No one should ever have to experience breast cancer—not the fear, the pain, or the uncertainty of what course the disease will take. But amidst the dark moments, many people with the disease find themselves transformed. Some learn to let go of things they can’t control. Others develop a new perspective about who and what is most important to them. Many come to appreciate the decades of research and scientific breakthroughs that led to lifesaving treatments.
If you’ve just been diagnosed, are living with breast cancer, or finished treatment, let these words of encouragement and determination lift your spirit.
“Cancer survivors are blessed with two lives. There is your life before cancer, and your life after. I am here to tell you your second life is going to be so much better than the first.” Hoda Kotb
“Cancer survivors are blessed with two lives. There is your life before cancer, and your life after. I am here to tell you your second life is going to be so much better than the first.”
“The experience of a cancer diagnosis will live in me. It was difficult. It was also amazing. Amazing in that you are very aware of your body, of the love that’s around you, of your capability, all sorts of things.” Kylie Minogue
“The experience of a cancer diagnosis will live in me. It was difficult. It was also amazing. Amazing in that you are very aware of your body, of the love that’s around you, of your capability, all sorts of things.”
“Cancer gave me a reason to be the best version of myself, and that’s what I’ve done. You realize that fear can either cripple you or it can motivate you, and it had been crippling me. And I decided to change it, and let that fear be motivating.” Amy Robach
“Cancer gave me a reason to be the best version of myself, and that’s what I’ve done. You realize that fear can either cripple you or it can motivate you, and it had been crippling me. And I decided to change it, and let that fear be motivating.”
“My cancer diagnosis was the permission slip I never needed to start being more intentional with my life and time. I have softened into my hard edges. I spent so many years shaming and picking apart my body, trying to improve and perfect it. Now I stand in awe of what my body is capable of—its resilience, and everything else I had taken for granted.” Danielle Doby
“My cancer diagnosis was the permission slip I never needed to start being more intentional with my life and time. I have softened into my hard edges. I spent so many years shaming and picking apart my body, trying to improve and perfect it. Now I stand in awe of what my body is capable of—its resilience, and everything else I had taken for granted.”
“Surviving breast cancer redefined who and how I am, although I’m not sure I’d recommend it. Until then, I’d spent a lifetime being a caretaker for everyone around me. From then, I started to put myself first. I had voices at the back of my head telling me whatever I did wasn’t good enough. Now, finally, I’ve silenced them.” Sheryl Crow
“Surviving breast cancer redefined who and how I am, although I’m not sure I’d recommend it. Until then, I’d spent a lifetime being a caretaker for everyone around me. From then, I started to put myself first. I had voices at the back of my head telling me whatever I did wasn’t good enough. Now, finally, I’ve silenced them.”
“When I first was diagnosed, my gut reaction was, ‘This is a terrible thing.’ But as my journey has progressed, I feel so blessed because I’ve experienced the most incredible outpouring of love you can imagine.” Victoria Lavine
“When I first was diagnosed, my gut reaction was, ‘This is a terrible thing.’ But as my journey has progressed, I feel so blessed because I’ve experienced the most incredible outpouring of love you can imagine.”
“Many, many years ago, I was on a boat with my husband. I was swimming in the water. He came to the bow of the boat and he said, ‘Jules, I don’t want you to panic, but there’s a shark in the water, so you need to come back.’ And I was far away from the boat. And so, I just saw the ladder and I started swimming toward it, and I made the decision not to look around me at all. I was just going to stay looking at the ladder. And that very much applied to how I got through my cancer adventure—was sort of looking at the ladder. Just let’s get this done, let’s get there.” Julia Louis-Dreyfus
“Many, many years ago, I was on a boat with my husband. I was swimming in the water. He came to the bow of the boat and he said, ‘Jules, I don’t want you to panic, but there’s a shark in the water, so you need to come back.’ And I was far away from the boat. And so, I just saw the ladder and I started swimming toward it, and I made the decision not to look around me at all. I was just going to stay looking at the ladder. And that very much applied to how I got through my cancer adventure—was sort of looking at the ladder. Just let’s get this done, let’s get there.”
“I couldn’t change my metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, but I could control my mindset. There might not be a cure (yet!), but there is always hope. Today, tomorrow, and every day after. I trust in research and new treatments, and I trust in the timing of my life.” Paige Stables
“I couldn’t change my metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, but I could control my mindset. There might not be a cure (yet!), but there is always hope. Today, tomorrow, and every day after. I trust in research and new treatments, and I trust in the timing of my life.”
“I wish I could say I’m fearless, that each time I have a scan or blood draw I’m not anxious or stressed. But I’m getting brave. Once you’re faced with the fear of death, or not knowing what tomorrow brings, you’re like, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ I’m working on not allowing fear to be my primary driving factor and living by the lessons I’ve learned so far: Keep breathing. Being mindful. Being grateful. Believing that the universe has a plan for me that is better than the one I could ever imagine.” Sheetal Dewan
“I wish I could say I’m fearless, that each time I have a scan or blood draw I’m not anxious or stressed. But I’m getting brave. Once you’re faced with the fear of death, or not knowing what tomorrow brings, you’re like, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ I’m working on not allowing fear to be my primary driving factor and living by the lessons I’ve learned so far: Keep breathing. Being mindful. Being grateful. Believing that the universe has a plan for me that is better than the one I could ever imagine.”
“Even with the best possible scans, my cancer is still considered incurable—although I live with tremendous hope that may change one day. The word ‘incurable’ initially petrified me because we are often led to believe cancer patients are either curable or terminal. But incurable disease can still be treatable, and there exists a third lane in between cured and terminal that is full of hope, meaning, and purpose. That’s the lane I’m in, one in which I’m thriving and living my best life—not only in spite of metastatic breast cancer, but also because of it. Sally Joy Wolf
“Even with the best possible scans, my cancer is still considered incurable—although I live with tremendous hope that may change one day. The word ‘incurable’ initially petrified me because we are often led to believe cancer patients are either curable or terminal. But incurable disease can still be treatable, and there exists a third lane in between cured and terminal that is full of hope, meaning, and purpose. That’s the lane I’m in, one in which I’m thriving and living my best life—not only in spite of metastatic breast cancer, but also because of it.
“When I think about where we were with breast cancer 30 years ago and where we are now, the advances have just been remarkable: better diagnostics, better medical therapy, better surgical therapy, better radiation therapy, and most important, a better understanding of the disease. The vast majority if not all of these significant advances have involved one or more BCRF investigators.” BCRF Founding Scientific Director Dr. Larry Norton
“When I think about where we were with breast cancer 30 years ago and where we are now, the advances have just been remarkable: better diagnostics, better medical therapy, better surgical therapy, better radiation therapy, and most important, a better understanding of the disease. The vast majority if not all of these significant advances have involved one or more BCRF investigators.”
“We are really making a lot of progress in research, and treatment is very different today than it was even 10 years ago. It’s hard to predict where it will be 10 years from now, but I think breast cancer is going to be one of the first cancers where we’re going to be able to say that we’ve virtually eliminated mortality.” BCRF investigator Dr. Eric Winer
“We are really making a lot of progress in research, and treatment is very different today than it was even 10 years ago. It’s hard to predict where it will be 10 years from now, but I think breast cancer is going to be one of the first cancers where we’re going to be able to say that we’ve virtually eliminated mortality.”
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