Megan Sewell

You know what would be better? Discovering why cancer metastasizes and stop it from happening.

I am 9 years into this, I know I am a unicorn with my situation, it’s not common to go from stage 4 to NED and no treatment but I am happy to say that is starting to change. More and more women are living long lives after an MBC diagnosis and that’s wonderful.

I have MBC, and thanks to research the immunotherapy drugs Herceptin and Pertuzumab exist. These are the drugs saved my life.

Today is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day
💚🩷💙

MBC is breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.

Some people, like me, are diagnosed at stage 4, this is called de novo, others have the cancer come back after it has been treated this is called a recurrence.

#CIBCRunForTheCure
#MBCteamsR4TC
#MakeUsCount
#CountUs

A ballpark estimate based on a recent study states that there are likely over 17,500 Canadians living with MBC. Of these, most (61%) were initially diagnosed with early stage disease.

More research is needed to discover why cancer spreads and how to stop it.

Without this knowledge, how can we properly allocate resources and evaluate program effectiveness? How can we ensure people living with MBC are receiving the best care? How can we know how long people are living with MBC?

Sadly data collection falls short in measuring metastatic cancer recurrences, when a patient previously diagnosed and treated for Stage 0-3 disease is found to have cancer outside the breast. Nor do they report how many people are living with MBC in Canada.

Approximately 29,000 Canadians will be diagnosed yearly with all stages of breast cancer.

About 5% are initially diagnosed with Stage IV disease also known as de novo - that’s me 💚🩷💙

Around 5,485 Canadians will die each year from breast cancer, essentially all from metastatic breast cancer.

Just a few days away from the Run for the Cure and my team the @westislanddragons are fundraising for metastatic breast cancer research. Link in my bio and my story 🩷

This is why I do the Run for the Cure! Research saves lives including my own!

support.cancer.ca/goto/Megansu...

This is why I do the Run for the Cure! Research saves lives including my own!

support.cancer.ca/goto/Megansu...

Donate Now! Join me and help change the future of breast cancer!

I've taken the challenge to fundraise for the CIBC Run for the Cure! Will you help make a difference and support me with a donation?
nclvm.com/6cask

I have a lot more living to do and adventures to take.

A friendly reminder to do all the things, buy the concert ticket, take the trip, live don’t just exist.

Its been an interesting 5 years, I have spent time learning more about myself, my body and testing its limitations, about cancer and being a patient advocate. I am working hard at living my best life, spending my time with people I like, doing things that bring me joy.

A milestone to celebrate! Five years ago Dr.A called me to tell me that I was stopping what was originally planned to be lifelong treatments. It was a shock and it took time to adjust to not going to the hospital every month.

All this to say - do the things - if it brings you joy do it. Get the concert tickets, take the trip, dance like no one is watching, laugh until you cry, surround yourself with people who lift you up.

Live don’t just exist

I faced treatment for life which is the norm for stage 4 patients. I had a total of 74 infusions of chemotherapy and my last one was on July 14, 2020 but I didn’t know it at the time. My oncologist would call me on August 5th to tell me he reviewed my case and felt we had done enough.

I was diagnosed de novo (from the start) at stage 4, I had cancer in my left breast, in my lymph nodes under my collarbone and in my left armpit and in my liver, there was a time that they suspected I had it also in my spine but that ended up not being the case.

Another milestone to celebrate today! On this day in 2016 I got my post treatment PET scan results that told me that all the cancer cells in my body were dead, I was NEAD (no evidence of active disease) I had a PCR (pathologic complete response) to my treatment, which is ideal.

One of my favourite parts of RDC count me in!

us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

I choose to wear mostly bright colours for my compression garments because they spark conversation and that leads to education and understanding.

Having difficulty finding clothes that fit properly - you try finding a shirt with sleeves that fit two different sized arms!

I wear compression garments all day and all night, the only time I am not wearing one is when I am in the shower or in the pool. It impacts my life in a number of ways, including making being in the heat painful, because my arm swells.

Over the past few years, I’ve been learning more about this condition, discovering the best ways to maintain and control it, and advocating for myself.

In fact, the swelling in my arm was the very first sign that I had breast cancer. The cancer had spread to my lymph nodes in my armpit, and one of them had been completely consumed by the disease.

Today is World Lymphedema Day.

I was officially diagnosed with lymphedema in 2017, but I had been dealing with its symptoms since 2015.

I choose to wear mostly bright colours for my compression garments because they spark conversation and that leads to education and understanding.

It impacts my life in a number of ways, including making being in the heat painful, because my arm swells. Having difficulty finding clothes that fit properly - you try finding a shirt with sleeves that fit two different sized arms!