Our MBC Life

Research for triple negative breast cancer is growing, but current treatments still continue to fail the vast majority of people living with triple negative MBC. Data from the National Cancer Institute gives a five-year relative survival of only 12.8% of women diagnosed with triple negative MBC. Those women have what's called an exceptional response to treatment; more simply, we call them “unicorns” – beings that can bring wonder & hope. The stories of well-known triple negative MBC unicorns such as Karen Peterson and Barbara Bigelow bring inspiration. Today, we share the stories of two additional women: Dr. Toni Willis and Colleen Broughton have both lived for 8 years with TN metastatic breast cancer. Being an exceptional responder is what everyone with MBC hopes for – we wanted to give a chance for Colleen and Toni to share the miraculous, the miserable, and the mundane of surviving far longer than they expected to. MUSIC CREDIT: The Things That Keep Us Here · Scott Buckley

Lisa Manning and Tony Laudico met in Tokyo, Japan where they were both working at the time. It was a serendipitous encounter of a Canadian and an American, and the beginning of their version of a modern fairy tale romance. They lived happily for 27 years in many countries around the globe and made thousands of memories with their extended families, friends and two wonderful sons. But unlike many fairy tales that end when a couple dies on the same day after a long life together, Tony and Lisa’s fairy tale had a different ending. Lisa Manning Laudico died on August 6th 2022 after five years of living with metastatic breast cancer. She died quickly and unexpectedly within one week. Tony was suddenly faced - as it turns out totally unprepared - with the stunning reality of becoming a widower and the future without the love of his life, his partner and best friend. A year later, soon after the one year anniversary of Lisa’s passing, Tony got in touch with our Executive Producer Victoria Goldberg and suggested that they meet and talk about Lisa’s last days and how he was able to survive these past 12 months without her. It is remarkable and at times a heart wrenching account of Tony’s struggle to comprehend a life without the partnership that had sustained and defined him for 30 years, his whole adult life. He will talk about the anguish of loss, a nightmare of "death-duties", the true meaning of grief, and the solace of friendship. Although not always easy listening, it is an uplifting testament to the power of love. *Special thanks to John Martyn for the use of his song 'Small Hours' - One World (1977)

With the holiday season fast approaching, it is a great time to talk about gratitude and how important it is to have a joyful life. Making gratitude a part of your life, just like breathing, is such a huge help if you are searching for joy. But you can't just conjure up a life lived in gratitude. Unlike being thankful, which exists in the mind, gratitude is an appreciation that comes from the heart. It has to be cultivated and practiced. Today's 'Think Joy Thursday' explores ways to do this and even offers some helpful hints to make joy a habit in your life.

Young Adults & MBC is an episode that explores the lives of those diagnosed under the age of 40 with Stage IV breast cancer. First up, our Senior Producer, Natalia Green, interviews Angelica Valadez, initially diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in 2020 then diagnosed with MBC in 2022. Next, she interviews Sooz Stever, a YSC State Leader for Utah diagnosed with early stage TNBC in 2016 and MBC ally, dedicated to improving the lives of those living with metastatic breast cancer. We’ll discuss how we as young women focus on finding a community, overcoming obstacles and learning to navigate life as a young person with metastatic breast cancer everyday.

Welcome to the episode 7 of our Meditation Mondays series, created with MBC patients in mind. In today's meditation, we will be focusing on our life and the 10,000 joys and the 10,000 sorrows that have passed through it and all of our lives Sit back and prepare to become calm and relaxed for the next 12 minutes Inspired by a very enthusiastic response to monthly meditation sessions from one of SHARE’s MBC support groups. These sessions are on average under 20 minutes long. Our meditation leader is Barbara Chutroo, an MBC patient herself and a member of the group. Barbara is a longtime meditator and experienced meditation teacher. She's also a movement therapist and a clinical social worker. Thanks for listening! To find all the past episodes for this series, click on the MeditationMondays tab at the top of our landing or follow this link: https://www.ourmbclife.org/vault/meditation Do you like this series? We welcome feedback Email: ourmbclife@sharecancersupport.org Send us a voice recording via email or through SpeakPipe on our website. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @ourmbclife

Each October, Our MBC Life marks Breast Cancer Awareness month with a special episode dedicated to all those who died from metastatic breast cancer over the past year. But one podcast can’t begin to encompass and reflect the true toll of all of the lives cut short by this ruthless and terminal disease. Here’s the hard truth about MBC, according to advocacy and research organization Metavivor: In the US alone, an estimated 42,360 women and 530 men will die from the disease in 2023—117 per day. And despite the optimism around early detection and prevention that infuses “Pinktober” and its focus on survivorship, one in three diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer will eventually progress to become metastatic. Only 10% are metastatic at their first breast MBC diagnosis. This painful and sobering reality—that so many of us ultimately develop the kind of breast cancer that kills—needs to be part of the annual month-long conversation about breast cancer. Most importantly, it should help to guide decisions about how breast cancer research funds are invested. Shockingly, the estimated share of breast cancer research dollars that go to MBC is 5%. And while new treatments are extending survival for many with MBC, the disease is still terminal. To live with your own diagnosis or to be a loved one, caregiver, or friend of someone with MBC is to inhabit a community of loss. Every day, we confront the reality of mortality and struggle to balance fear with hope, and sorrow with joy. “We Remember” is OMBCL’s opportunity to give voice to the profound grief we share and to honor and celebrate each person we’ve lost. It’s a chance to express our gratitude for the extraordinary and unique ways they made our lives richer. And it is also an opportunity to channel some of our grief, fear, and anger into advocacy for the attention, support, and research needed to truly put us on the Road to a Cure. MUSIC CREDITS: 'Memories' by Maroon 5 'Mandy Love Theme' by Jóhann Jóhannsson 'Season Suite: Late Winter, Early Spring' by John Denver 'Fly Me To The Moon' by Frank Sinatra 'Rêverie, L 68' by Claude Debussy 'Songbird' by Fleetwood Mac 'All Boundaries Are Conventions' by Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, and Reinhold Heil

On this episode of Think Joy Thursday, we will be exploring the relationship between perspective and joy. Choosing the way you look at the world is a major key in having a joyful life. You can learn that it is possible to hold joy and sorrow in the same hand by using perspective. It’s not always easy to do this, so we will explore ways to incorporate perspective into your life, as well as some tips and tricks to make it become your go-to reaction when confronted with difficult situations.

This episode of our podcast is about and with a very special group of MBC patients. This group is increasing in numbers and yet it is underrepresented in clinical research, and its unique needs are not well understood. In fact, we don’t even agree on what to call this group - aging, elderly, older adults, geriatrics. We are talking about those of us who are living with metastatic breast cancer and are over 65 years old. Did you know that breast cancer has the highest incidence in the aging population? It is estimated that 21% of newly diagnosed patients are over 70 years old. It has been extensively reported that breast cancer-related mortality increases with age, regardless of disease stage. Geriatric oncology is emerging as a subspecialty of cancer care focused on older patients. So today, co-hosts Dr. Ellen Landsberger and Victoria Goldberg are talking to Dr Rachel Freedman, medical oncologist at Dana Farber about the challenges of caring for older adults The second part of the episode is a panel discussion about the issues of living and aging with MBC with the members of the MBC support groups at SHARE. Thanks for listening! More info about the show and past episodes is available on our website: www.ourmbclife.org Got something to share? Feedback? Email: ourmbclife@sharecancersupport.org Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and twitter @ourmbclife

Welcome to the episode 6 of our Meditation Mondays series, created with MBC patients in mind. In today's meditation, we will be focusing on how in meditation we're listening to ourselves and finding space to open up and offer ourselves the attention and the care. Sit back and prepare to become calm and relaxed for the next 19 minutes Inspired by a very enthusiastic response to monthly meditation sessions from one of SHARE’s MBC support groups. These sessions are on average under 20 minutes long. Our meditation leader is Barbara Chutroo, an MBC patient herself and a member of the group. Barbara is a longtime meditator and experienced meditation teacher. She's also a movement therapist and a clinical social worker. Thanks for listening! You will find all the past episodes for this series in The Podcast Vault, on our website: https://www.ourmbclife.org/vault/meditation Do you like this series? We welcome feedback Email: ourmbclife@sharecancersupport.org Send us a voice recording via email or through SpeakPipe on our website. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @ourmbclife

Today we’re bringing you a very special podcast episode that we create every year in partnership with SHARE Cancer Support called “Report Back From ASCO”, a webinar that occurred earlier this summer. ASCO, or the American Society for Clinical Oncology, is the world's leading professional organization for physicians and oncology professionals. The society organizes an annual meeting that serves as a platform for sharing the latest advancements in oncology research, clinical practice, and treatment strategies. In this podcast, Dr. Sherry Shen breaks down all the exciting developments in research and presentations at ASCO 2023.

Welcome to the Think Joy Thursday series, created to help not just MBC patients, but anyone dealing with difficult situations, learn tools to put into practice to help achieve a happier mindset. On this episode, we will be exploring the difference between happiness and joy. We will share some scientific research that has been done to determine if we are pre-disposed to being joyful and will delve into ways to help you spot true joy. We will explore how to have joy even if you are experiencing difficult life circumstances by sharing ways to find joy when confronted with both the big and small challenges of life.

This is a pilot episode brought to you in part by LatinaSHARE, meant for those needing resources and information about MBC in Spanish. Below you can read the episode's description in both Spanish and English: Únase a nosotros para darle la bienvenida una vez más al Dr. Jesús D. Anampa MD, oncólogo médico en el Centro Montefiore Einstein para la Atención del Cáncer. En su presentación nos enseñará sobre inmunoterapia, así como nuevas estrategias utilizadas para el tratamiento del cáncer de seno metastásico. Join us in once again welcoming Dr. Jesus D. Anampa MD, who is a medical oncologist at the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care. In his presentation, he will teach us about immunotherapy, as well as the new strategies used for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Please share this episode with anyone you may know who would benefit from a podcast in Spanish about MBC. Thanks for listening and sharing!

When Roberta Lombardi, a Connecticut mom of three, heard her diagnosis of early-stage triple-positive breast cancer, she had 14 months of treatment but found herself changed after the experience. She formed a nonprofit, Infinite Strength, to support breast cancer patients of all stages but she quickly pivoted toward the lives of moms with metastatic breast cancer: Specifically, single mothers of kids under 18, with financial need and MBC. The need is great and the response has been as well. Roberta took her regional nonprofit from serving people in Connecticut, to the Northeast, then including the South, and soon its focus on changing the picture for these women spread nationwide. Infinite Strength had beneficiaries in 27 states in late August and there is a lot planned for the end of 2023 and into 2024. Roberta is laser focused on removing barriers so that both moms with MBC and their kids can make the most of their time together, and she’s not afraid of causing waves to reach that goal. infinitestrength.org Aid application: https://www.infinitestrength.org/apply-for-aid

Welcome to the episode 5 of our Meditation Mondays series, created with MBC patients in mind. In today's meditation, we will be focusing on having a sense of being in community, having the support of the community. Sit back and prepare to become calm and relaxed for the next 16 minutes Inspired by a very enthusiastic response to monthly meditation sessions from one of SHARE’s MBC support groups, this episode is our third in the series of meditation sessions recorded over the last year. These sessions are on average 20-25 minutes long. Our meditation leader is Barbara Chutroo, an MBC patient herself and a member of the group. Barbara is a longtime meditator and experienced meditation teacher. She's also a movement therapist and a clinical social worker. Thanks for listening! You will find all the past episodes for this series in The Podcast Vault, on our website: https://www.ourmbclife.org/vault/meditation Do you like this series? We welcome feedback Email: ourmbclife@sharecancersupport.org Send us a voice recording via email or through SpeakPipe on our website. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @ourmbclife

Welcome to our second episode of the Summer 23 season. Awhile back we introduced the new series under the brand #OMBCLShorts. As the title implies, these are shorter episodes. Our second OMBCL Shorts features Dr. Erika Hamilton answering questions about her top takeaways from ASCO23. In this 20-minute interview we covered important updates on the CDK4/6 inhibitors for both early-stage and metastatic breast cancer, as well as research on a new HER3 ADC and the first AKT inhibitor for MBC. Listen in, enjoy, and let us know what you think by sending us a message on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram! @ourmbclife And don't forget to rate and review the podcast! Thanks so much for listening!

Welcome to the Our MBC Life Summer Season 2023. In this episode Victoria Goldberg is joined by clinical psychologist and author Sarah Mandel to discuss her beautiful, honest, and thoughtful memoir Little Earthquakes and her insights into life and death, trauma and healing. parenting and hope. When Sarah was pregnant with her second child, her daughter Sienna, she began preparing for her maternity leave, juggling the demands of her soon-to-be-new baby and her little daughter Sophie with the needs of her patients. Noticing a lump in her breast, she assumed it was most likely a clogged milk duct. But a biopsy revealed that it was breast cancer. When she went into labor, she learned that her cancer had already spread to her bones —horrible news that forced her to confront terminal illness as she was bringing new life into the world. Take a listen. We promise you, you will love meeting Sarah. More info about the show and past episodes is available on our website: www.ourmbclife.org Got something to share? Feedback? Email: ourmbclife@sharecancersupport.org Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and twitter @ourmbclife

Welcome to the episode 4 of our Meditation Mondays series, created with MBC patients in mind. Being with the truth of whatever is here in this moment with compassion and without judgement and knowing that we're not any one thing because we are constantly changing, is at the heart of this practice. Join us! As we say at the start of every meditation session, sit back and prepare to become calm and relaxed for the next 19 minutes Inspired by a very enthusiastic response to monthly meditation sessions from one of SHARE’s MBC support groups, this episode is our third in the series of meditation sessions recorded over the last year. These sessions are on average 20-25 minutes long. Our meditation leader is Barbara Chutroo, an MBC patient herself and a member of the group. Barbara is a longtime meditator and experienced meditation teacher. She's also a movement therapist and a clinical social worker. Thanks for listening! You will find all the past episodes for this series in The Podcast Vault, on our website: https://www.ourmbclife.org/vault/meditation Do you like this series? We welcome feedback Email: ourmbclife@sharecancersupport.org Send us a voice recording via email or through SpeakPipe on our website. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @ourmbclife

In today’s episode, Anne Woodward sits down with a special guest to discuss the in’s and outs of having MBC while living in the public eye. Get ready folks you are not going to want to miss hearing from Kelly Crump. She is the first ever sports illustrated swimsuit model photographed while posing on a picturesque beach in a gorgeous swimsuit with a mastectomy scar for all the world to see. In this incredible interview Kelly explains how she embraced social media to live out loud and in doing so harnessed all the attention to be an inspiration and help her 30,000 + followers. CoppaFeel- Is the first breast cancer charity in the UK to solely create awareness amongst young people, with the aim of instilling the knowledge and tools they need to get to know their bodies. We like to talk about a serious message in a light-hearted way, empowering people to start healthy habits for life. https://coppafeel.or

Welcome to the Meditation Mondays series, created with MBC patients in mind and designed for people who want to assist their body's natural tendency to repair and heal. It's not a substitute for medical treatment, but a compliment to it. Inspired by a very enthusiastic response to monthly meditation sessions from one of SHARE’s MBC support groups, this episode is our third in the series of meditation sessions recorded over the last year. These sessions are on average 20-25 minutes long. Our meditation leader is Barbara Chutroo, an MBC patient herself and a member of the group. Barbara is a longtime meditator and experienced meditation teacher. She's also a movement therapist and a clinical social worker.

Introducing OMBCL Shorts! This new feature of our podcast brings you memorable outtakes from the amazing interviews we do with people living with MBC and the many incredible people who support us. Our inaugural OMBCL Shorts features Dr. Stephanie Graff talking about what she does when someone is newly diagnosed with MBC. This season, we had a 3-part series for people newly diagnosed and we couldn't resist getting her take on the topic. And we're so glad we asked! Listen in, enjoy, and let us know what you think by sending us a message on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram! @ourmbclife And don't forget to rate and review the podcast! Thanks so much for listening!