Beyond the Pink Ribbon: Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer
Today, October 13, is the one day set aside to honour those of us living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer (MBC).
For us, breast cancer awareness is not limited to a single day or month. It is our reality every day of the year.
The Reality of Stage IV
Breast cancer found at Stages I, II, or III is often treated with the hope of a cure. Still, even after treatment, cancer can come back, sometimes years later.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pink ribbons remind us how important early detection, education, research, and hope are.
Stage IV means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Treatments are improving and helping people live longer, but there is still no cure for metastatic breast cancer.
In Canada, about 32,400 women are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2026, and around 5,400 will die from it. These numbers represent real people, families, dreams, and lives that are changed forever.
I know this reality personally. Diagnosed in 2019, I completed surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and hormonal treatment. In 2023, my cancer returned as Stage IV.
Today, I am grateful that my treatment continues to keep my cancer stable. I travel, teach yoga, write, enjoy my family, and embrace the joy of being a grandmother. Yet, like everyone living with metastatic breast cancer, I face the uncertainty of progression and what tomorrow may bring.
A Worldwide Sisterhood
Through many Facebook groups for Stage IV breast cancer, I have connected with communities of tens of thousands of women around the world.
We come from different countries and cultures and have different treatments, but we all understand what it means to live with an incurable disease.
We celebrate stable scans, support each other through treatment changes, share our fears, and offer hope. Sadly, we also mourn the loss of women whose lives end too soon.
These women are not just numbers. They are mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, partners, and friends who wish for more time.
We are not only fighting to survive. We are working to truly live.
Awareness Must Lead to Action
We need education so everyone knows that breast cancer can come back, even years after treatment.
We need ongoing research, fair access to new treatments, compassionate care, and stronger advocacy for everyone living with metastatic disease.
We are thankful for treatments that help us live longer, but we must keep working toward a cure.
In Loving Memory of Two Angels ❤️
Today, I dedicate this blog to two wonderful women, Belinda Gramonte and Tanya Baker D'Arcy, who lost their lives to Stage IV metastatic breast cancer.
Their courage, friendship, and memories stay with me. Their loss reminds me why advocacy matters and why every extra day counts.
Fly high, my angels. You are loved, remembered, and will never be forgotten.
Until There Is a Cure
Living with Stage IV cancer means learning to live with uncertainty while still embracing life.
Through my journey and my book, RISE: Living Life Over Cancer, I share hope, resilience, self-care, and why it matters to live fully, even when life turns out differently than we expected.
To my worldwide metastatic breast cancer community, I see you, I hear you, and I stand with you.
We need more than just one day of awareness. We need a future where Stage IV breast cancer is no longer incurable.
Until that day comes, we will keep rising together.
With faith, love, and hope,
Betty Jean Aucoin
Author of RISE: Living Life Over Cancer
How will you rise from here?
Love this! I always look forward to reading the next one. Betty Jean is an inspiration to all women. ❤️💗