Letter: Little knowledge of what metastatic breast cancer really is

Thank you for printing the article on the metastatic breast cancer project. Even in October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, there is little publicity or knowledge of what metastatic breast cancer actually is. This article explains the disease and points out that the majority of money collected by Pink Ribbon fundraisers is headed for early detection and prevention research.

I have been in both boats — the one where you find out you have breast cancer, get treated, then celebrate that treatment is over, and now, 20 years later, the “metastatic boat” where you find out the cancer is back and has spread. This time there is no end-of treatment-celebration. You keep going with treatment until you run out of options.

I am grateful for the research that helped give me 20 wonderful years between Stage 1 and Stage 4, but now that I am a Stage 4 metastatic patient, I feel discouraged that only 10 percent of money raised goes to find ways to help us live longer. I am 61 years old, but there are younger women who fit in this category.

I want to raise awareness and remind people to “Think before you pink” because “Stage 4 needs more!”

This story was originally published October 13, 2016 at 4:22 AM with the headline "Letter: Little knowledge of what metastatic breast cancer really is."