Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day 2015

Today is metastatic breast cancer awareness day. Metastatic or stage 4 breast cancer is the breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast to another organ like the bones, brain, or liver and it represents 30% of all breast cancers. It is the only type of breast cancer that is deadly. It kills 108 women every day because there is no cure. One day, I may be one of those women. Scientists know very little about metastatic cancer and what makes cancer spread to other organs. Sometimes it takes years for this to happen, sometimes it happens almost immediately, like it did for me. One month after finding my breast lump, I felt excruciating pain in my sternum that I attributed to a partnering injury. Only after my diagnosis did I realize that the pain was caused by breast cancer spreading into my sternum bone.

Fortunately for me, my oncologist chose the right drug cocktail to make my cancer retreat which stopped the sternum pain. Despite this, I can never consider myself cured because our current technology is not sensitive enough to detect if tiny cancer stem cells are lurking somewhere in my body, waiting for the right conditions to bring them roaring back to life. As each PET-CT scan approaches, I live in fear waiting to hear the results. Any new ache or pain makes me wonder if this is a new metastases. Every breast cancer patient knows this feeling

Until a cure is found for metastatic breast cancer, no one with breast cancer can ever be certain that they are cured, even after both breasts have been removed and no cancer is detected following surgery. Months, years, or even decades later, some patients will develop metastatic breast cancer and die. It is a possibility that no one wants to talk about. It is the elephant in every breast cancer patient’s room.

Please pray for a cure for metastatic breast cancer, and if you can, please donate to an organization like METAvivor Research and Support Inc.or where 100% of all donations go to metastatic breast cancer research.‪#‎dontignorestageiv‬ ‪#‎MetastaticBreastCancer‬