By Emma Pirie, Sweet Louise Fundraising and Communications Coordinator
Before I started working for Sweet Louise, I had no idea what metastatic breast cancer was. This was despite the fact that my best friend’s mum was a Member. Even though I knew her for 8 years, I never really knew what cancer she had and just how seriously it affected her and the family. It wasn’t until after she passed away that I realised what she had to deal with. And that’s the reality for so many people. People just don’t know what metastatic breast cancer is and what those dealing with it have to experience.
Today is Metastatic Breast Cancer Day. A chance to raise awareness and share your story with others. It’s days like today where we can educate people who don’t know what Metastatic Breast Cancer is.
One comment a Sweet Louise Member made really stuck with me and has helped me understand just what cancer patients go through.
“I have struggled to find an adequate metaphor to even begin to touch on the horror of that diagnosis. The closest I can get is to liken it to being hit by a wrecking ball, or to have a tiger with its paws on your shoulders, and great hot breath, roaring in your face. The tiger can be sedated, but its hot breath is always there.”
Today is a day for raising awareness about what Members like her have to face. So here’s some things that people don’t know about Metastatic Breast Cancer. Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Things people don’t know about Metastatic Breast Cancer
- Metastatic breast cancer is also known as advanced or secondary breast cancer.
- No one dies from breast cancer that remains in the breast.
- Metastatic breast cancer is the spread of cancer to different parts of the body. Typically the bones, liver, lungs and brain.
- Treatment for metastatic breast cancer is lifelong and focuses on quality of life and control of the disease.
- Early detection of breast cancer doesn’t guarantee a cure. Metastatic breast cancer can occur years after a person’s original diagnosis.
- Young people, as well as men, can be diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, sometimes without knowledge of the breast cancer.
- There are different types of metastatic breast cancer.
- Although most people will ultimately die of their disease, some will live for many years.
- There are no definitive prognostic statistics for metastatic breast cancer. Every patient and their disease is unique.
Visit www.sweetlouise.co.nz for more information and to find out about what services Sweet Louise offers. Or if you’d like to share your Metastatic Breast Cancer story, let us know here.
Some information taken from http://mbcn.org/
Sweet Louise - Living with Secondary Breast Cancer 