Shared Voices: Learning from each other

Listen to, learn from, and share with a panel of your peers. Topics include living with uncertainty, setting goals and having hope, parenting, navigating relationships with friends and family, managing finances, work and insurance matters, and much more. About the speakers Babs is a 2024 Hear My Voice advocate and a metastatic breast cancer thriver who challenges both stigma and toxic positivity surrounding illness. She shares the full spectrum of breast cancer — holding space for hard days alongside hopeful ones — to empower others with metastatic disease and help build more welcoming, inclusive communities. LaFreda “Freda” Chrispen is a metastatic breast cancer advocate and digital creator who blends honesty, humor, and heart to support others navigating this disease. Freda was diagnosed in 2023 with ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-negative invasive ductal carcinoma, later found to have spread to her spine. She has undergone chemotherapy, multiple rounds of radiation, and ongoing targeted and endocrine therapies. Marialuisa “Alycia” Villasana is a metastatic breast cancer advocate who has been living with stage IV disease for more than six years. Breast cancer has been part of her life since her initial diagnosis with early-stage breast cancer in 2003. Her lived experiences have given her a perspective on authenticity, resilience, and connection as a mom, spouse, daughter, friend, and human. Melanie Ottersen is a 2024 Hear My Voice advocate who was diagnosed with de novo triple negative metastatic breast cancer in July 2018. She has been no evidence of disease (NED) since August 2022 and has been an active member of Living Beyond Breast Cancer for several years. Learn more about the Thriving Together: 2026 Conference on Metastatic Breast Cancer here: https://www.lbbc.org/community/events/metsconf26 At Living Beyond Breast Cancer, we make sure people facing breast cancer have the support they need. We’re here with real answers, real stories, and real help—every step of the way. Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livingbeyondbreastcancer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/living-beyond-breast-cancer Instagram: https://instagram.com/livingbeyondbc YouTube: https://youtube.com/user/LBBC1991