Bad Right Breast

Mary is a Broadway actor & dancer, as well as a director, choreographer and teacher.  Needless to say that she knows her body.  So when her doctor continued to dismiss her when she had discovered some not so normal symptoms in her breast, she knew it wasn’t normal and didn’t settle for ‘your scans look fine.’  And because she didn’t settle, she caught her cancer before it spread and became much worse than it was.  

References:

• Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book, the Fifth Edition

Music by Becca Ayers
Additional Music by Baby Goes Bang (Becca Ayers & Russ Rowland)
Graphic Art by Justin West
Website Design by Alec Addalia

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WEBSITE:  www.BadRightBreast.com

Caryn was a newlywed when she first discovered that she had stage 2 breast cancer.  After treatment, which included a double mastectomy and chemotherapy, she was able to have a baby that she and her husband always wanted.  Then nine years after she completed treatment, she discovered that her cancer had metastasized.  For the past seven years, she is thriving.  She created an entire wellness program, Pretty Wellness.  She wrote a book and has her own podcast, Happiness Through Hardship.  Needless to say, Caryn is living her best life.

You can follow Caryn Sullivan, a two-time cancer survivor, founder of Pretty Wellness, on facebook, instagram and twitter at PrettyWellness or even better, go to her website at PrettyWellness.com.  You can read her book Happiness Through Hardship or subscribe and listen to her podcast with the same name.

Music by Becca Ayers
Graphic Art by Justin West
Website Design by Alec Addalia

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WEBSITE:  www.BadRightBreast.com

For nearly 8 years, I had check-ups, mostly blood work, very few scans. But I admit, throughout those years, I sometimes felt a bit invincible.  One in eight women get cancer, but 30% of that have a reoccurrence.  Finding out my cancer had metastasized to my spine at the height of the pandemic in New York City did not make me feel invincible.  It was however a way for me to have yet again a new perspective on life, as if I needed one.  AND I don’t have to pick up heavy shit anymore.

References:

• Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book, the Fifth Edition

Music by Becca Ayers
Additional Music by Baby Goes Bang (Becca Ayers & Russ Rowland)
Graphic Art by Justin West
Website Design by Alec Addalia

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WEBSITE:  www.BadRightBreast.com

Jennifer is an acupuncturist, mom of two, who had a lumpectomy and then four years later had a reoccurrence and then had a single mastectomy.  But her daughter understands it as ‘it’s not the cancer that can kill you like mine almost did.’  We each have our own stories of cancer, and this is Jennifer’s.

Music by Becca Ayers
Graphic Art by Justin West
Website Design by Alec Addalia

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WEBSITE:  www.BadRightBreast.com

Our 15 volunteers each talk through how they chose their doctors.  Some got second opinions and some didn’t feel the need, while some didn’t have a choice.

You can read Allyson’s article HERE in Medium.

Music by Becca Ayers
Graphic Art by Justin West
Website Design by Alec Addalia

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WEBSITE:  www.BadRightBreast.com

Marianne was a busy woman with, well...life.  Six years went by before she had a mammogram.  But when she did, she was lucky.  And now, she knows it’s not worth skipping one ever again.

Music by Becca Ayers
Graphic Art by Justin West
Website Design by Alec Addalia

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WEBSITE:  www.BadRightBreast.com

There is no one scenario that perfectly matches another.  To make the decision about what type of surgery to have in order to treat breast cancer, relies on a number of differing variables.  Besides the scientific facts, there’s the mental and physical variable of the individual.  For others it simply depended on where they’re located, while to some it was merely just trusting their own instinct.

Special thanks to Marianne, Kim, Catherine, Katy, Pam, Mary, Sheila, Jennifer, Tiffany, Caryn, Heather, Allyson, Shana, Adina and my Aunt Kathleen for sharing their stories.

Music by Becca Ayers
Graphic Art by Justin West
Website Design by Alec Addalia

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WEBSITE:  www.BadRightBreast.com

Tissue transfer versus implants.  Lots to consider, time in the hospital, time to recover, invasive vs not so much.  But the idea to choose my size?  That is appealing, but so is a tummy tuck.  Oh, the decisions!  Thankfully Dr. Reconstruction broke down all of the pros and cons.   

BONUS:  At the end of the episode, listen to Baby Goes Bang’s BLUE & COLD, which is featured throughout the podcast.

Music by Becca Ayers
Additional Music by Baby Goes Bang (Becca Ayers & Russ Rowland)
Graphic Art by Justin West
Website Design by Alec Addalia

FOLLOW US:

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WEBSITE:  www.BadRightBreast.com

MRIs and PET scans – why don’t they ever warn you about what it’s really like?  End of the world sirens, horrible shake that you need to drink, and radiation that makes you feel like you’re peeing yourself.  SERIOUSLY!  
References:

• PET Scans:  Healthline 
• MRIs:  WebMD

Music by Becca Ayers
Graphic Art by Justin West
Website Design by Alec Addalia

FOLLOW US:

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WEBSITE:  www.BadRightBreast.com

As I’ve mentioned before, there’s no right way to tell folks you have cancer.  I wanted to be in control of my story, so that if anyone had any questions about what was happening to me, well, they could simply read the truth for themselves.  We all tell our stories in different ways, because they are just that – OUR STORIES.

BONUS:  At the end of the episode, listen to Baby Goes Bang’s THIS SONG (cello by Julia Rogers), which is featured throughout the podcast.

Music by Becca Ayers
Additional Music by Baby Goes Bang (Becca Ayers & Russ Rowland)
Graphic Art by Justin West
Website Design by Alec Addalia

FOLLOW US:

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• Patreon

WEBSITE:  www.BadRightBreast.com