<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
    <channel>
        <title><![CDATA[Stories]]></title>
        <description>RSS of Stories</description>
        <pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2026 09:24:20 +0000</pubDate>
        <link>https://cbcn.ca</link>
                        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[From “Am I Going to Die?” to Living Life Over Cancer]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[&amp;ldquo;Am I going to die?&amp;rdquo;

That was the first question I asked when I was told I had breast cancer.

Many people face this difficult question after a diagnosis, which can bring fear, uncertainty, and overwhelm. It can also feel, at times, as if the future you had imagined is being taken from you.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2026-05-13</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/living-life-over-cancer</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/living-life-over-cancer</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[The Unspoken Work of Being a Patient]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[One of the least visible parts of being a patient is the work that happens quietly and often without recognition. It is only one part of the labour patients carry, but it is an important one. This work includes noticing what is not being said, understanding which questions need to be asked, and advocating for conversations that are not always offered unless a patient knows to ask for them.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2026-04-29</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/the-unspoken-work-of-being-a-patient</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/the-unspoken-work-of-being-a-patient</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[In Between Moments]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[In May 2025, at the age of 40, everything changed for me. I was diagnosed with breast cancer.&amp;nbsp;My journey through cancer lasted 10 months, three surgeries, chemotherapy, and now 5 to 10 years on an estrogen blocker that has put me into early menopause.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2026-04-23</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/in-between-moments</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/in-between-moments</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[What Cancer Really Does to Your Hair, Skin, Nails and Scalp]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[I feel like&amp;nbsp;I&amp;rsquo;m&amp;nbsp;one of the lucky ones. You know, one of the few&amp;nbsp;breast cancer patients&amp;nbsp;who, despite surgery, treatment&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;unimaginable levels of stress, did not lose my hair. Well, at least not all of it.&amp;nbsp;Chunks&amp;nbsp;fell&amp;nbsp;out&amp;nbsp;in the shower, in my&amp;nbsp;hair brush&amp;nbsp;and it&amp;nbsp;definitely&amp;nbsp;thinned.&amp;nbsp;My eyebrows&amp;nbsp;also&amp;nbsp;became sparse,&amp;nbsp;and the entire bottom rows&amp;nbsp;of my once long and thick eyelashes completely vanished.&amp;nbsp;Despite still having hair, my scalp felt tight all the time.&amp;nbsp;I&amp;nbsp;also&amp;nbsp;developed a&amp;nbsp;deep set,&amp;nbsp;blue-tinged&amp;nbsp;undereye colour that looked like bruising.&amp;nbsp;And&amp;nbsp;let&amp;rsquo;s&amp;nbsp;not forget the raw and angry red rash that&amp;nbsp;accompanied&amp;nbsp;the black charcoal-burnt&amp;nbsp;skin across my right breast and underarm,&amp;nbsp;that&amp;nbsp;only got worse as my radiation treatments progressed.&amp;nbsp;It&amp;nbsp;all&amp;nbsp;seemed to&amp;nbsp;happen&amp;nbsp;simultaneously too.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;And when it did,&amp;nbsp;I&amp;nbsp;remember thinking: no one mentioned this part&amp;nbsp;of cancer.&amp;nbsp;
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2026-04-14</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/what-cancer-does-to-hair-skin-nails-scalp</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/what-cancer-does-to-hair-skin-nails-scalp</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Finding the Right Artist - Nipple &amp; Scar Tattoos After Breast Cancer]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[
	
		
			Research fatigue is real. After navigating diagnosis, treatment, surgeries, and recovery, the idea of researching specialized restorative tattoo artists can feel overwhelming. Knowing a little about the process helps empower you in your decision, as this step matters. Often, nipple tattoos are considered a last step in lessening the impact of the physical reminders of breast cancer. It&amp;rsquo;s an appointment that can bring excitement, nervousness, relief, and a deep sense of closure. The experience of your tattoo is just as important as the artistic outcome.
			Understand your choices, timing, and how to find an artist who is properly trained to work with post-surgical, compromised skin&amp;mdash;because not all education, and not all artists, are created equal.&amp;nbsp;
		
	

]]></description>
            <pubDate>2026-03-17</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/finding-the-right-artist-nipple-scar-tattoos</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/finding-the-right-artist-nipple-scar-tattoos</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[SOAR Above the Crows – Life Following Male Breast Cancer]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[It was here that the word cancer was brought up for the first time, as the radiologist took me in for a CAT scan. His words were startling yet his tone comforting as he said, &amp;ldquo;You know, men can get breast cancer too. Peter Criss from KISS had it. I&amp;rsquo;m not saying you do, but just wanted you to know.&amp;rdquo; The scan showed something and I was recommended to see my doctor.&amp;nbsp;Being based in the U.S, I had no insurance at the time, and I was bounced around with one county doctor telling me, &amp;ldquo;Ehh, it&amp;rsquo;s most likely not cancer. That would be rare.&amp;rdquo; But my girlfriend wasn&amp;rsquo;t settling for &amp;ldquo;probably,&amp;rdquo; she wanted to know and to be honest, I did too.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2026-03-03</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/soar-above-the-crows-life-following-male-breast-cancer</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/soar-above-the-crows-life-following-male-breast-cancer</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Get Smart About Dense Breasts]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[This is what I used to think about my boobs before I was diagnosed with breast cancer:&amp;nbsp;Perky. Full B-cups. Still look good without a bra.&amp;nbsp;Pretty good descriptors, right? That&amp;rsquo;s because back then I liked my boobs. I had a happy, take-them-at-face-value relationship with them and it worked. Or at least I thought it did until I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now, I know about and worry about all kinds of breast cancer-related things. Like, the fact that I have dense breasts.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2026-02-04</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/get-smart-about-dense-breasts</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/get-smart-about-dense-breasts</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[What We Don’t Know (and it’s a lot), Should Know, About Canada’s Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[How old were you when you first learned you were eligible for a mammogram? If you&amp;rsquo;re like me, that information only became clear after you found a lump of your own. And at that point, the rules and guidelines about when women can and can&amp;rsquo;t access breast cancer screening don&amp;rsquo;t feel relevant anymore&amp;mdash;it&amp;rsquo;s too late. Except that it shouldn&amp;rsquo;t be.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2025-12-23</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/what-we-dont-know-should-know-about-screening-guidelines</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/what-we-dont-know-should-know-about-screening-guidelines</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[The Messy, Honest Truth About Diagnosis, Recovery and the Emotions No One Talks About]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[I&amp;rsquo;m an open book about breast cancer. I&amp;rsquo;ve chosen to be vocal because I want to wipe out stigma, shine light on little-talked about topics and help other women feel less alone. When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, it didn&amp;rsquo;t cross my mind that one day I&amp;rsquo;d want to share all the details about my personal experiences with cancer by writing a monthly column, but life is weird and here I am. And I&amp;rsquo;m grateful. Especially when I receive a direct message on my Instagram from a woman I don&amp;rsquo;t know, who is dealing with her own breast cancer diagnosis and looking for support.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2025-11-25</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/the-messy-honest-truth</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/the-messy-honest-truth</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Charting a Different Course]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Jeanne lost her mother when she was 25, and her aunt also had breast cancer. When Jeanne was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), her children were still very young. In her blog, www.triplenegatif.blogspot.com, Jeanne returns to the multiple aspects of the breast: that of the woman, the mother, the sick person, then the reconstructed breast. Heredity and lineage, but also faith, are questioned in a lyrical, almost poetic and soul-searching way.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2025-11-18</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/charting-a-different-course</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/charting-a-different-course</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[From Diagnosis to “I Do”: Finding Life After Breast Cancer]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[I was just 27 years old, newly engaged and planning my wedding, when I was diagnosed with HER2+ Stage 2 breast cancer. Overnight, my world shifted from picking out flowers and venues to chemotherapy appointments, surgery dates, and a treatment plan that included chemo, surgery, and radiation.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2025-11-11</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/from-diagnosis-to-i-do-finding-life-after-bc</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/from-diagnosis-to-i-do-finding-life-after-bc</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[The White T-shirt in My Drawer]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[I remember the day vividly: as a time of solidarity with a group of friends, colleagues and survivors. It was a great day, the streets filled with incredible energy and glorious pink accessories, sunglasses, feather boas and countless women, and a few brave men, all joined in a moment of support. I proudly wore that first T-shirt not knowing that 15 years later, I would be more than a supporter&amp;mdash;I would also be a survivor of breast cancer.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2025-11-04</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/the-white-tshirt-in-my-drawer</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/the-white-tshirt-in-my-drawer</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[My Breast Cancer Surgery]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[When I was 15, I ended up in hospital with a ruptured, grapefruit-sized cyst on my left ovary.&amp;nbsp;Two years later, another cyst&amp;nbsp;required a second surgery.&amp;nbsp;Years later, in my early 30s, a perforated appendix landed me back on the operating table. So, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and surgery became part of my treatment plan, it felt old hat.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2025-09-30</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/adriana-my-breast-cancer-surgery</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/adriana-my-breast-cancer-surgery</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Still Burning: Cancer-free but the Heartburn Won’t Quit]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Only after being diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing surgery and treatment did the burning in my throat and chest&amp;mdash;the uncomfortable, dry and always-on-fire feeling of heartburn&amp;mdash;become a constant in my life. Single-digit years now, cancer-free, I&amp;#39;m still carting a container of Tums in my black Lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2025-07-29</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/adriana-still-burning-cancer-free-but-heartburn-wont-quit</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/adriana-still-burning-cancer-free-but-heartburn-wont-quit</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Radiation 411]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Radiation therapy: two words that sounded surreal when I heard them attached to my cancer treatment plan. I knew what radiation was, technically, but I was clueless about what the actual experience would be like or how it would affect me. Mostly because my oncology team had described it and its potential side effects in vague terms.&amp;nbsp;Apparently, this isn&amp;rsquo;t unusual for women like me who&amp;rsquo;ve been diagnosed with breast cancer.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2025-06-25</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/adriana-radiation-411</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/adriana-radiation-411</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Dancing Through Diagnosis, part 2]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[There was a total of three oncologists from different areas of care that I would meet along the way.&amp;nbsp;Then there is my plastic surgeon!&amp;nbsp;The beginnings of a joke. Three oncologists and a plastic surgeon go into a bar...&amp;nbsp;If you have a good joke for this scenario, I would love to hear it. But this is the thought that keeps popping into my head every time I am told about my surgical team.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2025-06-17</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/tammy-dancing-through-diagnosis-part-2</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/tammy-dancing-through-diagnosis-part-2</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Dancing Through Diagnosis, part 1]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[As my towel brushed past the bottom of my right breast, I couldn&amp;rsquo;t help noticing that something didn&amp;rsquo;t feel right. Broken glass? It felt like broken glass. Is that possible? Could I have broken my boob? Can you break a boob?&amp;nbsp;My mind began to swirl toward real questions then to ones that were clearly insane and made no sense... and yet, I asked them out loud... to myself... in the mirror.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2025-06-11</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/tammy-dancing-through-diagnosis-part-1</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/tammy-dancing-through-diagnosis-part-1</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[How Surgery, Treatment &amp; Tamoxifen Impact Your Sleep]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[I vividly remember the first night, after I found out I had breast cancer. I was lying in bed, wide awake with my eyes closed, listening to Trixie the cat purring beside me. My body was heavy, but my mind was wild, racing with thoughts of nothing and everything all mashed together. That was the beginning of a new kind of insomnia. Not the kind where you just can&amp;rsquo;t fall asleep, but the kind where sleep feels like something you used to do in a different lifetime but can&amp;rsquo;t access any more.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2025-05-28</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/how-surgery-treatment-tamoxifen-impact-sleep</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/how-surgery-treatment-tamoxifen-impact-sleep</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[I Faced Cancer—Then I Faced Him. How One Man’s Bias Tried to Sink Me]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Not long ago, I felt confident about my post-cancer status. Like I was finally rising above and beyond being just a breast cancer survivor. That I could actually do real-life things and shake off some of the lingering shadows. It felt good and empowering, and suddenly, I was ready to take on new challenges. So, I did, by swimming laps at the community centre pool. And boy, did I suck at it horribly.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2025-04-30</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/i-faced-cancer-then-i-faced-him</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/i-faced-cancer-then-i-faced-him</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Turn Your Experience Into Impact]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[People like you and me bring something irreplaceable to advocacy&amp;mdash;real, lived experience. We know what it&amp;rsquo;s like to wait for test results, navigate treatment options and deal with the emotional stress. We&amp;rsquo;re the perfect people to speak up, act and work toward positive change by raising awareness, supporting others, pushing for policy changes, fundraising for research and simply sharing our own experiences with others
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2025-03-18</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/turn-your-experience-into-impact</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/turn-your-experience-into-impact</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Are You Happy with Your Doctor-Patient Relationship?]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Recently, a woman from Alberta, who is dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis, reached out to me on Instagram. We&amp;rsquo;d connected before and shared parts of our breast cancer experiences with each other, so it was great to hear from her again. This time, though, instead of a written update she sent me a video clip from season two of The Big C, a television series currently on Prime TV. The show stars actor Laura Linney as Cathy, a suburban mom diagnosed with Stage IV melanoma and in the scene, Cathy advises a group of young medical students on how to treat their cancer patients.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2025-02-25</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/are-you-happy-doctor-patient-relationships</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/are-you-happy-doctor-patient-relationships</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Seven Ways to Respond to Family and Friends’ Reactions to Your Breast Cancer]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[Yet, the thought of having to say that &amp;ldquo;I have cancer&amp;rdquo; out loud to my family and close friends wasn&amp;rsquo;t something I wanted to do. It made me feel like I was looking for attention. That&amp;rsquo;s because having cancer is surreal and warps reality. It was near impossible for me to wrap my head around. Sharing this information felt deeply personal and required me to be vulnerable, strong and courageous all at the same time. No easy feat. So of course, once I confided in my circle of family and friends, I wanted them to say and do the things I needed.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2025-01-29</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/seven-ways-to-respond-to-family-and-friends-reactions</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/seven-ways-to-respond-to-family-and-friends-reactions</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Three Things I Learned That Make Me Mentally Stronger]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[This was not (and sometimes still isn&amp;rsquo;t) easy. I blamed and shamed my way through surgery and treatment. As a result, I held my breast cancer diagnosis close to my heart, not really talking about it or sharing about my experiences with anyone beyond my tight circle of confidants. It wasn&amp;rsquo;t until a friend pushed me to write an article about my experience with breast cancer that I started to crack open and search for a different way to go through it.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2024-12-23</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/three-things-I-learned-make-me-mentally-stronger</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/three-things-I-learned-make-me-mentally-stronger</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Sugar, Baby: Is the sweet rush worth it?]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[I call Tamoxifen hot flashes: bonfires with a flood. Because when one hits you, it feels like your entire body is going up in flames right before it&amp;rsquo;s soaked in a flood of hair-flattening, body-drenching sweat. It&amp;rsquo;s horrible and exhausting, never mind totally gross. And there was nothing I wouldn&amp;rsquo;t do to avoid having one. Even giving up sugar.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2024-11-28</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/sugar-baby-is-it-worth-the-rush</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/sugar-baby-is-it-worth-the-rush</guid>
                    </item>
                <item>
            <title><![CDATA[The Invisible Stage of Breast Cancer]]></title>
            <description><![CDATA[I struggle with the word &amp;ldquo;survivor&amp;rdquo;. Maybe it&amp;rsquo;s because I still don&amp;rsquo;t really feel like a survivor, six years post diagnosis. The word &amp;ldquo;survivor&amp;rdquo; implies I&amp;rsquo;ve &amp;#39;made it through.&amp;#39; Six years later, however, I feel like I am still in it. I feel tremendous guilt that I don&amp;rsquo;t feel like a survivor, when many before me (my mom and brother included) would have given anything to be in my privileged position of surviving. Please don&amp;#39;t misunderstand &amp;mdash;I am filled with gratitude and take note every single day, even when completing the most disliked tasks. I am grateful because I know that if I were sick, I would give anything to do this task again.
]]></description>
            <pubDate>2024-11-05</pubDate>
            <link>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/invisible-stage-breast-cancer</link>
            <guid>https://cbcn.ca/en/blog/our-stories/invisible-stage-breast-cancer</guid>
                    </item>
                    </channel>
</rss>
