MBC Care in the Middle of Nowhere

MBC Care in the Middle of Nowhere

When it comes to cancer, living in a rural area puts people at a disadvantage. They face limited access to quality healthcare, long travel times, and low recruitment to clinical trials, all of which affect quality of care and health outcomes. Join our producers Stephanie Walker and Martha Carlson, along with their guests, as we deep dive into this important topic.

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PI(3)King the Right Target

PI(3)King the Right Target

PI(3)King the right target after CDK4/6 inhibitors fail patients is an exciting area of research and FDA approval. Now that there are multiple options approved by the FDA and more to come, patients have more treatment choices. Join host Abigail Johnston as she interviews 2 patients who give us their perspective on these advances, as well as a doctor whose scientific research has led the way identifying PIK3CA mutations as a cancer genomic biomarker.

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Traveling with MBC: Tales & Tips

Traveling with MBC: Tales & Tips

Travel can mean many things - Adventure. Relaxation. Exotic places & cultures, foods & jaw-dropping natural vistas. It can stimulate or soothe us and transport us literally and figuratively to a different reality. It lifts us out of the daily challenges of our diagnosis. It's no wonder so many of us with MBC love to travel and to plan new trips. But traveling with MBC can present a unique set of challenges. In this episode, Nancy Roylance co-hosts with Dr. Ellen Landsberger. She's the perfect partner, a retired MD, and one of the most traveled people we know. So brew yourself a cup of tea., pull up a comfortable chair ,and settle in. You'll hear from several members of the OUR MBC life team as well as other frequent flyers from the larger MBC community. We reflect on where we've been, where we would like to go and offer our advice for when a journey is really a journey.

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mTNBC Unicorns: Living In Contradiction

mTNBC Unicorns: Living In Contradiction

Becoming a cancer “unicorn”--a person whose cancer responds exceptionally well to available treatment and who survives beyond what is expected--is what most of us hope for. This is all the more true for triple negative MBC where effective, targeted treatments are still sorely lacking. Today we talk to two women who have lived with triple negative metastatic breast cancer for 8 years. Dr. Toni Willis and Colleen Broughton share their diagnosis & treatment stories, including their experiences with second opinions, clinical trials, self-advocacy, and cultivating joy for themselves & their families as they navigate surviving longer than they –or their doctors—expected to.

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Tony Laudico: One Year Without Lisa

Tony Laudico: One Year Without Lisa

Meet Tony Laudico, husband of 27 years to our beloved Lisa. In this episode, you will hear a remarkable and at times, heart wrenching account of Tony’s struggle  to comprehend a life without the partnership that had sustained and defined him for 30 years. 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, this is an uplifting story and a testament to the power of love.

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Living & Aging with MBC: Dr. Rachel Freedman & Patient Experiences

Living & Aging with MBC: Dr. Rachel Freedman & Patient Experiences

What is old? What do you call old? Seniors? Elderly? Geriatrics? Older Adults? We have strong opinions about these terms and being included in this group. In general, breast cancer is a disease of aging and more common in older patients. As our population ages, it is becoming increasingly more common, and yet older patients have worse survival from their breast cancers than their younger counterparts at every stage of diagnosis & every subtype. We will ask Dr. Rachel Freedman, medical oncologist from Dana Farber, to explain and discuss what it means to be living & aging with MBC, along with a very special group of women living with MBC.

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Roberta Lombardi and Infinite Strength

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!

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OMBCL Shorts #2: Dr. Erika Hamilton with Top Takeaways from ASCO23

OMBCL Shorts #2: Dr. Erika Hamilton with Top Takeaways from ASCO23

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.

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MBC Life:  Quakes, Aftershocks, and Hope

MBC Life: Quakes, Aftershocks, and Hope

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 book  and her insights into life and death, trauma and healing. parenting and hope. Sarah’s book, Little Earthquakes is a beautiful, honest, and thoughtful memoir of how a healthy 36-year-old, who is about to give birth to her second baby, lives through an experience of getting de novo MBC diagnosis and its horrific aftermath.

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Living in the Public Eye with MBC: An Interview with Kelly Crump

Living in the Public Eye with MBC: An Interview with Kelly Crump

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, pull up a chair you are not going to want to miss hearing from Kelly Crump, 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.

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OMBCL Shorts #1: Dr. Stephanie Graff & Her Steps For Those Newly Diagnosed MBC

OMBCL Shorts #1: Dr. Stephanie Graff & Her Steps For Those Newly Diagnosed MBC

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!

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The Rising Rates of BC & MBC in Young Women, Including Pregnancy & Post-Partum Diagnoses

The Rising Rates of BC & MBC in Young Women, Including Pregnancy & Post-Partum Diagnoses

If you don't hear much about the rising rates of all stages of breast cancer, including MBC, in young women, you're not alone. De novo MBC rates (when Stage 4 MBC is found at the first diagnosis) are rising "exponentially", and fastest among women between the ages of 25 and 39, but not in older women. These trends are alarming to researchers. Perhaps most shocking of all: half of young women diagnosed with breast cancer under 45 have a postpartum diagnosis, defined as being within 10 years from their youngest child's birth, and that is something that rarely gets covered or explained. We'll explore it all in this episode, including the possible causes, recommendations for testing and even contraception for young women, and the research and clinical leaders working to make this a top priority in the BC & MBC space. It's difficult to consider, and dense, we know. But so important and important to share with all the young women in our lives. Not to scare them, but to inform and empower them.

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Recent Advances, Controversies, and Emerging Trends in MBC

Recent Advances, Controversies, and Emerging Trends in MBC

Over the last 20 years, advances in HER2 targeting treatments, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitors (CDK4/6is) have prolonged survival and changed the breast cancer treatment landscape. Success leads to more questions about optimal drug sequencing, mechanisms of resistance, and how to overcome that resistance. Let’s ask Dr. Stephanie Graff to help us tackle these topics and more.

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Living Alone with MBC

Living Alone with MBC

Living with metastatic breast cancer is hard enough, but for those who are single or do not have a primary caregiver, living alone with MBC can be especially challenging. With some extra planning and working out who can support you, however, it is possible to continue to live alone well even when you have MBC. In this episode, we speak with four amazing ladies from the US & Canada, who generously share their experiences, feelings, and plans for living alone while navigating MBC. We then discuss some helpful resources for finding social & emotional support, legal & financial resources, and coordinating care. Finally, we end by sharing Lesley Kailani Glenn’s story of deciding to leave a thirty year marriage while diagnosed with MBC. Join us for this real but hopeful discussion! *Note: individuals in this episode share their thoughts on medical aid in dying as one part of this rich conversation.

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Newly Diagnosed with MBC: Tests, Terms, & Tips with Dr. Rebecca Shatsky

Newly Diagnosed with MBC: Tests, Terms, & Tips with Dr. Rebecca Shatsky

Being diagnosed with MBC can feel like you’ve been dropped into a dangerous and alien landscape, one whose inhabitants speak a new and confusing language. Numb and bewildered, you face a mountain of medical decisions—each with seemingly high stakes. The last in Our MBC Life’s 3-part series for people newly diagnosed with MBC, this episode's interview with Dr. Rebecca Shatsky, interspersed with experienced-patient voices, sheds light on cancer types, tests, and treatment—and empowers listeners to navigate this challenging new terrain with understanding, knowledge, and confidence.

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Newly Diagnosed & Trailblazing: An Interview with Michelle Anderson-Benjamin

Newly Diagnosed & Trailblazing: An Interview with Michelle Anderson-Benjamin

In this episode, Our MBC Life sits down with patient and advocate Michelle Anderson-Benjamin, founder of The Fearless Warrior Project. During the pandemic, Michelle was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and then with metastatic breast cancer shortly after she completed initial treatment. An experienced healthcare professional, a mom of two kids, and a wife who poured all her energy into others, Michelle says the diagnosis of MBC put a "battery in her back" to refocus attention on herself. This candid conversation has a lot to offer those newly diagnosed with MBC, and will inspire all of us.

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Newly Diagnosed with MBC: Keeping Your Balance on the Emotional Rollercoaster

Newly Diagnosed with MBC: Keeping Your Balance on the Emotional Rollercoaster

Hearing the words “you have metastatic breast cancer” is devastating. Whether your diagnosis comes de novo or months, years, or even decades after treatment for early-stage breast cancer, there is no way to prepare for the terror, anger, despair, and sense of freefall that follows. You’ll hear from oncology social worker Lisa Nelson and a candid group of patients on the challenges of processing the diagnosis.

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MBC Advocacy: Finding Purpose in Adversity

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!

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Doing End-Of-Life Right