Our MBC Life

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.

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.

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.

Welcome to the third and final episode in our series on the potential of psilocybin-assisted therapy. We speak with two women taking action to increase legal access to psilocybin-assisted therapy in the United States. Erinn Baldeschwiler and attorney Kathryn Tucker of the Emerge Law Group tell us about their lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Agency, who is denying Erinn access to psilocybin in the palliative care setting. They discuss what it’s been like to deal with all the legal proceedings on top of a progressing MBC diagnosis and why psilocybin should be immediately available to patients suffering from distress, anxiety, depression.

This guided meditation was recorded during one of Share Cancer Support’s support groups for patients with metastatic breast cancer. The meditation leader is Barbara Chutroo, who is a member of the group. We intend to publish a new meditation episode on the third Monday of every month.

Welcome to the first Road to A Cure episode of Season 6. Our guest is the incomparable Dr. Erika Hamilton, a breast oncologist and researcher who, as she says herself, doesn’t shy away from difficult questions. In this episode, we get a review—subtype by subtype—of the biggest news over the past 15 months. Of course, we also talk about what is on the horizon in MBC.

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!

This season, we are bringing back our Trailblazer series. Our first trailblazer is Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), a national nonprofit that has become synonymous with the word community. That’s because LBBC’s annual Conference on MBC is one of the largest gatherings for women and men living with MBC. In this episode we will speak with Jean Sachs, CEO of LBBC, and sprinkled throughout this episode are your voices, voices of patients sharing their LBBC experience.

Can mindfulness and meditation help many of us living with MBC tame anxiety, improve emotional balance, and experience more joy? Expert guests and our patient panel share how this ancient practice can make a daily difference. Bonus: our podcast includes a special guided meditation created with MBC patients in mind.

Is laughter good medicine? These breast cancer survivors/thrivers say: Yes!