I am honored to join the Board of METAvivor as a patient living with Metastatic Breast Cancer since 2013. My first diagnosis was a “Stage 0 DCIS” (a “pre-cancer”) at 36, and a young mom, with no family history or known inherited risk. The DCIS was very dispersed, requiring mastectomy, and so I opted for a bilateral mastectomy. Twelve years later – it was MBC – throughout my skeleton, to my brain, and an excruciating tumor on my left trigeminal (facial) nerve. After two rounds of Gamma Knife, multiple go’s with radiation, and navigating changes in ongoing systemic therapies, I feel very lucky to be doing well most of the time. I carry with me those who are not – and dear MBC friends who have passed.
Working with clinicians and researchers is a favorite space for me. My education and work life always centered around healthcare – from hospital and research equipment sales to hospital/health systems administration. As I got involved in MBC advocacy, I knew I’d found my people! I’ve served on the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance Executive Committee and been a producer for the “Our MBC Life” Podcast. Currently I help support the Center for Metastasis Research eXcellence at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, the “Live from Stage 4” Podcast. And now METAvivor is the ultimate place and space to have real impact in MBC! I am excited to be a part of this team, driving priorities in MBC research funding, awareness, and support to patients.
A few years ago, as part of my MBC advocacy work, I finally learned what may explain my own breast cancer and MBC recurrence. I met researchers who focus entirely on breast cancer in young women, pregnancy, and the postpartum space. My own breast cancer was diagnosed when my youngest was 3, which fits the definition of “Postpartum Breast Cancer (PPBC)” – any breast cancer diagnosed within 5, or even up to 10, years after the birth of a child. PPBC has been shown to have a 2-3x higher risk of metastasis, like my own. One of my passions is helping to raise awareness around PPBC and whether it might benefit from targeted treatments.