Recently, in a support group I’ve been moderating with my Dad, a mental health therapist, since the long blur of COVID, I offered a small piece of homework—something I rarely do. But sometimes you can feel the shift before anyone names it, the quiet sag of spirits, the way the room grows heavier even through … Continue reading Finding Glimmers in the Weight of Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC)
It was the season of knowing and not knowing. The doctors said the word terminal, repeatedly, and then time began to move in three directions at once—forward toward progression, forward in all the ordinary days and also backward through memories of what life used to be. Each scan carries the question of how much had … Continue reading A tale of two lives
During the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), I had the privilege of participating in a panel discussion that was a collaboration between the Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation, the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance (MBCA), the American Association of Clinical Research (AACR) and the Advanced Breast Cancer Global Alliance (ABCGA). Dr Fatima Cordoso and Teri … Continue reading Clinical Trials, Part II: Informed Consent
During the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), I had the privilege of participating a panel discussion that was a collaboration between the Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation, the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance (MBCA), the American Association of Clinical Research (AACR) and the Advanced Breast Cancer Global Alliance (ABCGA). Dr Fatima Cordoso and Teri Pollastro … Continue reading Finding Clinical Trials: A Patient’s Guide
When we add up all of the chaos, only exacerbated by the perpetual news cycle, the burden of trying to find truth when no one gives us everything, it is entirely reasonable to feel paralyzed, to feel as though all hope is lost, to not know where to turn. Whenever I turn on the news, … Continue reading Navigating Life’s Turmoil: A Call for Connection and Action
Entering 2026, the author reminisces about words selected previously and announces her word for 2026.
Good morning! Picking up where I left off last week with Breast Cancer Awareness month educational tiles from Metavivor: In 2017, I was 38 and had never had a mammogram because I did not yet meet the criteria for screening. I received my first mammogram in the process of my de novo diagnosis and if … Continue reading MBC BCAM awareness #2
Each October, Metavivor shares tiles of educational information and 2025 is no different. I'll be sharing information throughout the month as I have the time/bandwidth and today I'm catching up on the first week of tiles: Approximately 117 people in the United States die every day from Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) -- that's … Continue reading Catching up on some MBC BCAM awareness!
While we don't see the fall seasons so much here in Florida from the trees, the rising incidences of pink smothered whatever always reminds me that October has arrived. Similar to other holidays, retailers get a start earlier and earlier in the year to capitalize on a larger timeline for sales. And while some of … Continue reading It’s October Again … 2025
For the past few months, I have been in at least weekly and sometimes daily contact with either my insurance company, various medical providers, Medicare or all of the above. While I’ve dealt with what I often call “paperwork hell” since my de novo Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) diagnosis since 2017, this fresh experience has … Continue reading Your Cheat Sheet for Medical Billing and Insurance Challenges
No Half Measures 