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LBBC would like to introduce Lucille Kasprack, a woman living with metastatic breast cancer who hasn’t allowed it to get in the way of fulfilling one of her most important dreams of being a professional artist! Here she shares her inspirational story about how she turned her diagnosis into a positive experience that ultimately changed her life in more ways than one…

Wow! If someone had told me 10 years ago that in May 2013 I would be exhibiting my artwork in a gallery in New York City I would have thought they were dreaming or a little bit crazy. But that is exactly what has happened to me after a long struggle with breast cancer. My journey started in 2003 with a diagnosis of Stage 1 breast cancer and we all know how frightening it is to receive that news. I decided I was going to tackle this head on; with my husband being my support, my art becoming my refuge, and God becoming my strength. Once surgery and radiation was over, little by little I felt like my old self again except for one difference. My approach to life was changed completely; nothing would be taken for granted ever again. Now my husband and family and my art became much more important to me. I set new goals for myself: appreciate and see my family more; and work hard at my art to become a better painter. And for the next 5 years that is what I did. We had more family get togethers and I took a lot of art classes and workshops and worked daily on my paintings.

In 2008, at my 5 year breast cancer check-up, an MRI and CT scan showed a spot under my left arm and 2 in my chest. A biopsy confirmed Stage 4 metastatic cancer. I now had to face the fact I will never be free of this cancer and I will have to reset new goals for myself. Those goals were to have more fun times with friends and family, and to not just work at painting but to work to become a professional artist, and to place my life in God’s hands. I started entering my paintings in juried art shows and exhibits and to my surprise they were not only accepted but also won prizes.

In 2011, I had to have thoracic surgery because the cancer had spread to my pleura. However, after chemo treatments and subsequent hospitalizations, my last PET scans have remained stable.

Then came 2012 and that “Wow” happened.  In the Spring I was contacted by the Agora Gallery in NYC stating that they saw my work on my website and were very impressed and requested that I submit a portfolio of my work for their review. At first, I didn’t believe it and then in time I realized what a great opportunity this was and I sent in my portfolio. A few weeks later I was informed that they would like to include my work in a future exhibit. I definitely said yes!  It turned out to be a lot of work but the end result is that my work will be on display in NYC from May 11 -31 with an artist’s reception on May 16, 2013. What an amazing journey! Never give up! I reached my goal and I am now a professional artist. I also received additional blessings. My fourth grandchild, Ashley, was born on November 13, 2012 and I continue to have stable PET scans!

Lucille is a 10 year breast cancer survivor and lives in New Jersey with her husband. She has 2 children and 4 grandchildren. Her husband is a retired school administrator and she is a retired  teacher but she continues to work daily on painting and drawing. She loves to experiment with different materials to keep it new and interesting. You can view her artwork on her website at http://lucillesartgallery.sharepoint.com!

Give LBBC Your Feedback About Peggy Orenstein’s New York Times Article, “Our Feel-Good War on Cancer”

By Jean A. Sachs, MSS, MLSP, Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s chief executive officer 

Journalist Peggy Orenstein ignited a debate when she explored the limits of mammography screening and the dangers of overtreatment for breast cancer in her New York Times Magazine article, “Our Feel-Good War on Cancer” (April 25, 2013).

For many in the breast cancer community, Ms. Orenstein’s observations come as no surprise. We know survival rates for women with metastatic disease have not changed, despite the widespread adoption of breast cancer screening. That women with ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS, often receive the same treatments as those with invasive disease—along with the related side effects and emotional distress. That more and more women choose prophylactic mastectomy after a diagnosis of DCIS or early-stage disease. And that our sisters with stage IV breast cancer remain silenced, isolated and underserved.

Still, the article introduced thousands of people to the realities of breast cancer today. As we talked about it at the LBBC office, we had many questions. How did this piece impact you and your loved ones? We want to know:

• What is your perspective?
• What questions does this article prompt for you?
• What are your concerns for your health or well-being, based on what you learned?
• Which issues deserve more discussion?

Based on your feedback, Living Beyond Breast Cancer will design a program to help further discussion. Please post your comments below, and our staff will review them.

Fighting Depression and Anxiety with Your Fork: 5 Top Food Tips for Boosting Your Mood

As part one of a two part series, previous blog contributors Kendall and Annette, two young cancer survivors and authors of Kicking Cancer in the Kitchen, share their tips on how food can positively impact mood in preparation for LBBC’s upcoming webinar on anxiety and depression after breast cancer.

Let’s face it: Life is fast-paced and challenging enough as it is. Add a cancer diagnosis and the likely possibility of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation to the mix and it goes without saying that our world, and our emotions, get turned upside down and inside out. If we weren’t already facing them before, anxiety and/or depression can find their way into our lives and wreak havoc with our minds and bodies. This is an important time to make self-care a priority. Though we may not feel motivated to do so, taking steps to care for ourselves, even when we are down-in-the-dumps, can help pull us back up onto our feet a lot faster. Some self-care practices that I love are receiving therapeutic touch, sitting in silence and getting outside to move and feel the sun shine on my face. These all help lift my spirit and bring some peace. But beyond that, I’ve discovered the power of real food to help me feel better and stronger, physically, psychologically and emotionally.

Today I’d like to share my top tips around using food to help boost your mood. Try out these suggestions and see if they help the stress and anxiety lessen and the dark clouds lift just a little.

1. Eat a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet: It’s clear – what we put onto our plates and into our bodies matters. When we consume a nutrient-poor diet, we aren’t giving our body what it needs to be strong and healthy on all levels, including mentally and emotionally. Transitioning from a diet which is focused on packaged, processed foods and moving toward a diet rich in whole foods provides the nutrients and minerals our body, and minds, are craving. A good rule of thumb is to stick with foods your great-grandmother would recognize.

2. Add Healthy Fats to Your Diet: Having enough of the right kinds of fats in your diet is important for optimal health.  Of special importance for mental and emotional health are omega-3 fatty acids. These have been found in some studies to be as helpful as medication for depression. Vegetarian sources of omega-3s are flax and flax oil, walnuts, and chia and hemp seeds. For those comfortable with a vegetarian and seafood diet (pescetarian diet), cod liver oil is also an excellent source.

3. Satisfy your Sweet Tooth in a Smart Way: Sugar, the culprit of many health woes, lures us in with its sweetness and causes ups and downs in energy and emotion. Step off of sugar’s roller coaster ride and satisfy your sweet tooth in a more balanced way. Enjoying whole fruit, like berries, which are high in antioxidants, give us the pleasure of sweetness which won’t interfere with our blood sugar level while at the same time giving us a healthy boost! Win-win situation! Dark chocolate (the higher the cocoa content, the better) is also another healthy way to enjoy a sweet, rich treat.

4. Vitalize with Vitamins: All vitamins and minerals are important for our health, but certain ones stand out in importance for mental and emotional health. Vitamin D, which is produced by our body when our skin is exposed to sunlight, often needs to be supplemented in our diets in order to obtain adequate levels. Consider adding in some Vitamin D along with some careful exposure to sunlight. Vitamin B-12 also plays a role in our ability to manage stress and anxiety. For vegetarians and vegans, supplementation is important. For pescetarians sardines, salmon, halibut and cod are all choices high in B-12.

5. Pleasurable Protein: Including protein at each meal and snack can go a long way to helping us deal with depression and anxiety. And shifting our focus to healthy, plant-based protein foods will benefit us on so many levels. Try including some leafy greens (yes, they contain protein!) like parsley, broccoli, romaine and kale in a meal or two a day. Snack on almonds and walnuts. And enjoy the wide variety of beans – like black, pinto, navy and adzuki, just to name a few – in soups or dishes.

As challenging as it may be to ditch the familiar – and often unhealthy – comfort foods we are used to when not feeling well, the effort we make to clean up our diets and our plates can pay off in helping us face the stress and anxiety which our lives, and cancer, may bring us, and can also help brighten our moods as well. And the best part: eating well tastes delicious, and the sights and scents and company of a good meal can help lift our spirits, too.

Part two of this series will discuss the idea of ‘comfort foods’ and why we turned to them when we’re feeling down. Since comfort foods are stereotypically rich and decadent, Kendell and Annette will take your most popular comfort foods and make them healthier with new lighter recipes! To submit your favorite comfort food to be lightened up in a new recipe, please leave a comment here or visit our facebook page! Maybe your favorite indulgence will make the cut and you’ll have a great new recipe to try! Happy voting!

Don’t forget, on May 15th LBBC will be hosting a free webinar titled Anxiety and Depression After Breast Cancer from noon to 1pm featuring guest speaker Dr. Ruth Steinman. Click here for more information or to register.

If you’re interested in learning more about Kicking Cancer in the Kitchen or or purchasing their healthy cookbook please visit http://thekickingkitchen.com/.

Julie Clark: Living Is What We Strive For…You Are The Best Medicine

Today the LBBC blog would like to reintroduce Julie Clark, one of the women featured in the Faces of Metastatic Breast Cancer video. Julie is the author of a new children’s book, You Are the Best Medicine, providing an inspiring and heartfelt story about honestly sharing your breast cancer journey with your children. Here she offers our readers her moving words in two ways: for you and for the children.

beyond – n. something that lies farther ahead

I think about the words living beyond breast cancer, and I wonder if I am. Living beyond. The implication of those words is that it’s no longer with me – that I’ve left it behind. I envision a long-distance runner on a dry, dusty track, sprinting ahead of the others and leaving only tread marks on the path. In some ways I am that runner. Although diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2008, I am told that there is no longer any evidence of disease in my body. And for that, every day, I am grateful.

But some events in life stay with us always, like it or not.  We do not move beyond being mothers, for example; we do not leave behind the sadness of the death of a loved one. Nor do we want to. Memory makes our lives textured and rich. And much as I have learned to live with the endurance of the long-distance cancer survivor, much as I want to move beyond this beast’s ugly and awful reality, the trick of cancer is its insidious voice whispering “Here I am” and its ability to keep up.

Were you a fighter before you heard the words, “You have cancer”? I didn’t know I was. But the instinct I felt when my daughters were born – that survival/teeth bared/depth of love/kill or be killed instinct – kicked in when I was faced with a disease that could rob me of my family, and I fought back.

Julie Clark is the author of
“You Are The Best Medicine”

I still fight back in a number of ways, every day. Once I learned the disease had left my body, I took exercise a lot more seriously. I ate lots of green things that I hadn’t tasted before, swallowed pills as round and dry as buttons, and gave myself permission to slow down - to breathe.

How can I find the strength to move ahead? I see my family cheering me on, their flags waving and their hands clapping. I look in my daughters’ eyes and I feel they have coached me for this, this powerful strength that blossoms from their hearts and surrounds me with a feeling of triumph. And, I realize, that this is what it means to move beyond. But even more important is the first word in the phrase living beyond breast cancer. It is that which we strive for – that beautiful adjective.

Living – adj. active or thriving; vigorous; strong

A page from “You Are The Best Medicine”

For a child, watching a loved one go through cancer treatment is scary. In this courageous and sensitive book, Julie Clark creates sweet and poignant memories that remind children how important their support is during a time when optimism and love are most needed.

For more information or to order Julie Clark’s book, You Are The Best Medicine, visit the website , “Like” it on Facebook or check it out on Amazon.com.

Video Blog Series: Advocacy in Action on Metastatic Breast Cancer – Part Eight

On April 28th and 29th, 2012, Living Beyond Breast Cancer will host its Sixth Annual Conference for Women Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer which is a one-of-a-kind educational program designed for women living with metastatic disease, caregivers and healthcare providers. During the four weeks before the event, the LBBC blog will feature a series of short videos featuring our own Elyse Spatz Caplan, Director of Programs and Partnerships,  with Advocacy in Action discussing the needs of women living with metastatic breast cancer.

This final video tackles a discussion on the use of the color “pink” and what that means in the metastatic breast cancer community.

Elyse Spatz Caplan, MA, Director, Programs and Partnerships

Video Link: Metastatic Breast Cancer Discussion – Part Eight

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Visit our website for more information on the Conference for Women Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer and to Register  for the April event. Additional resources can be found through LBBC’s Understanding Guides: Metastatic Breast Cancer Series.  Later this year, LBBC will produce a guide for women newly diagnosed with advanced disease.

Pat Biedermann: Living Harmoniously with Stage IV Cancer – The REAL final installment of a Multi-Series

On April 28th and 29th, 2012, Living Beyond Breast Cancer will host its Sixth Annual Conference for Women Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer. In preparation for that event along with our video blog series, we introduced Pat Biedermann, an  LBBC  Helpline volunteer who happens to be living with metastatic breast cancer. In this multi-series, Pat will share with you–not only her story–but her “tricks and tips” on how to live (and live well) with the disease.

Here are some of the things I do to change the way I handle stress take control of my life:

Avoid internalizing the stress of others

I have learned to adjust my reactions in response to someone else’s actions: if a client (or even family member) is ranting and venting, I have learned to try and view it as just that. There is no need for me to internalize that rage and allow it to eat me up. This too will pass. I remind myself that it is not necessarily me that they are upset at, but someone or something else.

Take care of myself

I’ve learned the importance of taking time to care for myself, because if I don’t, then no one else can. Just enjoying a hot bath or a quiet walk helps keep me centered, focused, mindful. I find, in particular, that a hot bath with baking soda and sea salt is not only relaxing, but in my case, is also detoxifying.

These may be small measures, but they sometimes can have a big effect.   I have also tried to stop watching violent TV shows and movies and have opted, instead, for a show that will make me laugh. There’s enough drama already in life all day long – who really needs more from TV and reality shows?   Although I still love reading my trashy romance novels, I thoroughly enjoy reading books that now have meaning to me.

This brings me to the final element of change which helps me live harmoniously with my stage IV cancer. I can sum it up by simply saying that I took control of my life, but –as you will see—that included changes that were anything but “simple.” I am a drastically different person today than before my diagnosis. Not everything I do would appeal to everyone; maybe none of it will. I simply implore you to find something that works for you.

These are the many steps I took to take control of my life:

Honor my body

It was right about this time I realized that in order for my life to continue, I needed to make major life changes. I had taken up walking with both the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and the Susan G. Komen 3-day Walk. Once I did both walks in the same year. Between these events and training for them, I did a lot of walking. Two months after a walk, I had another recurrence. After that, I decided it was time to hang up my long-distance sneakers and honor my body.  As much as I wanted to contribute to a wonderful cause, I also knew I was doing great trauma to myself. I learned from this that I must put my body’s needs first.

Eat well

Nutrition is another simple avenue where I can exercise control over my life. I now believe that most processed food out there will eventually make us sick.  I have come to realize most of my shopping should be done on the perimeter of the market.  As a result of Dr. Gonzalez, I juice every morning.  Every day I vary the ingredients, but they are all full of life -enhancing vitamins and antioxidants.  My family may raise their eyebrows and turn up their noses, but so be it.  I have also discovered that I would much rather cook a nutritious meal at home than go out to eat. Never in my long career would I have said that I enjoyed cooking. Eating out was always first choice. Now I relish the time and the results.

Because my cancer is estrogen-driven, the majority of my foods are organic. The pesticides used in conventionally grown fruits and vegetables create issues with estrogen and could possibly promote tumor growth. I realize the cost of buying organic can be prohibitive. If cost is a factor, then a list of the top contaminated fruits and vegetables is readily available, as well as the least contaminated. I avoid all meats, including chicken and turkey. I do enjoy eggs (poached is my preference), yogurt, fish, and lots of nuts, grains, almond butter, and other good sources of protein. The benefit of this type of protein is that it doesn’t acidify the body the way meats do.

Seek out uplifting people

Having been a single mother for many years, as well as a workaholic, I confess I never took the time to cultivate deep friendships. One of the changes I made in my life is to seek out and cultivate healthy friendships.  Now, I consciously attempt to re-connect with old friends and forge bonds with new ones. The one trait shared by all the people I choose to spend time with is this: they all inspire me in some way. When I leave them, I feel buoyant and hopeful and renewed. If I cannot avoid being around pessimistic “downers,” then I find I call upon my mindful-based stress relief techniques so that I do not internalize their negative feelings.  I have a wonderful group of friends today. Don’t get me wrong. My family is there for me, too. But families worry about their wife/daughter/sister/mother, and I find myself sometimes censoring what I say to them. With my friends, I can express exactly how I am feeling.

Is there such a thing as a healthy Stage IV cancer survivor? Who knows? Whatever the outcome, my lifestyle is a way I can feel good about what I am going through.

Once again, we here at LBBC would like to thank Pat for sharing her story.

Pat enjoy walks out in nature, reading and spending time with family and friends. Visit our website for more information on the Conference for Women Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer and to Register for the April event. Additional resources can be found through LBBC’s Understanding Guides: Metastatic Breast Cancer Series.  Later this year, LBBC will produce a guide for women newly diagnosed with metastatic cancer.

Video Blog Series: Advocacy in Action on Metastatic Breast Cancer – Part Seven

On April 28th and 29th, 2012, Living Beyond Breast Cancer will host its Sixth Annual Conference for Women Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer which is a one-of-a-kind educational program designed for women living with metastatic disease, caregivers and healthcare providers. During the four weeks before the event, the LBBC blog will feature a series of short videos featuring our own Elyse Spatz Caplan, Director of Programs and Partnerships,  with Advocacy in Action discussing the needs of women living with metastatic breast cancer.

This seventh discusses communication and the Doctor/Patient relationship.

Elyse Spatz Caplan, MA, Director, Programs and Partnerships

Video Link: Metastatic Breast Cancer Discussion – Part Seven

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Visit our website for more information on the Conference for Women Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer and to Register  for the April event. Additional resources can be found through LBBC’s Understanding Guides: Metastatic Breast Cancer Series.  Later this year, LBBC will produce a guide for women newly diagnosed with advanced disease.

Video Blog Series: Advocacy in Action on Metastatic Breast Cancer – Part Six

On April 28th and 29th, 2012, Living Beyond Breast Cancer will host its Sixth Annual Conference for Women Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer which is a one-of-a-kind educational program designed for women living with metastatic disease, caregivers and healthcare providers. During the four weeks before the event, the LBBC blog will feature a series of short videos featuring our own Elyse Spatz Caplan, Director of Programs and Partnerships,  with Advocacy in Action discussing the needs of women living with metastatic breast cancer.

This sixth video tackles the discussion on metastatic breast cancer research.

Elyse Spatz Caplan, MA, Director, Programs and Partnerships

Video Link: Metastatic Breast Cancer Discussion – Part Six

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Visit our website for more information on the Conference for Women Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer and to Register for the April event. Additional resources can be found through LBBC’s Understanding Guides: Metastatic Breast Cancer Series.  Later this year, LBBC will produce a guide for women newly diagnosed with advanced disease.

Pat Biedermann: Living Harmoniously with Stage IV Cancer – PART THREE of a Multi-Series

On April 28th and 29th, 2012, Living Beyond Breast Cancer will host its Sixth Annual Conference for Women Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer. In preparation for that event along with our video blog series, we introduced Pat Biedermann, an  LBBC  Helpline volunteer who happens to be living with metastatic breast cancer. In this multi-series, Pat will share with you–not only her story–but her “tricks and tips” on how to live (and live well) with the disease.

Appearance and Ego

I am currently a stage IV breast cancer survivor and have been for 6 ½ years. When I look in the mirror today, I see my lopsided breasts; a scar from hip to hip; a five-inch deep hole in my stomach; no eyebrows or eyelashes. My hair, at one time, was thick and dark brown (with a little help); today it’s very fine and very gray after seventeen months of chemo (Taxol and Avastin).

I see all this and I smile because I see the body, face, and soul of a survivor and a warrior.  When I look in the mirror today, I think how proud author Louise Hay (You Can Heal You Life) would be of me. When I look in the mirror today I see the person I want to be remembered as and I can say that I love what I see in the mirror.

The one bodily function that is so much better today than it was before I was diagnosed is my eyesight because hindsight is 20/20! If only I could go back to that young woman I was ten years ago and talk to her then about what I see now.

When I started this journey, I was at the height of my real estate career. I drove the latest car, had the latest fashion, nails and hair. My daughter always said (I believe with sarcasm) that I looked like a Realtor. I am not so sure she was paying me a compliment. In fact, I am sure she wasn’t because she approves of the mother I am today much more than the mother I was then, and I am about as far removed from my old self as possible.

The day I had the lumpectomy done in June 2002, I thought “well, that doesn’t look too bad.” Next came the mastectomy with re-construction in August 2002. I remember thinking “Maybe I’ll get a tummy tuck out of this.”  When I had a difficult time healing in my abdomen and wound up with a 5″ hole in my stomach, I consoled myself by thinking, “well, what the heck…I’m alive.”

So, if I COULD go back and give advice to the woman I was, here is what I would honestly say to her: “None of the stuff you are worrying about matters.  It doesn’t matter because it is not who you are.  Cancer will make you a kinder, more caring, more sensitive, more patient human being. You will be more in touch with your body and your spirituality than you have ever been before. You will experience the triumph of surviving and the joy of cherishing all your happy days. You will glow from within and that glow will make you so attractive that strangers will be drawn to you and find you beautiful. “I would paraphrase the Melissa Etheridge lyrics from Run For Life: “Cancer cut into my skin and cut into my body, but it will never get a piece of my soul.”

Of course, I cannot go back in time, so I am trying to do the next best thing.  I am writing about my experiences and feelings so that, maybe, I can remind other cancer survivors to pause as they look in the mirror and see the true beauty of their souls, which is the only beauty that lasts anyway, and the only one that counts!

Stop back next Wednesday when we post the final installment of Pat’s series where she discusses “Stress Management.”

Pat enjoy walks out in nature, reading and spending time with family and friends. Visit our website for more information on the Conference for Women Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer and to Register for the April event. Additional resources can be found through LBBC’s Understanding Guides: Metastatic Breast Cancer Series.  Later this year, LBBC will produce a guide for women newly diagnosed with metastatic cancer.

Video Blog Series: Advocacy in Action on Metastatic Breast Cancer – Part Five

On April 28th and 29th, 2012, Living Beyond Breast Cancer will host its Sixth Annual Conference for Women Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer which is a one-of-a-kind educational program designed for women living with metastatic disease, caregivers and healthcare providers. During the four weeks before the event, the LBBC blog will feature a series of short videos featuring our own Elyse Spatz Caplan, Director of Programs and Partnerships,  with Advocacy in Action discussing the needs of women living with metastatic breast cancer.

This fifth video tackles the discussion on diversity in the metastatic cancer community.

Elyse Spatz Caplan, MA, Director, Programs and Partnerships

Video Link: Metastatic Breast Cancer Discussion – Part Five

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Visit our website for more information on the Conference for Women Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer and to Register for the April event. Additional resources can be found through LBBC’s Understanding Guides: Metastatic Breast Cancer Series.  Later this year, LBBC will produce a guide for women newly diagnosed with advanced disease.