Real Talk About Breast Cancer

The first 30 days after being diagnosed with breast cancer can feel devastating. You’re processing a lot of information, dealing with emotions and often trying to figure out what to do next. Joining us on Real Pink’s 400th episode today is Jennifer Omholt, a journalist and 24-year cancer survivor who was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer when her son was just 16 months old. In the wake of her diagnosis, she desperately searched for something to ease her fear and confusion, but found nothing that offered comfort or clarity. Over the next two decades, she set out to create the resource she wished she’d had, so that no one would need to face the shock of a cancer diagnosis alone.

Joining us today are two women living with metastatic breast cancer who are sharing their experiences, living one treatment to the next. They are tireless advocates for research and the breakthroughs that will ensure their next treatment is available, when they need it. They’re sharing how they live life to the fullest and manage their day-to-day care.

What happens when your life changes in an instant, and then, just when you think you’re beginning to rebuild, you’re faced with another life-altering diagnosis? Shannon Michelle knows that experience firsthand. After a devastating motorcycle accident left her in a coma with a traumatic brain injury, Shannon had to relearn how to walk, read, speak and navigate a life she no longer remembered. Then, during her recovery, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Today, Shannon joins us to talk about her breast cancer experience, the emotional realities of healing, and how an unimaginable series of events changed the way she sees her life.

Bret Miller was 17 when he first felt a lump behind his nipple. For seven years, providers told him it was calcium buildup or that it would go away on its own. It didn't. At 24, Bret was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer — a disease most people, including many of the doctors he saw along the way, don't associate with men at all.In this episode, Bret joins his oncologist, Dr. Priyanka Sharma of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, to unpack why male breast cancer is so often missed or overlooked by so many health care providers — and why most men have never been told what normal breast tissue looks or feels like for them in the first place. Together, they talk about what needs to change in clinical training and patient conversations, and what self-advocacy looks like when the system isn't built to catch what you're describing. This episode is part of the Komen Health Equity Revolution podcast series, which centers the lived experience of communities too often overlooked in breast cancer awareness and care — including men.

Breast cancer treatment has a beginning and an end, but healing is often a much longer journey. Today, we are joined by Katie Wasserman, a remarkable mother of four who shares how trusting her instincts and advocating for herself led to her breast cancer diagnosis. She will talk about navigating treatment decisions, the impact it had on her body, and the physical and emotional healing that continues today into survivorship. From managing the fears that linger after treatment ends to intentionally choosing a life focused on thriving instead of simply surviving, Katie’s story is a powerful reminder that no one knows your body better than you do.

When multiple loved ones are diagnosed with breast cancer within a short period of time, it can leave you wondering if, and when, it might become part of your own story. Megan May knew her family history meant that she was at greater risk of developing breast cancer. She prepared as best she could and underwent regular screenings. However, her diagnosis at age 40 still came as a shock because there are some things that no one can fully prepare you for. Megan is here today to share her story - how a series of family diagnoses prompted her to begin early screening, what it was like to hear the words no one wants to hear, and the physical and emotional challenges that followed. We'll talk about how why giving back through fundraising has become such an important part of her mission and how her family supports each other through it all.