
Our BC Life
Once you receive a breast cancer diagnosis, a million things run through your mind. One of the big things is how much you don’t know before getting caught in the cyclone of treatment with no time to process until you’ve entered the survivorship stage. This podcast will dive into the nitty-gritty of what you wish you knew then and what you know now. Listen to patients share their stories in digestible bites. Each episode will help you feel informed, hopeful, and less alone. From SHARE Cancer Support, This is Our BC Life.
Episodes
26 episodes
Part 2: The Emotional Impact of Misgendering, Finding Support, and Advocating for Inclusive Care in the Transgender Community
Welcome back to Part II of our incredible conversation with Ash Davidson, a transmasculine nonbinary advocate who courageously shares their breast/chest cancer journey. In this episode, Ash opens up about the mental and emotional toll of nav...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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40:40

Part 1 – Wanting to Be Me: A Transgender Person’s Experience with an Unexpected Breast/Chest Cancer Diagnosis
In this first episode of season three, I talked with Ash Davidson. I am presenting their story as a two-part series to fully explore their experience as a transmasculine non-binary person navigating breast/chest cancer. I...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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32:28

Season 02 E11 - 2024 Episode Highlights: Stories of Resilience, Advocacy, and Transformation
Welcome to the wrap-up of season two of Our BC Life! I can't believe we’ve already made it through another season. A huge thank-you to all our incredible guests for trusting me with their stories of survivorship, sharing their experien...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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23:21

Looking Beyond the Ribbon to Tackle Financial Toxicity
In 2013, Bobbie Menneg was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer and had 15 positive lymph nodes removed, but fortunately, did not develop lymphedema. With a strong family history of breast and kidney cancer, she hesitated to pursue gene...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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40:43

Eating for Peace and Not Panic After Breast Cancer
Our guest, Cathy Leman, MA, RD, is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a specialty in eating disorders and an invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) breast cancer survivor. At the time of her diagnosis, Cathy had just completed the Chicago Hal...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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45:42

When Breast Cancer No Longer Dominates Your Thoughts
Imagine being just eight years old and seeing your mother disfigured from a Halstead radical mastectomy due to breast cancer because reconstruction wasn't an option back then. That was Deb Hackenberry’s first introduction to the harsh realit...
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Episode 8
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36:12

A Mother’s Breast Cancer Propels Daughter Into a Career in Genetics
When a family member is diagnosed with breast cancer, it can impact the whole family. Our guest, Barbara Spears (Barb), understands this well. Her diagnosis of invasive ductal breast cancer (IDC) changed the course of her daughter Chrissy's ...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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39:23

Turning Pain Into Purpose and Transformation After Breast Cancer
We all have some shared breast cancer experiences, but everybody’s walk is different. Invasive ductal carcinoma (ILC) survivor Dr. Michele D. Clark, LMSW, has a breast cancer experience with so many unexpected twists and turns that it will h...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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41:48

Gender-Affirming Care with Transgender Breast/Chest Cancer Survivor
Breast/chest cancer can take away a lot, but it can also give a lot. Spencer Hayward, a transgender man and survivor of invasive ductal (IDC) breast cancer, shares his journey from diagnosis to experiencing surgical frustrations and what it ...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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31:33

The Importance of Storytelling and Patient/Doctor Relationship
It is crucial to establish a strong partnership with your care team following a breast cancer diagnosis. In this episode, Doretha Burrell, a 17-year stage II invasive ductal carcinoma (ILC) survivor, emphasized the significance of the trust ...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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41:34

Shifting Expectations With Breast Cancer In Your 20s
In your 20s and 30s, you may not have had many interactions with the healthcare system besides visiting a family member in the hospital. There exists a group of people called Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA), who are underrepresented when ...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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46:32

Her Mom’s Breast Cancer Diagnosis Changed Trajectory of Her Career
When someone in your family is diagnosed with breast cancer, it can affect the entire family. Our guest Chrissy Spears, knows this well because her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer her senior year of college. When she and her mother r...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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43:08

Navigating Breast Cancer - From What Was to What Is
Guest Gail May never missed getting her annual mammograms. At first, her doctor spotted something suspicious and originally diagnosed her with DCIS, and after a second MRI, her cancer had become invasive, and she was diagnosed with invasive ...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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42:04

Our BC Life Compilation of all 2023 Episodes
Season one of Our BC Life is now available! We are grateful for the courage and strength of the survivors who have shared their inspiring stories with us. We encourage you to share this podcast with your friends and family who may also be in...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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18:27

Relationship with Food and Purpose After Breast Cancer
Life can be challenging and sometimes knock you to your knees. Guest Karen D. Adams, Invasive Ductal (IDC), HER2+, ER+/PR- survivor, was put to the test as she mourned the death of her father and was diagnosed a few months later with bre...
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Episode 11
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42:18

Breast Cancer Holistic Bag of Tips to Manage Emotions
Even with a strong family history of multiple types of cancers, guest Dawn Freeman, a DCIS with one recurrence survivor, was always into fitness and eating right. She was born with Addison’s disease, also called adrenal insufficiency, which ...
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Episode 10
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37:36

Making a Decision Based on a Percentage – Genetic Testing and Previvor Experience
This episode includes our first-ever previvior! Guest Kellie Goss, a BRCA1 previvor, has a strong family history of breast cancer. Her mom and little sister were diagnosed with breast cancer and she knew it would only be a matter of time bef...
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Episode 9
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37:41

PTSD and Vulnerability in Breast Cancer Survivorship
She had a doctor with a plan, and now she needed to be the patient with a plan. Guest Andrea "Andi" Gamble, an invasive lobular (ILC) survivor, comes from a family of breast cancer – her mother, herself, and then...
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Episode 8
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47:54

A Breast Cancer Story: From Stage Zero to Stage Four
No one prepares for going from stage 0 to stage 4. My guest, Nancy Herard-Marshall, was diagnosed with DCIS in Situ in October 2013. She was hitting her five-year mark in survivorship and living life until she went mountain climbing in Haiti...
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Episode 7
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40:43

Color the Queer into Post-Cancer Menopause
It is essential to acknowledge the different breast/chest cancer experiences of those in marginalized communities, including the LGBTQIA community. My guest, Jamie Philips, an invasive ductal and DCIS survivor, is a queer person who experien...
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Episode 6
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39:47

When Family History and Genetic Mutation Elevate Risk of Breast Cancer
Knowing your family history is essential to learn what you are predisposed to. In this episode, my guest Marissa Thomas, a triple-negative survivor with a Lynch syndrome mutation, discusses learning of her family history and how she wa...
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Episode 5
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32:10

The Anxiety of Breast Cancer Surgery Choices
There’s a lot of anxiety once you receive a breast cancer diagnosis. In this episode, my guest Erin Perkins, a triple negative survivor, discusses the unique way she knew something was wrong and the overwhelming feelings that came when it wa...
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Episode 4
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37:05

The Rollercoaster of Emotions When Treatment Changes
A breast cancer diagnosis can cause a rollercoaster of emotions, especially when you are mentally prepared for a specific treatment plan but then feel blindsided by additional treatments. Guest Brenda Coronado, a stage IIB invasive lobular s...
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Episode 3
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28:31

When Surgical Menopause Wreaks Havoc on Sex Life and Mental Health
There are different sets of challenges when you’re originally diagnosed under 40. One of those challenges is how being surgically induced into menopause rather than nature taking its course affects the mind and sex life. That’s what guest Ra...
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Episode 2
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42:10

The Power of Asking Questions When Diagnosed with Breast Cancer
When you get that initial breast cancer diagnosis, you often feel powerless because so much is unknown. This episode will discuss the power of asking questions of your medical team with guest Nancy Touhill, a triple-negative breast cancer su...
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Episode 1
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35:16
