Julia Hughes and...

This is Real Talk, a podcast conversation where we’re digging deep into breast cancer and the realities patients and survivors face every day. We’re talking openly and honestly about just how difficult breast cancer can be, from being diagnosed to selecting the right treatment plan, to living day to day with metastatic breast cancer, and life after treatment ends. In today’s episode, we’re talking...

On today’s episode, we are discussing a topic that affects most women with hormone receptor-positive, early-stage breast cancer after they finish their initial treatment and begin navigating survivorship. To lower the risk of recurrence, most women begin taking anti-estrogen therapy, also called hormone therapy or endocrine therapy, but these treatments do not come without the risk of side effects...

People often talk about social determinants of health - the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live and age - and how they affect a person’s health, well-being and quality of life. However, there are political determinants of health that impact our health and longevity as well. Rebecca Birch, director of state policy and advocacy at Susan G. Komen, is here today to help us understand...

Sunny, a mom, wife, and friend to many, opens up about what it's like to receive life-changing news and how she's chosen to embrace resilience, gratitude, and new perspectives. From her decision to make lifestyle changes with her husband’s support to finding strength in her community, Sunny shares the realities, challenges, and small victories of her journey.

Today we are joined by actress, activist and mother Olivia Munn for part two of our conversation about Olivia's journey through breast cancer.  Earlier this year, Olivia bravely shared her breast cancer diagnosis, urging women to advocate for early detection through the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment tool. Her heartfelt story resonated globally, prompting a surge in awareness and proactive health m...

Today we are joined by actress, activist and mother Olivia Munn.  Earlier this year, Olivia bravely shared her breast cancer diagnosis, urging women to advocate for early detection through the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment tool. Her heartfelt story resonated globally, prompting a surge in awareness and proactive health measures among women.

This is Real Talk, a podcast conversation where we’re digging deep into breast cancer and the realities patients and survivors face every day. We’re talking openly and honestly about just how difficult breast cancer can be, from being diagnosed to selecting the right treatment plan, to living day to day with metastatic breast cancer, and life after treatment ends. Today, we’re getting to know the...

Today, we are celebrating the 300th episode of this podcast. Over the past half decade, we have heard from survivors and thrivers, those in treatment, those living with metastatic disease, as well as family and friends of those passed and medical professionals. We are so grateful to everyone who has come on this podcast and shared their story, helping those who need to hear it most and supporting...

We know that 1 in 8 women will be being diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. which means that most people know someone that either has been or is currently touched by breast cancer. On top of that, there have been an increasing number of celebrities in the media speaking about their breast cancer diagnoses, which can sometimes make it feel like people are being diagnosed constantly. When famil...

A breast cancer diagnosis is shocking for young women. At a time in life most often focused on family and career, issues of treatment, recovery and survivorship suddenly take top priority, and this can bring with it a wide range of emotions. Today’s guest was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at the age of 34. By taking things one day at time, she was able to mentally keep it together t...

On today’s episode, we have two special guests, Kristina Guerrero, journalist, TV host, lifestyle expert and author along with three-time Emmy award-winning journalist, TV host, author and speaker, Gaby Natale. Both are Latinas in the public eye who were diagnosed at young ages with breast cancer. We’ll talk with them about navigating their breast cancer diagnosis as a Latina, how it changed them...

Tumor profiling or genomic testing can give us information about the genes in a person’s cancer cells and can help guide doctors to the best possible treatment plan by predicting the risk of recurrence, or when breast cancer returns after initial treatment. If a low risk of recurrence is shown, people with breast cancer and their doctors can choose to pursue a less aggressive treatment plan with c...

This is Real Talk, a podcast conversation where we’re digging deep into breast cancer and the realities patients and survivors face every day. We’re talking openly and honestly about just how difficult breast cancer can be, from being diagnosed to selecting the right treatment plan, to living day to day with metastatic breast cancer, and life after treatment ends. In today’s episode, we’re talking...

Women with a very high risk of breast cancer due to genetic mutations, such as BRCA, may consider risk-reducing bilateral mastectomies to lower their risk of breast cancer. While these prophylactic mastectomies do not completely protect a woman from breast cancer, they lower the risk in women at high risk by at least 90%. When today’s guest learned that she was a carrier of the BRCA1 mutation at o...

1 in 5 women who have had breast cancer surgery and treatment are at risk for developing a potentially detrimental side effect of breast cancer – breast cancer-related lymphedema – a condition in which lymphatic fluid gets trapped in lymph vessels and causes chronic arm swelling leading to reduced quality of life for many. We are joined today by Tina Tsan, a certified lymphedema therapist and the...