2021 Webinars in Partnership with SBC, the first quarter

In the first quarter of 2021, we welcomed some truly amazing people to the webinar series with SurvivingBreastCancer.org and learned so many different amazing things from some truly exemplary human beings. Every time I think we might begin to run out of new and amazing topics, something else occurs to someone who tells us or we are contacted by someone who has a niche they want to share with us. We are always open to new topics, new speakers, new ideas and welcome interaction with YOU!

Why do we have this webinar series?

To bring to our audience the people living and working in the spaces we all inhabit at one time or another. The end of life comes to each of us. For those of us with MBC, it’s coming sooner rather than later. Instead of avoiding this subject that isn’t easy, we are tackling it head on to provide you the space and the resources to face it with us. While dying is by definition a solitary endeavor, the process of and planning for death doesn’t have to be.

January 10, 2021 — Breast Density with Leslie Ferris Yerger, author of Probably Benign. This webinar was a small departure from our usual subjects since it focused on what everyone with mammary glands needs to know about breast density, what breast density means for the efficacy of the various testing modalities and how risk along with survival is impacted by breast density. You’ll hear a little on the podcast about efforts on social media in February to encourage everyone to know their own breast density — a successful project we expect to be repeated in the future!

January 24, 2021 — Panel of Mothers who have Lost their Daughters to MBC, with Karen Rothe de Fiebre and Denise Gray Haynes. This discussion was full of tears and grief and love and remembrances from these two moms. Be sure to check out the Kady Haynes Beauty for Ashes Project, where Denise carries on Kady’s memory in supporting families with gifts and celebratory support when breast cancer affects their ability to celebrate a holiday like Christmas. Also, be sure to check out GRASP, which stands for Guiding Researchers and Advocates to Scientific Partnerships, and was inspired by Amanda and where Karen carries on her legacy of boldly advocating for herself and others in the research arena.

January 31, 2021 — Clinical trials in partnership with Ciitizen — this podcast was also a departure from our usual formula, where Laura takes the moderator role and I (Abigail) am one of the panelists. Clinical trials are sometimes so confusing and it’s hard to know where to turn. Ciitizen not only assists patients by gathering and summarizing their medical records, which makes it easier to get a second opinion, but also provides clinical trial matching by experts. They are also some amazing human beings to get to know!

February 7, 2021 — Widowers who have Lost Wives to MBC with Jimmy Boratyn, Christian Garnett, and Andrew Silver. Listen to Part I here and Part II here. This discussion was full of tears and grief and love and remembrances from these three widowers and has resulted in at least one amazing partnership to bring the play, IV Our Lives, to film. Melissa, Emily and Anya impacted the lives of their families and so many others and their widowers have had a smilier impact as they carry on the legacy begun by their wives/partners/soul mates.

February 21, 2021 — Yoga and MBC with Susanna Barkataki, author of Embrace Yoga’s Roots: Courageous Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice. Have you ever wondered if there is more to yoga than just the physical aspects and benefits? Tune in for a discussion about the roots of yoga, what it really means to practice yoga, and how yoga can affect your entire life as well as be a tool for social justice.

March 7, 2021 – Hospice — a frank conversation with Laura Carfang and Abigail Johnston, Esquire. When an expert has an emergency and doesn’t show up to give a formal talk, no worries, we will just utilize our own experiences and research to discuss the topic anyway. Join us for what happens when two friends talk about death and preparing for death.

March 21, 2021 — a Grief Circle with Kelly Grosklags, author of A Comforted Heart, founder of Conversations with Kelly and star of the film, Dying is Not Giving Up. Kelly is a psychotherapist specializing in grief and is a sought after speaker on the topic of grief. She has been a part of the MBC Comunity for many years and has spoken at conferences and given generously of her time and talents. We begin with some information about grief in the MBC context, particularly collective grief and then move on to a lovely conversation amongst the attendees.

**At the time of posting this blog, not all of the live webinars have been converted to podcasts. I will be adding links as they are available; at the same time, each of the live webinars can be accessed and watched at the SurvivingBreastCancer.org Facebook Page on the dates referenced above.**