Abigail Johnston, Individual Member at Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance, shared on LinkedIn:
“Living with Stage IV MBC: Identity
As we begin yet another Breast Cancer Awareness Month (#10 since my de novo Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) in 2017), I have been pondering the profound ways that living with MBC has changed me as a person. I’m often asked the question (in varying language):
‘Is cancer synonymous with your identity now?’
And I’ve been pondering the answers I’ve given over time….”
To which Janice Cowden, MBC Patient Advocate, added:
“As Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins, Abigail Johnston has written a beautiful and deeply honest reflection on how living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer has changed nearly every aspect of her life.
‘Cancer became part of my story, but it does not get to become the entirety of it. And it certainly does not get to write the ending.’
Those words reflect Abigail so honestly and authentically, acknowledging how profoundly cancer has changed her life without ever allowing it to define all that she is. And, it has not erased who she is: someone who feels deeply, speaks up about injustice, shows up for others and remains determined to live a meaningful, expansive life.
I’m incredibly grateful to call her my friend and to continue learning from her honesty, vulnerability and willingness to share the realities of living with MBC.
Her words are especially worth reading as we begin Breast Cancer Awareness Month and consider those living with MBC, whose experiences can too easily be lost in the broader awareness conversation.”
You can also read:
October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Turning Awareness Into Earlier Diagnosis and Better Care
