Martha Carlson

Martha Carlson shares her experience of overcoming her fears and embarking on a whitewater rafting adventure despite her stage 4 cancer diagnosis.

A patient with metastatic breast cancer confronts financial toxicity and finds a little glimmer of hope through donating cancer drugs.

A patient with metastatic breast cancer finds that sometimes a single small step leads to unexpected improvement.

I’m approaching 10 years with stage 4 breast cancer, and this question tops the “most asked” list.

Having my metastatic breast cancer experience turned into a piece of art was such a meaningful opportunity.

Prompted by a celebrity diagnosis of breast cancer, I looked at tools that could help my own kids.

Recurrence is common enough that all of us need to act on potential symptoms.

I felt like I had to come back to life after hearing the word “metastatic.”

Wait for the other shoe to drop, or grab each day for all it’s worth?

This year, as winter approaches, I’ve been thinking about how I winterize my life and my exercise so that I am ready for more when spring arrives.

Losing someone to cancer never gets easier.

I’ve been having a wonderful (well…maybe challenging is the right word) growing season this past year, learning how to be a better collaborator.

Nine years of Pinktober while living with metastatic breast cancer.

I like to think that I always checked off the “be an organ donor” box on my driver’s license forms, but of course that just may be the way I remember it.

Here’s a new term for me: Response shift.

After being diagnosed with cancer, I experienced the fear of missing out, but eventually replaced it with the joy of missing out.

Genetic testing is the norm for cancer patients with familial history. How did I let it slip through the crack?

Integrating a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis with the life you have takes time and effort.

Is it always one or the other? Can good news in one person’s cancer experience do good for the community?

Sometimes, hundreds of pages of cancer information still just doesn’t connect with the person who needs it.

I’ve had three colonoscopies within five years and am still colorectal cancer-free.

Research backs up my personal experience regarding aging and cancer.

The new year brings reflection on living fully with cancer.

After I was diagnosed with cancer, some people “ghosted” me, but my dog, Iris, never did.

Having cancer care denied or delayed is not a harmless situation when your life is on the line.

It isn’t enough to say that cancer clinical trials need more diversity and patient support; we must take action.

When people say. “It’s just $35 to see a specialist,” they miss the entire issue of cancer-related financial toxicity.

I wish “Pinktober” was more about saving the people who will die from breast cancer and less about pink ribbons and sexualizing the disease.

Extra years with my family meant missing out on a free trip granted to patients with cancer who have children under the age of 18 — and I’m OK with that.

I’m giving cancer’s “battle language” an update and focusing my survivorship plan on emotional wellbeing and honesty.