Episode 17: Radiation is over!

Five Years Later: A Conversation with a Breast Cancer Survivor

This week's episode is a little different, and one I've been looking forward to sharing. For the first time, I'm sitting down with another breast cancer survivor who is now five years in remission. While I'm still navigating treatment myself, she has already walked the road I'm on, and together we have an honest conversation about what life looked like before cancer, the day everything changed, treatment, survivorship, and what life is really like five years later. We talk about the parts of breast cancer that don't always get discussed: the fear, the unexpected challenges, the moments that made us laugh, the things people say that aren't always helpful, and the hope that exists on the other side of treatment. Whether you're newly diagnosed, in the middle of treatment, years into survivorship, or supporting someone you love, I hope this conversation reminds you that you're not alone, and that there is life beyond cancer. Thank you for listening to Where I Am Right Now.

Episode 17: Radiation is over!

In this episode of Where I Am Right Now, I'm sharing my experience after completing all 19 rounds of radiation treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer. I talk about what daily radiation was actually like, the skin changes I experienced, the fatigue that surprised me, and how my body is healing now that I'm a few weeks out from treatment. I also dive into life on Kadcyla, including the side effects I've been experiencing so far, from body aches and appetite changes to neuropathy, insomnia. If you're preparing for radiation, currently going through treatment, or simply following along on my cancer journey, I hope this episode helps you feel a little less alone.

Episode 16: In my radiation era ...

In this episode, I’m talking about the part of cancer treatment that feels quieter… but somehow still consumes your entire life. I’m currently 6 out of 19 rounds into radiation, and I wanted to share what this phase has actually been like physically, mentally, and emotionally. From the daily routine of radiation, to the exhaustion that slowly builds, to feeling like life is supposed to be “normal” again when you’re still very much in it. This episode is about the emotional weight of continuing treatment after you thought the hardest part might be over, and learning how to keep showing up anyway. 6 down. 13 to go.

Episode 15: What I’d Tell Myself at the Beginning

In this episode, I asked a simple but deeply meaningful question in one of my breast cancer support groups: “What is one thing you would tell yourself when you were just starting this journey?” The responses… they were honest, raw, and comforting. The kind of words you don’t always hear from doctors or even the people closest to you, but the ones that come from women who have actually lived it. Today, I’m reading through those answers. If you’re newly diagnosed, I hope this feels like a hand to hold. If you’re further along, you might hear something that takes you right back… or something that reminds you how far you’ve come; just know that you’re not doing this alone.

Episode 14: The Next Phase; My First Round of Kadcyla

After finishing six rounds of chemo, I thought I was stepping into a lighter part of treatment, but the journey isn’t over yet. In this episode, I’m sharing what it felt like to start my first round of Kadcyla, the targeted chemo I’ll be on for the next year. I talk about what my symptoms have been so far. and I explain a bit about what Kadcyla actually is and what makes it "targeted" chemo. This phase looks different and I’m learning how to navigate it in real time. If you’re entering a new stage of treatment or adjusting to the “in-between,” this one’s for you. And to add, it always seems like there's IN BETWEEN throughout this cancer journey, seems enervating ending.