Tissue Donation - You can help advance MBC research
Today we talk with breast cancer researcher Dr. Steffi Oesterreich, clinical coordinator Lori Miller, and MBC advocates Stephanie Walker and Christine Hodgdon to learn more about tissue donation programs and how they can help accelerate scientific research. Tissue donation programs ask patients to consider donating their tissues, including organs, soon after we die to help researchers better understand how breast cancer continues to spread and how to slow it down or stop it altogether. Donating our tissue is one way we can help thousands of other women and men with MBC to live longer with higher quality of life.
Introducing the BECOME Project & Survey
The MBC Alliance asks the question “How can we ensure Black people are better represented in cancer research? Finding the answer starts with patient voices.” The BECOME Project is positioned to do just that. BECOME project lead Stephanie Walker and committee member Sheila Fuhs join Lisa Laudico to talk about the important initiative and how YOU can get involved.
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.
Metavivor and #LightupMBC
Jamil Rivers, the new President of Metavivor, joins the pod to talk about research, health disparities, self-care, and what she sees ahead for the organization. And Laura Inahara shares the story of her best friend Jess Moore and the #LightUpMBC campaign that honors her.
The Cancer Couch
Tom Scalera talks about what motivates him to carry on the work his wife, Rebecca Timlin-Scalera, started at The Cancer Couch Foundation. He joins Lisa in this episode to talk about the need for research, new treatments, and how Covid has impacted the grief process.