Robin Warshaw

Adriana Huerta found her voice amid the challenges of communicating with her healthcare providers during treatment for triple-negative breast cancer. From navigating misunderstandings to discovering unexplored options, Adriana speaks out for improved care.

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 | 6 Min. Read |   7

At 23, Ashlynn faced a triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis, a cultural divide, and financial struggles. Despite the challenges, she found the strength to support her mom through her breast cancer journey, which was complicated by leptomeningeal disease.

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 | 7 Min. Read |   9

Jonise Louis, diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer while expecting her second child, now embraces life’s small triumphs while passionately working to foster accessible and open conversations about breast health.

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 | 6 Min. Read |   6

Follow the journey of Kafayat Bolaji, who left her beloved children and husband, as well as her career, behind in Nigeria to get adequate care for metastatic breast cancer in the United States. She navigates challenges and triumphs in her determination to overcome a stark disparity of cancer care.

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 | 6 Min. Read |   11

Jae shares how their family history of cancer, a breast cancer diagnosis, and fears about discrimination sparked an interest in advocacy.

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 | 9 Min. Read |   11

For Alexis Rose-Hamburg, the news she had to undergo chemo hit her harder than her initial diagnosis. She did not want to lose her hair, and when she learned about scalp-cooling, she thought she found a possible solution to maintaining a sense of control. Though Alexis lost about 30% of her hair, she stuck with the treatment and discovered a surprising perk.

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 | 7 Min. Read |   10

After seeing first-hand the disparities in care and resources for Hispanic and Latino women with breast cancer in the Miami-Dade area, Rosemary Carrera founded a local organization to provide free direct support services, in Spanish and English, with no financial status requirement.

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 | 7 Min. Read |   3

“Speak up for yourself. And don’t be afraid to have a bad day.” Michelle Anderson-Benjamin offers that advice and more to people with cancer.

After three years of enduring infertility therapies and a second-trimester miscarriage, Gillian Lichota sat in her OB-GYN’s office and heard the news she had been hoping for – she was nine weeks pregnant. On the same day, an ultrasound of a mass in one breast showed she also had breast cancer. A biopsy later confirmed that finding.

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 | 15 Min. Read |   3

"I wouldn't say I'm an extrovert now, but I'm more outgoing than I was before. Finding my voice is really sharing my experience with breast cancer and not being afraid to talk about it or feel shame for it."

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 | 12 Min. Read |   1

Arin Ahlum Hanson, MPH talks with writer Robin Warshaw about how her professional and personal life continue to evolve, expand, and energize her.

Jenna Shillingburg talked with LBBC contributor Robin Warshaw about how difficulties in communicating with her healthcare team affected her breast cancer care and well-being.

Kiana Wooten talks with Robin Warshaw about the bone effects she experienced from treatment — and how she found help.

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 | 11 Min. Read |   4

“The notion that acupuncture is complementary to traditional care is really important,” says Sarah. “Sometimes when I tell people I’m going to see an acupuncturist for breast cancer side effects, they think I’m not doing traditional therapies. I’m doing everything.”

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 | 10 Min. Read |   1

In September 2018, Amber Tisi was raising three young children, working full-time, and contending with legal and personal conflicts related to separation and divorce. Then she found a lump in her breast and was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer.

Abby Goetcheus was given breast expanders after her plans for flap surgery fell through. “I could feel it expand. You could feel the pressure,” says Abby.

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 | 8 Min. Read |   1

Starting with her bilateral mastectomy, Dalynn Coffman found she had a stronger emotional reaction than she expected. She spoke to LBBC about accepting and coping with cancer-related PTSD.

"Everything had an endpoint. It’s been difficult to grasp the fact that this does not have an endpoint." Katie Budris speaks to LBBC about the challenges of living with lymphedema after breast cancer treatment.

Candace Mastin tells LBBC how a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment challenged her relationship.

Abigail M. Johnston spoke to LBBC about how using medical marijuana helped her manage side effects from metastatic breast cancer and its treatment without the difficulties she felt with more powerful pain medicines.

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 | 12 Min. Read |   2

Katie Shaw-Younkerman spoke to LBBC about the challenges of getting people to understand breast cancer side effects and how some can continue years after diagnosis.

Lauren Higgins talked with LBBC about how a breast cancer diagnosis meant she had to immediately consider her future ability to get pregnant.

In 2019 Lindsay Northrop got tattoos over the scars from breast surgery and reconstruction. She spoke to LBBC about her decision and how they have changed her relationship to her body.

Shortly after Julia Wise’s graduation in 2017, her gynecologist found a small lump in her right breast. A year later, at the age of 23, she was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic breast cancer.

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 | 12 Min. Read |   1

Jeannie Aejin Choi Karwowski was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 30, and faced the unique challenges of dealing with the cultural expectations of her Korean parents and the bias of the U.S. healthcare system.

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 | 10 Min. Read |   1

Siata Swaray speaks about breast reconstruction decisions and the unexpected complications that can get in the way.

Sienna Córdoba felt her hair was one of her defining features. She spoke to LBBC about using scalp cooling to prevent hair loss during breast cancer treatment. 

Kelli Davis spoke with LBBC about how a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis led to a mental health crisis, and how she found her way through it.

Yael Levin planned on getting reconstruction after surgery to treat her breast cancer, but after delays due to complications, she learned about other women choosing no reconstruction after breast surgery, choosing to go flat.

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 | 9 Min. Read |   1

Helga Torres talks with LBBC contributing writer Robin Warshaw about the emotions she experienced after her metastatic diagnosis and how they differed from what she had felt when diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.

Marie Farrell was looking for ways to ease the side effects of treatment when her cancer center connected her with some complementary therapies. She spoke to LBBC about what she found and how complementary therapies helped her manage effects during and after treatment.

Emily Garnett speaks to LBBC about learning to feel comfortable with her body after being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.

Meditation is a mind-body approach to creating well-being that has been used for thousands of years that has evolved into a complementary support therapy, in combination with medical and surgical treatment, for people with many conditions, including breast cancer.

Kristie Fields was getting ready for breast cancer treatment when a mentor recommended her for a job at a university. She spoke to LBBC about starting a new job during treatment.

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 | 10 Min. Read |   1

Jennifer Smith speaks to LBBC about finding ways to stay physically active after a cancer diagnosis and tips for people who want to be more active, support healing and gain strength.

Use of two screening methods improves breast cancer detection in young women previously treated with lumpectomy and radiation therapy.

A review of 20 years of studies looking at quality of life after breast cancer diagnosis showed that young black women have greater physical and psychosocial challenges than do other women.

Pregnancy after early-stage breast cancer is safe and does not cause breast cancer to return, according to findings from an international study.

Trish Russo talked with LBBC about deciding to start a family after a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis and how it inspired its own film.

“They brought the information to me. It was very overwhelming and hard to even believe what was happening,” Shanette Caywood on finding a doctor that provides the care you need.

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 | 8 Min. Read |   1

JoAnna talked with LBBC about her experience finding, and giving, support online.

Alison Mead talked with LBBC about re-starting her dating and social life in a small community after a breast cancer diagnosis.

“I really wanted us to talk about it with them as soon as we had enough information to have a plan. I felt like they needed to know,” Emily Sippola on talking to her children about her breast cancer diagnosis.

Young women and their partners may have less fear of breast cancer returning when they take part in supportive discussions about their cancer-related concerns.

Problems with thinking, concentrating, and memory in women with breast cancer can continue 6 months or more after chemotherapy ends.

Jaclyn Candelaria on the challenges facing women in breast cancer care whose primary language is Spanish and the importance of getting them resources in their language.

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 | 7 Min. Read |   1

Vonn Jensen talks with LBBC about the experiences of being queer, having cancer, and choosing not to get breast reconstruction surgeries.

Alysia Pringle speaks to LBBC about being diagnosed with metaplastic carcinoma, a rare type of breast cancer, and the challenges of finding care for such an unusual diagnosis.

An analysis of 30 past studies has shown that women who have lymph nodes removed are more likely to develop ongoing, or persistent, pain after breast cancer surgery.

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 | 6 Min. Read |   8

Kristina Schermer was recovering from an eating disorder when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She shares her experience with cancer and managing body image concerns.

Nearly 1 in 4 women who have lumpectomy, also called breast conservation surgery, has additional surgery within 90 days, a recent study in JAMA Surgery shows. Women younger than age 50 have the highest rates of reoperation, or added surgery.

In a recent committee opinion, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) approved the use of low-dose vaginal estrogen products to relieve vaginal dryness, painful sex and related symptoms in women treated for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.

Liz Marshall Metcalfe had dealt with anxiety focused on health, then she was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 36. She spoke to LBBC about the challenges of anxiety and finding help.

In this sub-study of the SOFT clinical trial, premenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer who took tamoxifen and ovarian suppression had more menopausal symptoms over 2 years than women who took tamoxifen alone.

Catalina Tamayo speaks to LBBC about speaking to friends, family, and co-workers about metastatic breast cancer, a diagnosis many people don’t really understand.

Cheryl Gordon shares with LBBC her experiences with breast cancer and parenting, as someone who both was a child when her mother was diagnosed and had a young child when she was diagnosed.

Some caregivers set aside their own needs to help their loved one. But ignoring self-care can cause stress or burnout, which may trigger guilt, anger, resentment or depression.

Katie Benson shares what it was like to get pregnant and breastfeed after a mastectomy to remove DCIS.

The potential side effects and fertility impact of tamoxifen lead some young women to stop, or never start, the treatment despite its ability to help prevent cancer from coming back, a study shows.

Christina Ihfe’s rash wouldn’t go away, despite a variety of creams and treatments. She speaks to LBBC about being diagnosed with Paget disease of the breast, a rare form of breast cancer often mistaken for common skin problems.

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 | 8 Min. Read |   3

“If I [had not questioned] my healthcare providers and advocate[d] for myself, then I probably would not be alive now.” Sarah Iwanski on the importance of pushing for your care and sharing knowledge.

Young women who are better able to focus their attention on a task were found to exercise more regularly several years after breast cancer treatment than young women reporting attention difficulties, a study shows.

Patrice Starks speaks to LBBC about being diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, a type of breast cancer she, like many people, was not aware of before her diagnosis.

Young black women diagnosed with breast cancer are about twice as likely to have BRCA genetic mutations than non-Hispanic white women of similar age with breast cancer.

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 | 7 Min. Read |   1

Women diagnosed with BRCA1-related breast cancer, significantly reduced their risk of death by having their ovaries removed, a recent study found. When the ovaries are removed within two years of diagnosis, that risk drops even lower.

A study found that certain premenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer given tamoxifen plus ovarian function suppression experienced more difficulty with menopausal symptoms and other side effects.

Disability insurance replaces part of income people lose due to medical conditions that prevent them from working.

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 | 12 Min. Read |   1

For those who are caring for someone else when diagnosed with breast cancer, the transition to being in care may be hard. Yet it’s vital to recognize personal needs, ask for help and find ways to adapt.

A study of young women diagnosed with stage I-III breast cancer using traditional staging methods found that later PET/CT scans changed 21 percent of those diagnoses to stage III or IV.

Treating hormone receptor-positive breast cancer with an aromatase inhibitor, or AI, usually used only in postmenopausal women, significantly reduced breast cancer return in premenopausal women when used with ovarian suppression, according to the preliminary reports of two combined studies.

Looking at a little understood yet common phenomenon—women discontinuing tamoxifen therapy early—French researchers found several factors caused women to interrupt treatment. These factors varied, depending upon when the women stopped therapy.

A recent study of the long-term outcomes, or effects, for children exposed to chemotherapy during pregnancy has shown that most have normal heart, brain and cognitive functions despite exposure to treatment.