30 days of facts, Day 19

I didn't have chemo, but I've talked to a lot of people who have, and the research backs them up when they talk about "chemo brain."

Chemo Brain, from The American Cancer Society

30 days of facts, Day 18

Today is my "cancerversary" - 3 years ago today I heard the words that would turn my world inside-out. I'm giving myself today to take a breather, and not spend time immersed in the world of breast cancer as I have been this month. Please feel free to post links, facts, research, etc. in the comments to take up the slack!

30 days of facts, Day 17

Unlike most other cancers, breast cancer is not just one type. It's extremely complex, and many factors go into treatment, projected outcome, and recurrence risk. Is the cancer invasive or non-invasive (still contained)? In what part of the breast did it begin (ducts, lobules, connective tissue)? How does it appear under a microscope (there are many subtypes of each of the above)? Is it hormone-receptive (estrogen, progesterone)? What's its genetic makeup (using that information, the cancers can be grouped, and treatment better targeted)? Understanding this complexity can help explain one reason there is still no cure.

Mayo Clinic: breast cancer types - what your type means

30 facts in 30 days, Day 16

Breast cancer patients often suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). I know I do! When I go for my checkups at the Kirklin Clinic in Birmingham, I am anxious for at least a week prior, and the second my foot hits the catwalk from the parking garage, I usually go into full-on panic mode.

Nearly 1 in 4 women with breast cancer report PTSD symptoms, study finds

30 days of facts, Day 15

Today I'm giving you all a gift: an incredible podcast from a good friend of mine. Please listen as Melanie Childers of Badass Survivors interviews Lori Marx-Rubiner, current president of Metavivor. Lori talks about metastatic breast cancer - the only one that kills, yet the one with the least amount of research funding.

EPISODE 4 – METASTATIC DISEASE WITH LORI MARX-RUBINER

30 days of facts, Day 14

Median survival: 3 years. Read these stats please. Note the high % who incorrectly believe that we have metastatic breast cancer because we didn't "catch it early" or "didn't choose the right treatment." It is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day today. Every day is MBCA Day to me.

Lisa Bonchek Adams

30 days of facts, Day 13

Today is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day. ONE DAY in a month of pink to raise awareness of the ONLY kind that kills.

From http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/833004

"Members of the public won't donate if they can't solve a problem, so corporations push people with metastatic disease to the background," Jaggar [executive director of Breast Cancer Action] added.

"Death does not sell products," she summarized.