Remembering Natalia
We are honored to start this season with an episode dedicated to the wonderful Natalia Green. We’ll be hearing from those who loved her, as well as clips from episodes that she helmed throughout her time with the podcast. We hope once our listeners hear the episode, they’ll get an idea of how special she was, and is, to so many people.
Roberta Lombardi and Infinite Strength
Roberta Lombardi wanted to do something for the Connecticut moms and kids with breast cancer, but that *something* quickly morphed into a nonprofit effort to help break through barriers in the lives of moms with MBC. Laser focused on single moms with kids under 19 living at home and financial need, Roberta took her nonprofit (she calls it her fourth child) nationwide in mid-2023 and is already serving women in 27 states. While providing 6 months of financial support to approved applicants remains the core of Infinite Strength, Roberta has added to the support through one-day local (Connecticut) mom-and-kid retreats, in-person and online panels with some of the best experts in cancer care, a 2024 MBC conference, and a groundbreaking effort to change the picture through the Connecticut Coalition of Oncologists. This is a woman who does not sit still and we are so lucky to have her as an ally for people living with MBC. This episode may inspire *you* to get out there and do something!
MBC Advocacy: Finding Purpose in Adversity
After a Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) diagnosis, patients and the people around them are often left reeling and looking around to figure out how to make some sort of meaning from the trauma. The guests and representatives from LBBC and METAvivor on this episode share how finding purpose in the midst of adversity has helped them to truly LIVE with MBC. Don’t forget to listen all the way to the end as guest producer, Abigail Johnston, has some specific calls to action to share!
The Legacy of Lisa Laudico
Lisa Laudico, who created and spearheaded the Our MBC Life podcast series, died on August 6, 2022 from MBC. In this episode, Lisa’s friends, family, and colleagues remember her amazing life and celebrate the many ways she fostered connection, resilience, and hope throughout the MBC community.
Psilocybin-assisted Therapy: One Patient vs. the DEA
Welcome to the third and final episode in our series on the potential of psilocybin-assisted therapy to relieve the existential distress of, and help us live as well as possible with, metastatic breast cancer.
In this episode, we speak with two women taking action to increase legal access to psilocybin-assisted therapy in the United States. The first is a patient living with MBC who, along with her doctor, have brought a lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Agency which is denying her access to psilocybin in the palliative care setting and under existing Right to Try laws for promising investigational medications for the terminally ill. The patient petitioner, Erinn Baldeschwiler, tells us why she joined the lawsuit, what she hopes to gain from psilocybin-assisted therapy, and what it’s been like to deal with all the legal proceedings on top of a progressing MBC diagnosis.
Our second interview in this episode is with the attorney who is leading the legal case to open access to psilocybin under Right to Try legislation, Kathryn Tucker of the Emerge Law Group. Kathryn explains why psilocybin should be immediately available to patients suffering from distress, anxiety, depression under FDA rules and state and federal Right to Try laws. But the DEA is continuing to block access and hold psilocybin on Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substance Act.
It’s confusing, but we explain it all here. Lastly, see the Episode Notes for a current petition to the DEA to step out of the way and grant access to psilocybin for anyone with a terminal illness.
This series has been led by series producer, Dr. Paula Jayne with assistance from co-host Lynda Weatherby, and senior producer and host Lisa Laudico.
Thanks for listening!
Lara MacGregor: How To Decline Well With Hope
This is an interview that doesn’t shy away from the hard conversations that we have when diagnosed with a terminal disease, and gives Lara the opportunity to tell us what it has all felt like for her.
Black History & Health Equity Every Month, Every Day
We believe that Black History Month should always be celebrated but let's agree that it should not be just for one month but every month and every day.
November Trailblazer and A Dash of Joy
The Season of Giving is upon us. Purely by chance, we may be starting a new tradition here on the Trailblazer series - guests bearing gifts. This gift will be symbolically unwrapped during this interview with this month’s Trailblazer - national nonprofit United for HER and Susan Weldon, Founder and CEO.
MBC Around the World
Grab those negative covid tests and passports because we travel around the world in this episode! Oh yeah, get your proof of vaccination and N95s too since this thing ain’t over yet sadly. We wanted to learn how others living with and advocating for MBC deal with it all in other places. So we travel virtually to Canada, Japan, Kuwait, Egypt, Australia, Portugal, Kenya, Nigeria, and the UK. Co-hosts Natalia Green, Sheila McGlown, Lisa Laudico, and Anne Woodward find out what it’s like to get a second opinion in Europe & Canada, or why MBC is called Advanced Breast Cancer in some places, or how getting drugs in some countries is like applying for a car loan, or the debilitating stigma of cancer and so much more.
Trailblazers of Charlotte
We begin the Season 3 Trailblazers with a twist. We’re taking Trailblazer on the Road! Our first stop will be the wonderfully, philanthropic city of Charlotte, NC. Join us as we speak with representatives of two truly grassroots organizations, dedicated to supporting the Charlotte breast cancer community in two very different ways. Interestingly enough, both organizations were started by women living with Metastatic Breast Cancer.
Twisted Pink and a Dash of Joy
We are ending season 2 on a positive note with a dash of joy from Dar Finkelstein and a conversation with our Trailblazer of the Month Caroline Johnson, founder of Kentucky-based non-profit organization Twisted Pink whose sole mission is to raise funds for MBC. Even though there is still no cure, our odds of getting to a cure through better funded research and science are improving because of the contributions of allies like Caroline Johnson.
The Magic of Palliative Care: Our Stories
Want to know why we call it “magic?” Hear from people living with MBC about their experiences. While they all agree and encourage others to seek Palliative Care they also are aware of the barriers to access. Our guests cover it all. And it gets real.
Advocacy from a Legislator’s Perspective - Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz shares with us the power of the patient advocate voice and the impact of personal stories. She talks about how her own experience with breast cancer has shaped her approach to issues related to healthcare. We are so thrilled to get a legislator’s perspective as we explore Our MBC Life.
April Trailblazer & Dash of Joy
Welcome to the Episode 2 of the Trailblazer series. Have you ever asked yourself if Wonder Woman was real? Ask no more. She lives and her name is Jamil Rivers. She is also our Trailblazer of the Month. Jamil was diagnosed with MBC at age 39. She is a mother of three, a caregiver, a full-time CEO of a non-profit organization , the board president of METAvivor and if that’s not enough, she has recently embarked on a new venture—The Chrysalis Initiative, a project dedicated to eliminating disparities in outcomes for Black women with breast cancer. Also in this episode is a Dash of Joy from Our MBC Life’s own Dar Finkelstein. Dar is committed to living a life of joy and she shows us all how to do it. An episode full or hope, inspiration and joy.
Policy and the Power of Patient Advocacy
“I see so much in the metastatic community this idea of just paying it forward, this idea of, yeah, this might not actually help me right now, but I'm still going to bring it up and I'm still going to advocate for it because it will help somebody else.” This is the story about the power of advocacy. Meet some of the individuals and organizations who are advocating for metastatic breast cancer every day wherever the work takes them.
Meet our Season 1 Trailblazers
Meet our season 1 Trailblazers. These amazing women are making a difference in their communities. Finding inspiration from their own cancer experiences they have created organizations to support others, close gaps, and give back.
A conversation with Carol Evans
On this bonus episode hear our entire conversation with Carol Evans, CEO and Exec Dir. at SHARE Cancer Support. Carol joined us on two episodes last season - Working while Living with MBC and our December episode on the #inclusionpledge. Our talk with her covered much more and we want to share that with all of you.
