Dear Cancer, I'm Beautiful

One of the most unexpected challenges of breast cancer is suddenly needing help with the parts of life you have always managed yourself. Treatment, surgery, and recovery can make everyday responsibilities like working, cooking, cleaning, parenting, driving, and caring for others feel overwhelming or even impossible. Yet knowing you need help and allowing yourself to receive it are two very different things. Dr. Allison Applebaum is a clinical psychologist and caregiving scientist whose work focuses on supporting family caregivers. She is Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and Director of the Steven S. Elbaum Family Center for Caregiving at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. In this conversation, she shares practical guidance for women who are struggling to accept support. Together, we explore where to begin, how to identify what help is actually needed, what to delegate, who to ask, and how to communicate those needs clearly. We also discuss how to navigate guilt, preserve a sense of choice and independence, set boundaries when help begins to feel like taking over, and reframe the fear of becoming a burden. Most importantly, this episode gives listeners practical tools, helpful language, and small steps they can use to make asking for and receiving support feel more manageable. To learn more about Dr. Applebaum's work, visit her website and explore her book, Stand By Me: A Guide to Navigating Modern, Meaningful Caregiving, a practical guide for patients, caregivers, and families navigating serious illness. Dr. Applebaum did not receive any funding for participating in this sponsored educational podcast episode. The information shared on Dear Cancer, I'm Beautiful is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your physician or qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual medical care and treatment decisions. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Cancer Fashionista. Thank you to Novartis for making this episode of the Signature Series possible.

For many young women diagnosed with breast cancer, some of the most important decisions they will ever make happen within days of hearing the words, "You have cancer." While treatment planning begins immediately, patients may also be faced with urgent questions about fertility, future family-building, and preserving options they may not have expected to think about so soon. These conversations often happen during a period of fear, uncertainty, and information overload, leaving many patients feeling overwhelmed and unprepared. In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Ann Partridge, Vice Chair of Medical Oncology and Chief Clinical Strategy Officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she also serves as co-founder and director of the Program for Young Adults with Breast Cancer. A professor at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Partridge is a leading breast oncologist and researcher whose work focuses on improving care and outcomes for young adults with breast cancer. Together, we discuss how breast cancer treatment can affect fertility, why these conversations need to happen early, the options available today, and how patients can make informed decisions while balancing the urgency of cancer treatment with hopes and plans for the future. We also reinforce the hopeful message that having children after breast cancer is often possible - and that preserving future options begins with having the right conversations early. Most importantly, this episode is a reminder that patients deserve information, support, and compassionate guidance when facing life-changing decisions at diagnosis. Resources Mentioned in This Episode For additional information and support, visit the Young and Strong Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, which offers resources and practical guides for young adults with breast cancer, including those who are newly diagnosed, in treatment, or in survivorship, as well as caregivers. The program also provides trusted information about fertility preservation, pregnancy after breast cancer, and breastfeeding. The information shared on Dear Cancer, I'm Beautiful is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your physician or qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual medical care and treatment decisions. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Cancer Fashionista. Thank you to Daiichi Sankyo and Novartis for making this episode of the Signature Series possible.

For many families, cancer doesn't affect just one person. It can shape generations.⁣ When a parent is diagnosed with cancer, children often carry more than memories. They may inherit questions, uncertainty, increased risk, and life-changing decisions of their own.⁣ ⁣ In this conversation, Ashley Dedmon shares her experience of losing her mother to metastatic breast cancer, learning she carried the BRCA2 gene mutation, and ultimately making the decision to undergo a preventive mastectomy.⁣ ⁣ Together, we discuss hereditary cancer risk, genetic testing, prevention, family planning, and how understanding your family history can empower you to make informed decisions for yourself and future generations.⁣ Ashley also shares how her personal experience inspired her work as a national public health leader, patient advocate, and children's book author helping families navigate conversations about cancer and family health history.⁣ ⁣ Most importantly, this episode is a reminder that while we cannot change our family history, we can make informed decisions that help shape what comes next.⁣ ⁣ Resources Mentioned in This Episode:⁣ ⁣ To learn more about Ashley Dedmon's work, follow her on Instagram at @PinkLegacy5050 and explore her children's books, The Big Discovery and The Big Family Trip, which help families navigate conversations about cancer and family health history.⁣ ⁣ For additional education and support, visit Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) or follow @LivingBeyondBC on Instagram.⁣ ⁣ The information shared on Dear Cancer, I'm Beautiful is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your physician or qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual medical care and treatment decisions. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Cancer Fashionista.

For many women, one of the most challenging parts of life after breast cancer isn't something they expected at all: menopause. Whether caused by chemotherapy, ovarian suppression, surgery, or hormone-blocking therapies, treatment-induced menopause can arrive suddenly and bring significant physical and emotional changes that impact nearly every aspect of daily life. Yet many survivors say they were never fully prepared for what comes next. In this conversation, Dr. Corinne Menn shares both her professional expertise as an OB/GYN and menopause specialist and her personal experience as a breast cancer survivor who has faced many of these challenges herself. Together, we discuss why menopause after breast cancer can feel so different from natural menopause, the symptoms that often catch us off guard, the confusion surrounding hormones after cancer, and how survivors can advocate for the support and quality-of-life care they deserve. This episode of the Dear Cancer, I'm Beautiful Signature Series was made possible by Novartis and Daiichi Sankyo.  

Divorce after breast cancer is rarely talked about openly, even though many people quietly navigate this reality, and that silence is part of what makes the experience feel so isolating. In this conversation, Asha Miller shares her experience of living through breast cancer within a long-term marriage and what it was like when that marriage later ended. Her story reflects a layered and often unacknowledged grief: the end of a relationship, the aftershocks of illness, and the process of rebuilding identity from both. Together, we discuss how breast cancer can affect communication, connection, and self-perception within a relationship, the challenges of starting over after divorce, and the strength it takes to rebuild a life after multiple losses. Most importantly, this episode is a reminder that you are not alone in starting over after everything changes.

In the debut episode of "Empowered Intimacy: Getting Your Sexy Back After Breast Cancer," hosts Melissa Berry and Deltra share their personal breast cancer journeys, discussing their lumpectomies, reconstruction surgeries, and the emotional challenges of hair loss and scarring.  This candid conversation covers the deeply personal steps they've taken to rebuild their self-esteem and embrace their new bodies. Melissa and Deltra explore how to love yourself again after the physical and emotional changes, offering practical advice on boosting confidence and reclaiming your groove.  Tune in as they reveal the importance of accepting and celebrating your new self before fully embracing intimacy, setting the stage for a powerful series ahead. Thank you to  Daiichi-Sankyo, AstraZeneca and Lilly for making this episode possible!