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Join us for a candid & heartfelt discussion with certified death doula and fellow MBCer Deltra James as she shares how death doulas support us in facing mortality with less fear and more intention. We also chat about her six week virtual course, “The Good Grim: Exploring end of life, facing fears, and living fiercely”, offered free through Project Life for those living with MBC. We invite you to listen to this life-filled conversation. 

Please visit our website, Our MBC Life, to check out the information provided in the episode notes. 

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In this episode of Our MBC Life, we sit down with Dr. Kelly Shanahan, the president of METAvivor, a U.S. nonprofit solely dedicated to funding research for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) while also supporting patients through advocacy and community. Our guest shares METAvivor’s mission, their biggest milestones, and how their work is driving critical research that aims to extend lives and improve quality of life for those living with MBC.

We dive into how METAvivor prioritizes research funding, the importance of patient involvement in advocacy initiatives, and the Stage IV Stampede—a powerful advocacy event raising awareness and amplifying the voices of the MBC community.

Tune in to hear how METAvivor is shaping the future of MBC advocacy and how you can get involved to make an impact

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This episode of Our MBC Life features Stephanie Walker and Julia Maués of the Patient-Centered Dosing Initiative team who have been working on the 2025 reboot of its groundbreaking 2020 patient survey. Julia and Stephanie break down how treatment doses are typically determined during clinical trials and why individualized dosing, based on more than your diagnosis, is so important for people living with metastatic breast cancer. They also chat about the newly launched 2025 Patient Dosing Survey that you can take right now, where to find it and why your experience about metastatic breast cancer treatment matters.

Be sure and visit OurMBCLife.org  to check the episode notes for links and more information.

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Senior Producer & Host Martha Carlson interviews Josh Newby, the founder of Theresa’s Research Foundation. Josh has been a leader in the world of metastatic breast cancer advocacy for over a decade, focusing energy on bringing MBC research scientists and patient advocates together in an effort to improve our lives. To paraphrase Josh, researchers need patients and patients need researchers—a synergy he recognized early and brought to the fore of advocacy. This year, Josh and Theresa’s Research Foundation is doubling down on a cure for MBC. In this episode, he talks about the work the Foundation is doing and what “cure” means to him. He also talks about the effects of current federal policy on research and what it may mean for the young MBC investigators he champions. 

To check out the episode notes, please visit ourmbclife.org. 

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Welcome to our Season 10 opening episode! Today we’re discussing some of the big updates in metastatic breast cancer research from the 2024 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). Joining us today is Dr. Debu Tripathy, breast oncologist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center who will break down into understandable terms some of the most impactful findings shared at SABCS, from advances in endocrine therapy and HER2-targeted treatments to exciting developments in PI3K inhibition and nausea control. 

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Welcome to our first "Our MBC Life Unplugged" episode, where we wrap up the fall season with an honest, unscripted conversation. What happens when someone is told they might actually be cured? It’s what we all dream of hearing, but when we started talking, it opened a Pandora’s box of questions and concerns:

Is a cure really possible?
Should I go off treatment?
What if the doctor is wrong and my cancer comes back?

This episode dives deep into these complexities and more. So, grab your favorite beverage and join us for a raw, heartfelt discussion you won’t want to miss.

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If you’ve never heard of Postpartum Breast Cancer (PPBC) – well, you are not alone. This episode is a personal one for many on our podcast team – it is all about this little-known subset of breast cancer called Postpartum Breast Cancer (Postpartum means “following childbirth”) – how it happens, and why it creates a higher risk for metastatic spread and death. The doctors we interview here have proven that Postpartum Breast Cancer is a distinct category of breast cancer diagnosed in women within 10 years of having a baby. It affects 18,000 women in the US a year (that’s almost the same as ovarian cancer diagnoses in the US), and can happen across all subtypes, like hormone +/-, HER2+/-, or triple negative disease. *50%* of women diagnosed with breast cancer under age 45 in the US are actually diagnosed within a 10-year Postpartum window – 50%! Postpartum breast cancer also carries a higher risk for metastasis and death than breast cancer diagnosed outside this 10-year window. Now, Dr. Virginia Borges & Dr. Pepper Schedin are ready to move all their lab findings into the clinic by launching the first-in-human clinical trial to prevent Postpartum Breast Cancer – by giving healthy moms ibuprofen – yes, ibuprofen, for a brief period of time as they wean their babies from nursing. This is a groundbreaking clinical trial idea, with huge potential global impact, and they need the public's help to make it happen.
To learn more about this project and read the episode notes, visit our website, Our MBC Life. 

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Have you ever wondered how our cancer metastasizes? Why is it that some treatments just don’t work? Can we as patients living with MBC alter cellular level activity? In this episode, you will hear the answers to these questions and more. Join us as we take a step back to the basics of tumor microenvironment with our guest, Dr. Amy Beumer, who will break down the science to smaller, digestible bites. In this lively discussion, Dr. Amy explains the how and the why of this tough topic. You will hear her say “This is fun” and use engaging, relatable metaphors like “Picture your neighborhood and that one neighbor…..”  By the end, I assure you that you’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of tumor microenvironment than when you started. 

Pull up a chair, listen in your car or on your daily walk, we are with you wherever you listen to your podcasts. Terms and other resources are provided  in the episode notes on the episode web page,  www.ourmbclife.org/episodes/tumor-microenvironment-dr-beumer.

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Each October, Our MBC Life marks Breast Cancer Awareness month with a special episode dedicated to all those who died from metastatic breast cancer over the past year. 

To live with your own diagnosis or to be a loved one, caregiver, or friend of someone with MBC is to inhabit a community of loss. Every day, we confront the reality of mortality and struggle to balance fear with hope, and sorrow with joy. “We Remember” is OMBCL’s opportunity to give voice to the profound grief we share and to honor and celebrate each person we’ve lost. It’s a chance to express our gratitude for the extraordinary and unique ways they made our lives richer and our often collective grief over their loss.    

We invite you to bear witness with us to this outpouring of love for those lost to MBC over the last year.  Above all, may you find the space and tools to tend to your grief as you continue to love and honor those lost.   

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In this episode, Senior Producer and Host Martha Carlson embraces the hope that we can do something to help our closest relatives avoid metastatic breast cancer and even early-stage breast cancer. Despite living with no known inheritable mutation associated with breast cancer risk, Martha has MBC and her Mom recently died of the same disease. Now, her 20-something oldest child has discovered an additional factor that puts her at increased risk. Listen along as they discuss risk reduction and what steps have been recommended, followed by an informative interview with Dr. Sagar Sardesai of Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is the Co-Director of OSU High Risk Breast Clinic, along with Dr. Doreen Agnese, where they see people of all ages who are at elevated risk for breast cancer, whether due to known or unknown inheritable factors, family history, previous treatments, and more. We talk about what it means to live with high risk, the options for monitoring, when and how to begin, and why it matters. It’s another great episode from OMBCL, and we hope you learn a lot.