That is where these blogs, written by women living with metastatic disease, come in. They get it. They get straight to the nitty-gritty: post-mastectomy life, treatment side effects, breast cancer symptoms, and how to tell your children — from the perspective of someone who’s going (or been) through it. They also bestow plenty of advice on how to manage and live with the disease, from making your bucket list to using alternative therapies, like painting, to de-stress. All in all, they’re here to empower you as a member of the stage 4 crew. Here are our favorite metastatic blogs:
1. Breast Cancer? But Doctor … I Hate Pink!
These days, Silberman keeps her Facebook page most up-to-date. She was also able to stop chemo back in April 2021, after 12 years of treatment!
2. Booby and the Beast
3. Stephanie Seban
RELATED: What I Wish People Knew About Metastatic Breast Cancer
4. Stupid Dumb Breast Cancer
With a very firm stance on metastatic cancer, Ann Marie Giannino-Otis uses Stupid Dumb Breast Cancer to blow wide-open all the things we don’t like to talk about — like the fear of recurring cancer (or PTCD, as she calls it). Giannino-Otis is bold, charismatic, and raw, and she’s also incredibly charitable. The Stupid Dumb Breast Cancer organization has raised over $750,000 for cancer organizations, and Giannino-Otis herself has been a spokesperson for the cause ever since her recovery. She also lifts other thrivers up; Giannino-Otis has a list of blogs by other breast cancer survivors that she’s found helpful. Today she’s continuing to foster a community of thrivers via her Facebook page, where she regularly answers questions and crowd sources answers about Stupid Dumb Breast Cancer.
5. Let Us Be Mermaids
6. StickIt2Stage4
RELATED: Women With Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer Rock the Runway
7. Nalie
Last year, Nalie Augustin turned the concept of her blog into a book — it’s even available as an audiobook. Today she’s still most active on her vlog, but also posts regular updates on Instagram.
8. Metastatic Breast Cancer Network
9. Living Beyond Breast Cancer
This isn’t a blog solely dedicated to stage 4 cancer, but it is one that many women living with all stages of breast cancer can identify with. It’s a hugely helpful source of information on everything from types of breast cancer and learning about your diagnosis to wellness and body image. Similar to MBC Network, Living Beyond Breast Cancer also posts personal stories from thrivers — find them tagged with #BeyondtheBreast. But the best part is their section called “I Am ….” It’s a page that helps people filter the content on the site based on their preferences depending on race, stage, and position in the diagnosis. There’s also an option to search for resources as either a caregiver or a patient.
10. Team S — Living With Stage 4 Breast Cancer
Sendelbach occasionally posts vlog updates on her YouTube channel and regularly posts helpful tips on her Facebook Page — like how to prepare for a computerized tomography (CT) or positron emission tomography (PET) scan.
