Abigail Johnston, Member at Large, Executive Group at Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance shared on LinkedIn:
“Cancer Muggles.
If you’ve never lived with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC), congratulations. Really. I hope you never earn membership in this club, but that also means you’re probably an MBC muggle (just a little more specific than a general cancer muggle). Now before you get offended, let me explain. The term ‘muggle,’ borrowed from Harry Potter, simply means someone outside the magical world.”
Janice Cowden, MBC Patient Advocate, shared Abigail Johnston’s post, adding:
“This is one of the most insightful explanations I’ve read of what it means to live with metastatic breast cancer.
A few lines from Abigail Johnston’s latest blog have stayed with me:
- ‘They heard ‘cure.’ We heard ‘buy more time.”
- ‘Stability becomes your favorite word.’
- ‘The opposite of fear isn’t positivity. The opposite of fear is presence.’
My own experience with MBC is exceptionally uncommon, and the space I occupy often feels like a bridge between two worlds. Perhaps that’s why this resonated so deeply.
Whether you’re a clinician, researcher, advocate, caregiver, friend, or simply someone wanting to better understand the lived experience of MBC, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read it. Sometimes the most important thing we can do isn’t find the right words. It’s to listen, stay present, and learn.”
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