Breast Friends Cancer Support Radio

As soon as a woman hears those four words “You have breast cancer”, her world is changed forever. While we can’t always control what life presents to us, we can control how we respond. With holistic strategies and support, it is possible to maintain good health through treatment, and then use these strategies to reduce the risk of recurrence. Join us as Carol Lourie, Naturopath, Acupuncturist, and Homeopath, talks about her decades of experience helping thousands of women move forward!

Bestselling author, Sharon Brock, shares how mindfulness offers the emotional support needed after a breast cancer diagnosis. In Sharon’s book, The LOVEE Method, she shares how specific mindfulness practices reduce anxiety, anger, and depression related to having breast cancer, and cultivate the self-compassion and inner strength needed to get through breast cancer treatment.

After a late stage 3 diagnosis nearly 16 years ago, Cary has made it a priority to incorporate some form of physical activity and movement into every day. She believes that the intersection of cancer and fitness is a place where great healing can be found, and this led her to take a leadership role at Handful, a Portland, Oregon based activewear brand with a mission to support the 1 in 8 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the US each year.

Catrina is a BRCA1 Triple Negative Breast Cancer Survivor. She was diagnosed at the age of 37 with no knowledge this gene mutation ran within her family. Instead of feeling defeated, she immediately turned to her faith to get her through the upcoming days ahead of this journey of breast cancer. As this journey started to where she is today. she told herself she would lean on and depend on her faith. Because Catrina decided to lean on her faith, she knew this was a fight she was going to win, no questions asked. This is how she came up with my slogan “Fighter with Faith”. She is a fighter and she has faith. Jeremiah 30:17 “I will give you back your health and heal your wounds, says the LORD.

Creativity gets you out of your head and into your heart where healing begins. Patricia Varga, writer, author, artist and transformational therapist will be here to talk about how she has witnessed, through her time working with patients affected by a variety of traumatic experiences, including cancer survivors and thrivers, the healing power of creativity. Her Create to Heal program provides of series of exercises and tools that build upon each other to unlock your emotions and tun them into positive pathways and balance.

Did you know that choosing to NOT have reconstructive surgery after a mastectomy IS an option? More and more women are choosing to remain flat after a mastectomy for a variety of reasons, physical and emotional. Katrin van Dam will tell us her story about why she chose an Aesthetic Flat Closure, what it is, how it effects clothing choices, sexuality and more. We will also discuss Katrin's book Flat and Happy: Mastectomy and Flat Closure - A Personal, Practical Guide.

Join Jordon Hice and Lisa Rhoades, co-owners of Fit Alliance in Tigard, Oregon on Breast Friends Cancer Support Network. They are here to discuss how important community is, whether it is in supporting other local businesses or in overall health and physical fitness. Jordon and Lisa are huge supporters of Breast Friends, hosting the 2nd Annual Community Fundraiser for Breast Friends on October 1, 2022. They also use this same philosophy in their personal training gym - longevity and community to help their members, mainly women over 40 with personalized “permanent progress” training plans combined with a guided nutrition plan guaranteed to lead them to success. Listen in for their tips on how to get started with a new health plan, even after a diagnosis of breast cancer. It only takes a phone call to start!

Jen and Stephanie wrote When Boobs Attack to provide information and hopefully a laugh to fellow people battling breast cancer. Jen and Stephanie went to high school together and then graduated and didn't talk for over 20 years. Then out of the blue their mothers, who still live in their hometown, spilled the beans that they were both battling breast cancer. Can you believe the coincidence? They were diagnosed within a month of each other and both finished active treatment in April of 2018! As they chatted about what treatments they each had coming up, it worked out great because Jen was the mastectomy expert and Stephanie was the chemo expert! Jen shared great boob pillows and Stephanie sent soft hats for the bald-times. Jen and Stephanie are currently writing the second book in the series. They are open very open about their diagnosis, treatments, side effects, and whatever you want to know in all of the gory details. They had so much fun with selecting the book and chapter titles - they really do think t

Dana Donofree, CEO and Founder of AnaOno will be here to talk about her own diagnosis of breast cancer and how and why she founded AnaOno. AnaOno recognizes that not all breasts are (re)created equal. They embrace different breast shapes and surgery outcomes and intimately understand your unique needs. Their bras are designed to fit YOU. It's not just about your body – it's about your story. Maybe you’re a breast cancer patient or survivor. Maybe you’re asymmetrical or have other needs for a bra to fit your chest. You could be tired of traditional underwire bras that cause unnecessary pain and discomfort. You may just want something that makes you look and feel good. No matter who you are, no matter your story, we believe you should have a bra that fits your unique shape. AnaOno. Designed differently. Because we are. And different is beautiful.

Viki Zarkin – cancer thriver, advocate and author. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer and refused to take that as the answer. She is here today to talk about her journey, fighting for her life, advocating for herself, navigating through the healthcare world and following her gut. Today, Viki is a beacon of hope for others, she’s a motivational speaker and coach on a national level and a successful author. More info can be found at www.iamtheone.com.

Morgan Hare, Co-Founder of the AiRS Foundation to be here to discuss the importance of reconstruction options for women who undergo surgery for breast cancer. The AiRS Foundation is an advocate for restorative breast surgery, a vital part of total physical and emotional healing for many breast cancer survivors. Up to 70% of the survivors who desire this surgery do not have sufficient insurance or other resources to cover it. The foundation offers funding for breast cancer reconstruction, as well as education for physicians and the medical communities, mastectomy patients, caregivers, and advocacy organizations.

Charlene Wheeless used to describe herself as the “typical type A personality.” That changed, however, after she was found to have breast cancer in February 2017 and had nine surgeries in three years. When she left her corporate job, she didn’t know what she was going to do but then realized she had a story to tell. She started off writing a blog, which quickly turned into her book, “You Are Enough!” Her book tells the story of lessons she has learned through her job, life and cancer journey. Part memoir, part motivational guide, and a clear roadmap for thriving in career and in life, YOU ARE ENOUGH! draws from Wheeless’s experiences climbing the corporate ladder and battling breast cancer to illustrate life lessons for others. On this episode we will discuss the book, and also what it means to be diagnosed with breast cancer as an African-American woman, a community which is desperately underserved. Join us!

Savio P. Clemente, Founder of The Human Resolve LLC is here: I almost died in 2014. Hearing those deafening words - it is stage 3 - tore me up. But I promised myself that if I made it to the five year remission mark and was still cancer free that I would make it count. As a syndicated columnist for Authority Magazine and Thrive Global, I have interviewed nearly 175 cancer survivors from all walks of life. In this book, I share the true stories of 35 of those survivors and what they learned physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually from this very difficult experience which has forever shaped their worldview.

When Paoola, a cancer survivor, learned about her friend Agnieszka’s diagnosis, she wanted to be there for her and help her family get through this challenging time. It was during this experience that Paoola realized how hard it was to show up for her friend, when and how her friend needed her most. She thought, there has to be a better way! And when she couldn't find a solution to their problem, they thought we would create it! And that’s how My CareCrew came to be! My CareCrew’s mission is to make the Cancer journey a little more bearable. We offer products and services that have been specially designed and curated to meet the needs of cancer patients, caregivers, and their loved ones. Our free Apple and Android My CareCrew mobile app connects patients and caregivers with their “Carecrew”, to streamline day to day challenges experienced in the Cancer journey. The app makes it easy for patients & caregivers to ask for help, manage the inflow of help offers from loved ones, share updates, create wish

What is Holistic Plastic Surgery? Wellness is an expansive concept. It is comprehensive because its foundation is grounded in many roots. It is aspirational and achievable, and it is accessible to all. The journey of wellness is highly individualistic; because we are different, our paths to our highest selves will be different. Dr. Shirley is a Plastic Surgeon and Integrative Medicine Specialist. She believes that beauty is a manifestation of wellness, and is one of its many dimensions. When you are well, on many levels, you radiate-- and that is undeniably beautiful. Wellness is to beauty what an essential ingredient is to a recipe. The two are fundamentally intertwined; they work well when together. Each may exist independently of the other, but without the other, the essence is incomplete. Join us to find out more!

From Survivor to Healer – the story of how Jenna Benn Shersher came through Grey Zone Lymphoma to start Twist Out Cancer, which is celebrating its 10 year anniversary in 2022. Since Twist Out Cancer was founded in 2012, it has positively impacted more than 146,000 people. This includes 1,170 people who participated in its Brushes with Cancer program as either an Inspiration or Artist, which has led to 580 unique pieces of art that have been created to represent 580 individual journeys with cancer. Learn more about Twist Out Cancer in this conversation with its founder and CEO, Jenna Benn Shersher.

Kelly Lang is not going anywhere! Kelly is a successful country singer-songwriter who grew up in the business and was destined to make her place in the music world. Her vocal and songwriting skills were showcased at age 15 with her first single and she kept going on and up from there! She has performed at The Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium and sung with numerous musical legends. While in a relationship with country legend TG Sheppard and mothering two young daughters, she head the words you have cancer and her life turned upside down. Months before her diagnosis, she wrote the prophetic song. I'm Not Going Anywhere. Her now husband, TG, spoke those words while she was at her lowest during cancer treatment, lifting her up in support and love. Ascension Hospitals recognized the magic of the song and used it on commercials which spoke to so many, spreading Kelly's heart and voice to the world, inspiring and providing an anthem of hope. Kelly's book I'm Not Going Anywhere is about the journey of he

Birth Control, Egg Freezing & Fertility Treatments, Hormone Replacement, your weight, your cosmetics, skincare, food and water etc. all contribute to a women’s daily extra estrogen exposure which may recirculate and become toxic contributing to a long list of ailments as well as breast cancer risk. TJ Hills is the best-selling author of Sex, Drugs, Babies and Breast Cancer: Health Benefits of Estrogen Gene Testing which guides women to better estrogen health with using YOUR Estrogen Map which offer a toolkit for making better decisions about the drugs we take and the babies we make, don’t make or are done making. Better estrogen is better health to achieve lifelong ambitions at work and home.

“As an oncology nurse, I thought I knew cancer—knew it. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer myself, I realized I knew nothing at all about being a cancer patient: how terrifying having cancer is, and how lonely,” explains Theresa Brown, RN, a frequent contributor to The New York Times opinion pages, CNN.com, and the American Journal of Nursing. In her captivating 2015 New York Times bestseller, The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients’ Lives, Brown offered readers an eye-opening glimpse into a full day at her hospital’s cancer ward, providing a compassionate view inside the complex inner workings of our healthcare system and the individual struggles of her patients. Now, Brown has returned with an unprecedented look at this system from the viewpoint of a cancer patient she had never encountered: herself. In her new memoir, HEALING: When a Nurse Becomes a Patient, Brown tells her intensely personal story and presents an honest – and rare – look at struggling with the illness while navigating the m

So you've had breast cancer. Does that mean the end to all alcohol consumption? Or can you have just a little? What about wine vs. beer vs. hard alcohol? What about the sugar in alcohol? Will moderation be enough? Will drinking make my cancer come back? We will talk about all this and more!