Real Pink

Caregiving can be a difficult and very personal role on many levels. Assisting a loved one through their cancer diagnosis, helping with daily activities, providing support and helping to make treatment decisions may all be a part of the responsibilities. When young adults are the caregiver taking care of a parent, they face many unique challenges, such as having more duties to juggle, starting their own families or careers and coming to terms with taking care of someone who has always taken care of them. Today’s guest Ashley Dedmon supported both of her parents in their cancer journeys and is here today to speak about the challenges and blessings of that time in her life, as well as how it impacted how she approached her own health. Special Guest: Ashley Dedmon.

Navigating a breast cancer journey can cause feelings of confusion and fear, all of which are normal.  There are healthy ways to cope with the stress caused by these fears, such as mindfulness meditation, support groups or finding a creative outlet. Today’s guest has beat cancer not once, but twice! As a survivor of Lymphoma of the brain as well as breast cancer, Julia Evans knows firsthand how important it is to find ways to keep the faith and is committed to encouraging, educating and empowering those in the fight through her nonprofit, Coloring Over Cancer. Special Guest: Julia Evans.

People diagnosed with breast cancer have many unique sources of stress. As we head into Mother’s Day, we will explore some of the challenges that mothers face in particular. Throughout the process, moms with breast cancer face the reality of maintaining a sense of normalcy for themselves and their children while balancing the emotional and physical toll of treatment. Today’s guest was diagnosed during the Covid pandemic, forcing change upon change. Here today, to share her story and how she has balanced it all is Christine Carlo George. Christine, welcome to the show! Special Guest: Christine George.

Susan G. Komen has long worked to mobilize our communities to take action. Susan G. Komen’s Center for Public Policy serves as the leading voice of the more than 3.8 million breast cancer survivors, 168,000 people living with metastatic disease, and the scientists, health care professionals, caregivers and members of the public who are concerned about breast cancer. Komen works to educate people about public policy issues, so they are empowered to become forceful advocates for themselves and their neighbors, and then unites their collective voices for maximum impact. Sound government action is critical for making the broad, systemic and lasting changes we need to save lives and end breast cancer forever. That means that Komen – as a patient advocacy organization with first-hand knowledge of how breast cancer touches people and communities – must advocate at all levels of government.  The Center for Public Policy, focuses on work to: Empower people and policymakers with knowledge; Connect advocates together; and Mobilize everyone to Act for lasting change. Joining us today is Molly Guthrie, Sr. Director, Public Policy and Advocacy. Special Guest: Molly Guthrie.

A breast cancer diagnosis can bring a wide range of emotions including shock, fear, sadness and anger. The support of family, friends and others can be helpful as you go through diagnosis, treatment and beyond. Thankfully, there are support groups to help you navigate breast cancer easier and to improve your quality of life during and after treatment. Today’s guest has dedicated her life to helping motivated patients overcome the challenges of breast cancer and to invest in their social, physical and emotional wellbeing.  Here today to share her breast cancer journey and how it has impacted every area of her life is Beth Wilmes. Special Guest: Beth Wilmes.

About 1-5 percent of breast cancers in the U.S are Inflammatory Breast Cancer.  This is an aggressive form of breast cancer, with signs that tend to arise quickly, often within weeks or months. There are some challenges of diagnosing IBC, such as the fact that it may first be mistaken for an infection or mastitis because of its symptoms.  Routine mammography may also miss IBC because of its rapid onset.  Our guest today is Sara Diemer, who is here to share  her story of living with Inflammatory Breast Cancer and to help educate us on the signs and symptoms of this rare disease, in hopes that it can help other women to recognize it more quickly.   Sara, welcome to the show! Special Guest: Sara Diemer.

Most breast cancers are not related to genes or family history. However, if you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, your family members, especially sisters, daughters and mothers may have an increased risk of getting breast cancer. When cancer does affect multiple generations in a family, the impact can be far greater reaching than just the physical symptoms. Our guest today lost her mother to cancer at an impactful time in her life, was diagnosed with breast cancer 7 years ago, and is raising two daughters. Here to share the ways this has impacted her family, as well as how she’s been able to use her experiences to help other people and to build meaningful relationships is Dara Kurtz. Dara Kurtz is the creator of the popular blog crazyperfectlife.com, with over 200,000 followers from around the world. After going through breast cancer almost 7 years ago, she quit her job as a financial advisor, launched her blog, and wrote her first book Crush Cancer. Her second book just released, I am My Mother’s Daughter: Wisdom on Life, Loss, and Love, It is all about the connection between mothers and daughters from one generation to the next, how to be intentional about growing relationships, and how to create a more meaningful life. Dara is a writer and speaker, and loves sharing her journey to help and inspire others. She lives in Lewisville, North Carolina, with her husband and daughters, loves spending time in nature, and practicing Kundalini yoga. Special Guest: Dara Kurtz.

Sometimes pre-clinical studies show that a drug has a good chance of helping patients, but when the drug is tested on patients, it doesn't work as expected. Today, we are talking to Dr. Shom Goel, Group Leader and Medical Oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the University of Melbourne, in Australia & Komen-funded research scientist. He will talk with us today about the history of CDK4/6 inhibitors - how they initially failed but how scientists continued to work with them and are now seeing some positive results in patients. Special Guest: Dr. Shom Goel.

Many scientific researchers face challenges in their work and the Covid-19 pandemic has only added to these challenges, but researchers are incredibly resilient and continue to push forward because they know their work will help patients and improve lives. Today, we are talking to Dr. Jennifer Guerriero, Instructor in Medicine and the Director of the Breast Tumor Immunology Laboratory at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Department of Surgery. Dr. Guerriero is a Komen-funded early career investigator and will talk about some of the challenges she has faced and what has motivated her to push through them. Dr. Jennifer Guerriero is a Komen Career Catalyst Research grantee and PhD immunologist. She runs an independent Laboratory at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the Department of Surgery investigating the tumor microenvironment in breast cancer, is the Director of the Breast Tumor Immunology Laboratory at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and is an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Special Guest: Dr. Jennifer Guerriero.

In the U.S today, Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age, in later stages, with more aggressive types and have a lower 5-year survival rate. These disparities aren’t just caused by health issues but also by social injustice—unequal access to health care, a lack of diversity in medical research and services, unaddressed cultural barriers and more. Michael Cox joins the show today to talk about these risks and normalize conversations about breast cancer. Special Guest: Michael Cox.

Breast cancer, unfortunately, can come back even if doctors believe the chances are low. We don’t know why breast cancer recurs or when it will – it could be as soon as a few years after you’ve completed treatment, or it can be 20 years later. As a breast cancer survivor, you can stay in charge of your breast health by knowing the warning signs of recurrence and talking with your doctor when something doesn’t feel quite right. Karen Sock joins the podcast to share her story. Special Guest: Karen Sock.

Our guest today knows first hand how important it is to stay on top of your breast health. Fashion designer Betsey Johnson was diagnosed with breast cancer 21 years ago and is here to share her story. Today is our 100th episode of Real Pink and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our listeners and amazing guests that we have on the show for their support and partnership in working towards our mission of saving lives and finding the cures for breast cancer! Special Guest: Betsey Johnson.

A breast cancer diagnosis was a catalyst for a major career change for Valeria McClure. Special Guest: Valencia McClure.

Everyone is at risk of breast cancer, but some of us are at higher risk than others. We know that black women are about 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women. These disparities are unacceptable. Your race and where you live should not determine whether you live. Here today to help us learn how to stay on top of our breast health is Dr. April Spencer. Special Guest: Dr. April Spencer.

Cancer treatment has come a long way over the years. At the forefront of these medical advances are therapies known as “biologics.” Today I am speaking with Andrew Spiegel from the Global Colon Cancer Association to talk about biosimilars in cancer treatment and how he has used his voice in patient-centered policy and other discussions to ensure safe biologic medicines are available and accessible to patients. Special Guest: Andrew Spiegel.

About 4 percent of all breast cancers diagnosed in the U.S. occur in women under 40. Our guest today was only 25 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was newly married and life had yet to really begin for her and her husband, yet they immediately found themselves dealing with issues of treatment, recovery and survivorship as top priorities. Special Guest: Jennifer Humphries.

Talking openly with your doctor is one of the best ways to feel good about your breast cancer treatment decisions. But, sometimes, talking with a doctor can be overwhelming, confusing and create more questions than answers. This week, we are resharing the first episode of Real Pink. Samantha Harris joins the show to help us learn how to ask the right questions, ensure that we have the right support, and help us develop a really good relationship with our doctor. Special Guest: Samantha Harris.

Welcome to Season 3 of the Real Pink podcast! The word “cancer” can bring about sudden and intense emotions. You may have feelings like fear, anger, frustration, depression and even helplessness. These emotions are normal. No one can tell you how to feel, how not to feel or to change the way you feel. Allowing yourself to express your emotions can help you begin to cope. Today’s guest is Cara Sapida. She found that writing about her experience was therapeutic and helped her to work through the shock and reality of her diagnosis. Special Guest: Cara Sapida.

It is estimated there are more than 168,000 women living with metastatic breast cancer in the U.S. in 2020. Janet Robinson is one of these. She was diagnosed 5 years ago with breast cancer after discovering a dent in her left breast. She has since had 2 recurrences and 2 years ago she was diagnosed with MBC. Today Janet will share with you how a second opinion saved her life and how she has found hope even with a MBC diagnosis. Special Guest: Janet Robinson.

As hard as it may be to hear, metastatic breast cancer can not be cured today. However, metastatic breast cancer can be treated, with a focus on extending and improving quality of life. The journey can be a roller coaster and today’s guest has learned how to endure the highs and lows with balance, grit, and a positive attitude. Here to share what she has learned throughout her breast cancer journey is Cinda Paynter.