Shannon Kegebein, Lead Ambassador for the Great Lakes Region, lives in Brighton, Michigan. Shannon’s sister Stephanie Maltby is her inspiration. Stephanie was diagnosed at Stage IV in 2009 and died January 12, 2014 at the age of 34. Together they launched The Sisterhood of the Stage IV Traveling Pants and through them Stephanie lives on. Shannon is passionate in her advocacy and lucky to have her enthusiasm as part of METAvivor!
Shannon: The day Stephanie and I learned she had metastatic breast cancer was certainly the most significant and devastating life event that has happened to our family.
Stephanie earned her RN (with honors!) in January 2009, after a challenging five years of study. She worked as a cardiac step down nurse in three 12-hour shifts a week. It was physically exhausting and aches and pains were naturally part of the job, especially given her dedication to her patients. For months doctors tried to assure her the pain in her back, ribs and bones were a result of her job; she was “too young” for anything else. But in November 2009 we learned otherwise. She was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer with spread to her bones, her spine broken in four different places. She lived for four years, grateful for the treatments that kept her alive and with some quality of life. We know she could have easily left this earth much earlier; that she lived thanks to treatment after treatment after treatment.
My goal? No one should have to die from breast cancer, but if we can’t find a cure, science must provide long-term options that preserve both longevity and quality of life.
Shannon: I have been involved with other “cancer related” organizations, however, I felt like something was missing in the grand picture. Like many, I enjoyed the “pink and pretty” events. I understand them as a way to help the public give their support without facing the drab, dreary and depressing reality of breast cancer. But still, something is missing. The more I listened to people talk about breast cancer, the more I realized there is not enough knowledge about how cancer travels and feeds in the body and how research drives treatments which allow us to live with it, not die from it.
I chose METAvivor because we focus on breast cancer that has spread, and no one dies from breast cancer unless it has metastasized and METAvivor is funding research specifically for these patients. Funding research is the only way to make a difference. To save the lives of all our men and women with metastatic breast cancer we need new trials and new treatments. I believe this is TRULY the only way to make a change in all our lives. The only way to find a way for long-term survival
Shannon: Yes! C2C will be coming though the Great Lakes Region! We are so excited to be part of this journey! The event will capture the attention of our Nation with awareness of a different kind. IT will help educate people about metastatic, or Stage IV breast cancer. For example, our younger girls really need to know what to watch for with the knowledge of changes in the breast. Not all breast cancers are found by a lump, we understand that, but it is a helpful tool. Stephanie had a lump. Had she thought to have it checked, maybe, just maybe, things would have been much different. And the Stage IV Traveling Pants will be along for parts of the journey, too!
C2C4MBC will be coming through central Illinois and Indiana! Want to get involved?
