Marissa Holzer

Living with metastatic breast cancer, I find it hard to relate to the term “survivor.”

A thoughtless birthday mammogram reminder underscored how the healthcare system ignored my reality of living with metastatic breast cancer.

Diagnosed in 2014, I share my unique aggressive treatment journey over 11 years, highlighting a common hope for more time and better treatments.

This March marks 10 years since my diagnosis of de novo metastatic breast cancer and four years since my cancer has been stable.

I’m working through one of the toughest times of my life. Perserverance is one of the many things that cancer has taught me.

I had a wonderful time at a recent breast cancer walk, until I got home and found a bracelet with a raunchy saying on it in my survivor’s gift bag.

The switch from private insurance to Medicare was a struggle — especially considering my need for cancer care — that was not solved by numerous phone calls, but by Twitter instead.

As “Pinktober” approaches, I’m spreading the message that breasts are not needed to live a full life after breast cancer surgery.

I made too many late-night purchases for things that I thought I’d need after my mastectomy. Thankfully, the STOMP group helped me get rid of some of these items.

At first, I was apprehensive about a male doctor treating my breast cancer, but I soon realized that he was treating me as he would his own family members — and that made me realize that I was in good hands.

After seven years, my prosthetic breast, “Rightie,” sprung a leak and needed to be replaced.

After surviving cancer, I knew what medical upselling looked like, and experienced it firsthand when a clinician tried to send me for more tests than I felt necessary.

From Plan A and B to “donut coverage,” choosing a Medicare plan is frustrating — especially when considering the costs of a cancer diagnosis.

After my breast cancer metastasized to my lungs, I was put on a PARP inhibitor, which caused an unexpected side effect that, unfortunately, happens like clockwork.

When visiting the cancer center (or any other health care center), the people who greet me at the front desk can have a major impact on the whole experience.

There’s a fine line between toxic positivity and encouragement. Myself and other cancer survivors know that all too well.

I feared that switching to a new oncologist after mine retired would be awkward but having Dr. Joshua D. Rosenberg treat my metastatic breast cancer has left me with the deepest gratitude.

A woman with metastatic breast cancer reflects on her pre-cancer life 20 years ago and how her perspective on the disease has shifted as she’s reached a level of acceptance and hope for the future.

A woman living with metastatic breast cancer describes how the death of a friend’s grandmother reminded her of her own grandmother’s passing and the lessons she learned about life from it that she applies in her cancer journey.

A woman living with metastatic breast cancer shares how her relationship with her sister who was adopted from Korea transformed after they both received a cancer diagnosis.

A woman with metastatic breast cancer writes a poem about the dark reality of the disease that hides below the surface.

A patient with metastatic breast cancer reflects on the difficulties she faced in 2021 and why a shipwreck is the perfect metaphor for her year.

A woman living with metastatic breast cancer explains why TV commercials depicting carefree, happy people do not reflect the reality of her experience. “My life and the lives of those affected by metastatic breast cancer is anything but normal. Too many of us are dying every day,” she writes.

A woman who has been living with metastatic breast cancer for seven years reflects on the strangeness of her body aging. “It’s the one thing I never imagined would happen after being diagnosed with and while living with a terminal illness – I’m actually getting old,” she writes.

A woman who had an aesthetic flat closure after her mastectomy due to breast cancer explains what the new “Simpsons” character, Dr. Wendy Sage means to her.

When you’re forced into menopause at an early age, you aren’t as prepared for the changes it brings. A woman with metastatic breast cancer explains the difficulties of medically induced menopause.

This October it’s important to put your money towards breast cancer research or brands that are transparent in their support of research, prevention and awareness, explains a woman with metastatic breast cancer.

The process of scheduling and receiving scans to monitor your disease can be emotionally triggering and traumatic as a patient with cancer, one woman explains.

A woman with metastatic breast cancer describes a fulfilling experience of meeting another survivor who has lived a similar cancer journey, and the unique lasting connection it can create.

“I like to think the people of Bodie counted every day and made every day count, as hard as their lives were, reminding me to do the same,” writes a woman with metastatic breast cancer about her visit to Bodie State Historic Park.