Breast Cancer Conversations

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You know the expression put your oxygen  mask on first before helping others, well, the same applies for caregivers. If you are in a caregiving role Ammie share's her toolkit of what has worked for her and her husband, Jose.  She provides concrete examples of how these tools and methodologies work for her in her household.

Ammie's website: https://caregiversguidetocancer.com/
Download Resources: https://caregiversguidetocancer.com/resources/

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About Surviving Breast Cancer:
SurvivingBreastCancer.org (SBC), a federally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is to empower those diagnosed with breast cancer and their families from day one and beyond.

Learn More:
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/

Attend a support group, virtual program, workshop, and event:
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/events

Have a story to share, let us know!
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/submit-breast-cancer-story

Tell Cancer To Take A Hike this October! 

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Please share a review with us! If this episode resonated with you, we invite you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share some stars! 

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Latest News: 

• Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! 
• Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources from SurvivingBReastCancer.org! 
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Join us today as we speak with Podcaster and Book Author, Jen Delvaux! Jen and I talk about all things related to breast cancer survivorship.

You can find out more about Jen via:
Website: www. jendelvaux.com
Instagram: Instagram.com/jendelvaux
Podcast: No Today Cancer

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About Surviving Breast Cancer:
SurvivingBreastCancer.org (SBC), a federally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is to empower those diagnosed with breast cancer and their families from day one and beyond.

Learn More:
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/

Attend a support group, virtual program, workshop, and event:
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/events

Have a story to share, let us know!
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/submit-breast-cancer-story

Tell Cancer To Take A Hike this October! 

It's free to sign up! Click here to sign up, start your team, and Tell Cancer To Take A Hike! 

Support the show

Listener Feedback

Please share a review with us! If this episode resonated with you, we invite you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share some stars! 

You can also click the link in the show notes that says "Love this episode? Send us a text" to share feedback.

Messages are completely anonymous.

If you would like us to follow up directly, please include your email address in your message so we can respond.

Latest News: 

• Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! 
• Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources from SurvivingBReastCancer.org! 
• Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work. 

Love the podcast? Send us a text!

Tell Cancer To Take A Hike this October! 

It's free to sign up! Click here to sign up, start your team, and Tell Cancer To Take A Hike! 

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Listener Feedback

Please share a review with us! If this episode resonated with you, we invite you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share some stars! 

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Messages are completely anonymous.

If you would like us to follow up directly, please include your email address in your message so we can respond.

Latest News: 

• Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! 
• Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources from SurvivingBReastCancer.org! 
• Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work. 

Love the podcast? Send us a text!

TJ Hills joins us today to discuss her stage III breast cancer diagnosis; estrogen gene testing; and Nutrigenomics. More information about TJ Hills can be found on her website at https://betterestrogen.com/

Survivingbreastcancer.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting those diagnosed with breast cancer from day one and beyond.  Thank you for subscribing and tuning in to Breast Cancer Conversations, the podcast! 

Join our Survivingbreastcancer.org community:
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/

Become a member:
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/community

Attend an event:
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/events

Read our blog:
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-blog

Follow us on social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/survivingbreastcancerorg/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SBC_org
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Survivingbreastcancerorg

Tell Cancer To Take A Hike this October! 

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Listener Feedback

Please share a review with us! If this episode resonated with you, we invite you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share some stars! 

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Messages are completely anonymous.

If you would like us to follow up directly, please include your email address in your message so we can respond.

Latest News: 

• Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! 
• Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources from SurvivingBReastCancer.org! 
• Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work. 

Love the podcast? Send us a text!

Everything you need to know about Medicare. 

Visit us at Surviving Breast Cancer:
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/

Join a support group or attend an event or webinar: 
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/events

Tell Cancer To Take A Hike this October! 

It's free to sign up! Click here to sign up, start your team, and Tell Cancer To Take A Hike! 

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Listener Feedback

Please share a review with us! If this episode resonated with you, we invite you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share some stars! 

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Messages are completely anonymous.

If you would like us to follow up directly, please include your email address in your message so we can respond.

Latest News: 

• Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! 
• Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources from SurvivingBReastCancer.org! 
• Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work. 

Love the podcast? Send us a text!

In today's episode we speak with Christine Hodgon and Julia Maues, co-founders of GRASPCancer.org. GRAPS connects advocates and cancer researchers to advance breakthroughs. 

Welcome to the conversation!

About our guests:
Christine Hodgdon was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2015. Christine brings a background in biology and nonprofit programming to her work of curating cutting-edge research and interfacing with patients and research partners. She has worked with leading research organizations, medical centers and government agencies to ensure the patient voice is represented early and often. She is also the founder of the Storm Riders Network, a website that shares the latest breast cancer research, treatments and clinical trials.

Julia Maués was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 while pregnant. Following the birth of a healthy baby boy, Julia did tests she couldn’t do while pregnant and discovered the cancer had spread to her brain, liver, and bones. After many treatment setbacks, her cancer began to respond to treatment. Cancer is part of Julia’s life, but it doesn’t define her. Her goal is to make an impact while she is alive in the lives of others dealing with this disease. She has found meaning and purpose in working with patients and researchers to make cancer research more patient-centered, innovative and inclusive.

Listen to Part I:
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/podcast/episode/7a6d6bc3/158-hope-with-julia-maues-and-christine-hodgdon

About Surviving Breast Cancer:
SurvivingBreastCancer.org (SBC), a federally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is to empower those diagnosed with breast cancer and their families from day one and beyond.

Learn More:
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/

Attend a support group, virtual program, workshop, and event:
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/events

Have a story to share, let us know!
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/submit-breast-cancer-story

Tell Cancer To Take A Hike this October! 

It's free to sign up! Click here to sign up, start your team, and Tell Cancer To Take A Hike! 

Support the show

Listener Feedback

Please share a review with us! If this episode resonated with you, we invite you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share some stars! 

You can also click the link in the show notes that says "Love this episode? Send us a text" to share feedback.

Messages are completely anonymous.

If you would like us to follow up directly, please include your email address in your message so we can respond.

Latest News: 

• Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! 
• Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources from SurvivingBReastCancer.org! 
• Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work. 

Love the podcast? Send us a text!

Have you been screened for a genetic predisposition towards breast cancer? I have. My results returned a "Variant of Unknown Significance", or VUS.

What is a Variant of Unknown Significance? 

It’s a common question and I am pleased to have Dr. Mártir-Negrón, a medical geneticist at Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, and trained in internal medicine, genetic diagnosis and the treatment of patients with hereditary disorders to help answer this question! 

Laura: Dr. Mártir-Negrón, I understand when we get our genetic testing back and read through the results, sometimes we get what is called a variant of unknown significance, also referred to as VUS. Can you explain what this means and how it impacts breast cancer treatment decisions?

Dr. Mártir-Negrón: What a variant of unknown significance means is that there was a change that was found in you. But guess what, we all have changes in our genes; that’s what  makes us unique and who we are. The only ones that we know will cause problems are the ones that we call pathogenic. 

Based on data, we know that 90% of these inconclusive changes are benign. At the lab we'll continue to review, and when there is more data, they will reach out to whoever ordered the test to inform them of any new findings. The person who ordered the test is the one that is going to receive the reclassification. Again, 90% of the cases are benign, so we call it negative until proven otherwise. 

In terms of treatment, we don't do anything with that information and no action is taken. But, if we give recommendations, it's not because of the inconclusive work, it’s what we're seeing in terms of one’s family history. With the inconclusive result, you're always going to have that change, you were born with that change. What it changes is our interpretation. 

When we see that somebody has a variant of unknown significance or is inconclusive, we look at ClinVar. ClinVar is a part of the National Institute of Health and aggregates information about genomic variation and its relationship to human health. Obviously, no names or personal data are disclosed. What we do is when we see any inconclusives, we will look at ClinVar to see what all the labs are saying.

Laura Carfang: That's such a great point. ClinVar is a freely available public archive of human genetic variations and interpretations of the relationships to disease and other conditions. 

Abigail Johnston:  Just another reason why talking to the right doctor about the right topic is so important. Dr. Mártir-Negrón is a geneticist, you don't mind saying you don't know, whereas other doctors in other specialties often avoid saying "I don't know something" and it's very important to remember that.

Tell Cancer To Take A Hike this October! 

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Listener Feedback

Please share a review with us! If this episode resonated with you, we invite you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share some stars! 

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Messages are completely anonymous.

If you would like us to follow up directly, please include your email address in your message so we can respond.

Latest News: 

• Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! 
• Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources from SurvivingBReastCancer.org! 
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Julia and Christine are both living with Metastatic Breast Cancer and share their personal experiences with breast cancer and how they live by example providing hope for those in our breast cancer community!

About our guests:
Christine Hodgdon was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2015. Christine brings a background in biology and nonprofit programming to her work of curating cutting-edge research and interfacing with patients and research partners. She has worked with leading research organizations, medical centers and government agencies to ensure the patient voice is represented early and often. She is also the founder of the Storm Riders Network, a website that shares the latest breast cancer research, treatments and clinical trials.

Julia Maués was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 while pregnant. Following the birth of a healthy baby boy, Julia did tests she couldn’t do while pregnant and discovered the cancer had spread to her brain, liver, and bones. After many treatment setbacks, her cancer began to respond to treatment. Cancer is part of Julia’s life, but it doesn’t define her. Her goal is to make an impact while she is alive in the lives of others dealing with this disease. She has found meaning and purpose in working with patients and researchers to make cancer research more patient-centered, innovative and inclusive.

Check out their website: https://graspcancer.org/about/

Surviving Breast Cancer Resources
Website: https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/
Webinars, programs, and events: https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/events
Articles: https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-blog

Tell Cancer To Take A Hike this October! 

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Listener Feedback

Please share a review with us! If this episode resonated with you, we invite you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share some stars! 

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Messages are completely anonymous.

If you would like us to follow up directly, please include your email address in your message so we can respond.

Latest News: 

• Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! 
• Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources from SurvivingBReastCancer.org! 
• Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work. 

Love the podcast? Send us a text!

Amy Ellen Parliman lives life by faith and enjoys spreading kindness. She has a passion for serving her community thru her career in healthcare. 26 years ago, she went to school to become a radiology technologist. She enjoys performing diagnostic imaging on her patients, she prides herself in safe and quality care. About 12 years ago she became a leader in her field and has moved into a leadership role in the Diagnostic Imaging Department.

She worked in mobile imaging for 13 years, she recently changed jobs to reenter the hospital scene. She enjoys sharing her skills in diagnostic imaging with newer technologist. Her thoughts are to create an environment that is warm and inviting for patients during some of the worse times of their lives. She lives by a code to treat all of her patients like she wants her parents treated. Her goal is a smile or maybe a laugh while caring for her patients. Over the years she has been able to learn from her patients and team.

On January 29, 2014 Amy became a Cancer patient.  She underwent treatment for stage III breast cancer during 2014. She lived with NED until January 29, 2019 then she was told she had MBC. She is currently on her first line treatment. If the opportunity presents, she will share her various experiences of living after diagnosis.

She earned her MHA (Masters in Health Administration) from the University of Scranton in May 2021. Her goal is to take her passion of inspiring others to provide quality patient care and sharing her experiences as a patient and a worker in healthcare to a new level of leadership. If you are reading this, she would love for you to know don’t dream it, DO IT!

She has been serving the Breast Community by moderating Living One day at a time with metastatic cancer on Facebook. Her goal is to continue to work with members of this site and create more intimate relationships among the women in the group. Amy is excited to start a new chapter of sharing her story by being part of Living Beyond Breast Cancer “Hear My Voice” class of 2022 outreach program.

She loves the outdoors. She enjoys attending live sporting events. She and her husband are making their way around to all of the baseball stadiums. She loves football, she was even fan of the year for the Philadelphia Eagles and attended spring training in 2005.

She loves being an Aunt. She is a Georgia peach who currently lives in Upstate New York with her husband and 2 fur babies Oliver and Ziva.

Tell Cancer To Take A Hike this October! 

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Listener Feedback

Please share a review with us! If this episode resonated with you, we invite you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share some stars! 

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Messages are completely anonymous.

If you would like us to follow up directly, please include your email address in your message so we can respond.

Latest News: 

• Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! 
• Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources from SurvivingBReastCancer.org! 
• Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work. 

Love the podcast? Send us a text!

Website
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/

Events:
https://www.survivingbreastcancer.org/events

The link for the Triple Negative group (uk only) is https://www.facebook.com/groups/704115853080943

and for the palb2 group (international) https://www.facebook.com/groups/113514819289505

Tell Cancer To Take A Hike this October! 

It's free to sign up! Click here to sign up, start your team, and Tell Cancer To Take A Hike! 

Support the show

Listener Feedback

Please share a review with us! If this episode resonated with you, we invite you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share some stars! 

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Messages are completely anonymous.

If you would like us to follow up directly, please include your email address in your message so we can respond.

Latest News: 

• Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday! 
• Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources from SurvivingBReastCancer.org! 
• Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work.