For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is important to give particular awareness to the unique experiences and needs of people with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). These are individuals diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer, meaning the cancer has spread to more distant parts of their bodies. Metastatic breast cancer has become a disease that often can be managed for a longer period of time through various treatments.

Earlier this month, during an episode of Frankly Speaking About Cancer, Kim Thiboldeaux, President and CEO of the Cancer Support Community, talked with Shirley Mertz, Board President of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network (MBCN), Stacy Lewis, Chief Program Officer and Deputy Chief Executive of the Young Survival Coalition and Khadijah Carter, who was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2010 and has used her story to inspire others.