Stage 4 Breast Cancer Education

I have said I feel like it is one of my duties to educate others of Stage 4 Metastatic breast cancer.
SO, you are getting more education today?!?!?

Before I do though, a little back story on me.

When I was diagnosed Stage 1 at 30 years old, I was able to wash my hands of the whole cancer part of my life about 9-10 after it all started.  I mean, I was clean and clear and went on my merry little way.
At that time, I had NO idea the BC could return…NO IDEA!

It wasn't talked about.  All that was talked about was the "fact" that I "beat it"

In fact, even after my lung biopsy came back positive for cancer, I thought it was lung cancer.  I still had NO idea my Breast Cancer could move other places in my body.

Eric had tried to explain this to me, but either didn’t want to hear it or really didn’t get it.

It wasn’t until I had an appointment at MD Anderson that it all sunk in…he told me that I have ALWAYS been metastatic.  That my BC has always been floating somewhere in my body, but was not a mass large enough to show on scans.

I went through denial of this for a few weeks.

Then I was able to make peace with it.

Because not matter what I was classified as it didn’t matter to where I was but it matter what I am now.

People ask me all the time, where should they donate to.
My 2 cents:
http://www.metavivor.org/

About Metavivor

METAvivor is dedicated to the specific fight of women and men living with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. At the time of METAvivor’s founding, no organization was dedicated to funding research for the disease and no patient groups were speaking out about the dearth of stage 4 cancer research.  While more and more people have taken up the cry for more stage IV research, METAvivor remains the sole US organization dedicated to awarding annual stage IV breast cancer research.

MISSION
METAvivor exists to sustain hope for those living with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Passionately committed patients ourselves, we rally public attention to the urgent needs of the MBC community, help patients find strength through support and purpose, and make every dollar count as we work with researchers to regain longevity with quality of life.

WHAT WE DO

Awareness 

We bring attention to the specific issues of stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, and raise public awareness about the facts of the disease. With 30% of breast cancer patients metastasizing, our goal is to see to it that 30% of breast cancer support and funding for research is dedicated to metastatic breast cancer.

Research

METAvivor awards research grants to individuals with a clinical or other doctoral degree who are actively engaged in areas of metastatic breast cancer research and whose proposals show distinct promise in making a different for the stage 4 breast cancer community.  . The goal of our funding efforts is to transition metastatic breast cancer from a terminal diagnosis to a chronic, manageable disease with a decent quality of life.

Outreach & Fundraising

METAvivor’s regional ambassador program is dedicated to raising awareness about metastatic breast cancer and conducting fundraisers to support METAvivor’s metastatic breast cancer research grants. Our ambassador program is constantly growing, and we plan to expand overseas in the near future.

Support

METAvivor began as a support group in Annapolis, Maryland, for local people living with metastatic breast cancer. Although we have evolved to focus primarily on public awareness and raising funds for metastatic breast cancer research, we know that a community of support is one of the most basic needs for anyone facing metastatic cancer. We encourage those living with MBC to establish support programs in their communities.

OUR FUNDING

METAvivor is run entirely by volunteers, most of who are living with metastatic breast cancer. Although we do not pay any salaries, we work to obtain grants and corporate sponsors to support our operational expenses. This allows us to ensure that donations can be entirely dedicated to our research grants that fund the cutting edge research that will ultimately save lives. Unless otherwise specified by the donor, 100% of every donation and 100% of proceeds from every fundraiser (after event expenses) goes into our research grants.