Real Talk

Real Talk

These Military Servicewomen with Breast Cancer Are Fighting Back and Bearing Their Scars

The risk of developing breast cancer is higher among people who’ve served in the military. These servicewomen are sharing their stories and bearing their scars.

Real Talk

When You See Us: Cancer Helped Me Find My Purpose — Encouraging Others to Advocate for Their Health

Eboney Thompson shares how her breast cancer journey has led her to advocacy work after a misdiagnosis, but with the support of her children.

Real Talk

When You See Us: How Shifting My Assumptions Changed My Cancer Journey

It's human to feel like screaming after a cancer diagnosis because you have fears about the future. But if you stay present, you can learn to listen instead — both to those around you and to yourself.

Real Talk

How I’m Making Peace with the Never-Ending Pandemic

Those of us living with a chronic condition are used to navigating an unknown future.

Real Talk

Spotlight on For the Breast of Us: An Organization Dedicated to Being a Resource for Women of Color

Women of Color are disproportionately affected by breast cancer. The organization For the Breast of Us aims to provide resources for these women to find the support they need.

Real Talk

As a 23-Year-Old Professional Dancer, I Had to Fight for My Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Having a support system that advocated for me was my fighting technique in a medical system that told me I was too young to have breast cancer.

Real Talk

On Breast Cancer and Poetry: Writing to Keep Hope Alive

The act of putting pen to paper helped me unleash emotions, confront my changing body, and raise my head to face the darkest hours of my life.

Real Talk

When You See Us: Navigating the Burden of Being Strong

The most important lesson I learned during my breast cancer treatment is that you don’t have to carry everything on your own.

Real Talk

Men Get Breast Cancer, Too — But We Often Lack Support to Get Through It

More awareness of breast cancer in men is necessary so that we can get the support we need to detect and treat it sooner.

Real Talk

From Physician to Patient: My Journey with Breast Cancer

As an emergency room physician, Kavita Jackson, MD, saw many patients with breast cancer. But it wasn't until her own diagnosis that she truly understood what people endure.

Real Talk

When You See Us: How I Found a Deeper Sense of Purpose After Cancer

Ginny Shudlick is an Asian American woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer in her early 40s. Learn why she turned to advocacy work after cancer.

Real Talk

Bezzy BC and For the Breast of Us Partner to Create a Safe Online Community for Women of Color with Breast Cancer

Bezzy BC and For the Breast of Us are partnering to create a safe online community for Women of Color with breast cancer.

Real Talk

Medical Gaslighting Is Real, and It May Have Happened to You

A patient’s word should be believed. You shouldn't need to fight to advocate for your health when you're feeling your worst.

Real Talk

When You See Us: Living Life to the Fullest Despite a Terminal Diagnosis

There’s no use revisiting the past, and I don’t want to focus on a future that may or may not be.

Real Talk

Confronting the Shock of a Triple-Negative Breast Cancer and BRCA1 Mutation Diagnosis

When I came across two masses in my breast, I tried convincing myself that it was nothing. But I was sure it was cancer.

Real Talk

6 Things That Aren’t Helpful to Say to Someone with MBC — and What to Say Instead

Friends and family may have tons of questions about your metastatic breast cancer diagnosis. But sometimes, it's better if they say nothing at all.

Real Talk

Sewing Myself Back Together: Overcoming the Hurdles of Breast Cancer

There are four hurdles I've had to face in overcoming breast cancer: Chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and the emotional recovery to sew myself back together.

Real Talk

My Journey to Becoming a Chronic Illness Advocate on Social Media

Writer Nia G. discusses her journey to becoming a social media advocate after her chronic illness diagnoses.

Real Talk

The Emotional and Physical Roller Coaster of My Breast Reconstruction

My breast reconstruction was transformative and healing, but it was also emotionally challenging.

Real Talk

Recognizing Signs of Medical Trauma When You Live with a Chronic Condition

Medical trauma is real but sometimes it can be hard to recognize. If you live with a chronic condition it is especially important to be aware of how traumatic medical scenarios can have lasting effects. If you have experienced medical trauma, it is important to know you are not alone.

Real Talk

How a Taxol Reaction Changed My Breast Cancer Treatment

I never dreamed I’d have an adverse reaction to a drug that was supposed to be “a piece of cake.”

Real Talk

How I Balance Advocacy and Privacy Living with a Chronic Condition

Some days, sharing about my life with MS feels useful and authentic. Other times, I'd rather keep the details to myself.

Real Talk

How Fatigue Changed My Mindset as a Disability Activist

Hustle culture and the pandemic made me hit a breaking point. I was exhausted, but being an activist made me want to fight on. Now, I live by a different mantra.

Real Talk

When You See Us: How Breast Cancer Changed My Mental Health and Helped Me Build Community

You hear about how being diagnosed with cancer changes your life, but I didn't expect it to shift my thinking so much.

Real Talk

8 Reflections on Life with a Chronic Condition During the Pandemic

Bezzy community members share their experiences of living through the COVID-19 pandemic with a chronic condition.

Real Talk

5 Lessons from the Pandemic That Promote Inclusivity

We can continue to learn from the pandemic and encourage inclusivity in our everyday practices.

Real Talk

How to Cope When the World Seems to Have Moved on from COVID-19

As public concern over COVID-19 wanes, many people who are immunocompromised are feeling left behind. Here are six tips for caring for your body and your mind during this time.

Real Talk

Understanding Grief When It Comes to Your Chronic Condition or Disability

Having a chronic condition or disability can mean living without a lot of things. It’s important to talk about this grief and find ways to cope.

Real Talk

We Need to Talk About Ableism and COVID-19

The issues that disabled and chronic condition communities face as a result of the pandemic are being ignored too easily.

Real Talk

How Therapy Can Help If You’re Living with a Chronic Illness

Finding the right therapist — one who understands life with chronic illness — can make all the difference.

Real Talk

Why I Advocate: Jackie’s Breast Cancer Story

As an ambassador for the Bezzy BC community, Jackie Scheuerman offers the peer support she wishes she had when she was first diagnosed.

Real Talk

Why Representation Matters for Women of Color in the Breast Cancer Community

Women of color, specifically Black women, are treated as outliers in the breast cancer community.

Real Talk

How Actress Angela Trimbur Created an Online Community of Breast Cancer Survivors

For actress Angela Trimbur, connecting with other women who know what it’s like, especially during the COVID-19 crisis, has been invaluable.

Real Talk

#WhenYouSeeUs: Elevating the Experiences of Women of Color in the Breast Cancer Community

Women of color are underrepresented in the breast cancer community. This organization is changing that.

Real Talk

Why I Advocate: Speaking Up for My Own Health Empowered Me to Support Others

Becoming an advocate for my own health helped me be a better resource for other women with breast cancer.

Real Talk

These Two Breast Cancer Survivors Are Reclaiming October — Here’s Why

Trish Michelle and Tiffany Dyba are tired of the pinkwashing surrounding Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So they're stepping up to make a change.