It's been a long week, and we know you're all excited to hear more from Claire! Before we get back to part 2 with Claire, Kaela and Mike provide some updates on recent (less than favorable) bloodwork results and a discussion with our oldest son about Kaela's breast cancer.

In part two of our conversation with Claire, we move beyond introductions and into the deeper realities of living with metastatic breast cancer while raising young children and building a life in the middle of uncertainty. We talk about navigating a new marriage after diagnosis, parenting through fear and hard conversations, and the complicated balance of trying to live fully while also thinking about the future.

We also reflect on what it means to leave a legacy through advocacy. From podcast episodes to blog posts, we discuss how sharing our stories has become more than awareness work - it’s also a way for our children to someday hear our voices, understand our strength, and know just how deeply they were loved through all of this.

This episode is honest, emotional, and full of the kind of conversations that remind us why telling these stories matters.

perkybits | Claire's Boobie Journey

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Episodes are now available in video format on YouTube: Nothing Scares Me Anymore: Claire's MBC Story - Part 2

In this episode, we welcome our first MBC guest (and new friend) to the podcast - the incredible Claire. Claire is a fellow stage 4 metastatic breast cancer survivor, podcaster, and an awesome advocate with several projects in the works, and someone who brings a refreshing “take it or leave it” authenticity to every conversation.

Over the first half of this 90-minute conversation, Claire shares her story from her initial early-stage breast cancer diagnosis through her metastatic recurrence years after finishing treatment. Along the way, we talk about the complicated emotions that come with survivorship, marriage and cancer, and the language we use around cancer (including our ongoing struggle to find a better word than “journey”), and what it means to live openly and honestly with MBC. As Clarie says "Everything Happens for a Reason", you'll get to hear how an unfair situation is being turned into an opportunity to help so many others.

This conversation is raw, funny, emotional, and deeply real, and we’re so grateful Claire was willing to share her experience with us. This is just part 1 of an amazing discussion. Part 2 will be out next week!

This episode is also available in a fun video format on YouTube. Now you can see the faces behind the podcast! Take It or Leave It: Claire's MBC Story - Part 1 - YouTube

After listening to this episode, don't wait to learn more about Claire through her blog and podcast:

perkybits | Claire's Boobie Journey

Perkybits: Riding the Waves of Life | Podcast on RSS.com

This week, we share some exciting news as Kaela received the results of her brain scan confirming there is no metastasis in the brain. We talk about the relief that comes with hearing those words, while also reflecting on the emotional weight that scans and appointments continue to carry and how “scanxiety” becomes an ongoing part of life after a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis.

Then, in a fitting Mother’s Day episode, we welcome our very first guest to the podcast: Kaela’s mom, Judy. As a breast cancer survivor herself, Judy joins us to share her perspective on watching her daughter navigate cancer while carrying her own experiences with the disease. Together, we have an honest conversation about motherhood, survivorship, fear, resilience, and the unique bond that forms when cancer impacts multiple generations of a family.

The conversation was so good and there was so much to cover, you can expect Judy to make another appearance in a future episode.

This episode is filled with relief, vulnerability, gratitude, and a lot of love.