Bright Spot in the Darkness: Navigating Motherhood, Loss, and Cancer Artwork

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.

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Our BC Life

Bright Spot in the Darkness: Navigating Motherhood, Loss, and Cancer

March 20, 2025 • SHARE Cancer Support • Season 3 • Episode 4

Guest Haley Pollack knows the deep impact of cancer — first as a daughter, then as a mother. After her mom died of breast cancer during her 20s, Haley faced her own colon cancer diagnosis at 37, just months after giving birth to her second daughter. In this heartfelt conversation, she opens up about navigating motherhood and cancer, the pain of stopping breastfeeding due to treatment, and the loneliness of not finding resources for young parents like her. Haley also shares how a connection with another young mom with cancer led to co-founding Bright Spot Network, a nonprofit that creates a safe space for young parents navigating cancer while raising small children, including those diagnosed during pregnancy.

Haley reflects vulnerably on how her mother’s cancer experience shaped her own, the unexpected ways grief evolves, and the long journey to forgiving her younger self for how she coped during her mom’s illness. Together, we explore grief, legacy, and the importance of being gentle with our past selves.

Learn more about Bright Spot Network here.

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Bright Spot Network