If this episode resonated with you, we’d love for you to share it. Advocacy starts with awareness, and every share helps bring more attention to the realities of stage IV breast cancer. But beyond that, this space is for anyone navigating breast cancer, other cancers, or any life-changing health diagnosis - you’re not alone in this, and your story matters. And if this is a journey you’re on too, your voice matters.

At Kaela’s latest oncology appointment, her doctor confirmed something we’ve been hoping for — she can already feel the tumors shrinking and was genuinely proud of Kaela’s progress this early in treatment. It’s a moment that gave us a lot of hope, and we’re holding onto and celebrating that!

After a few heavier episodes, we decided to switch things up.

Kaela takes over hosting duties and puts Mike in the hot seat with a “get to know me” game show — asking questions about herself to see how well he really knows her. There were supposed to be points… but let’s just say it quickly turned into one of those situations where everything’s made up and the points don’t matter.

This episode is a mix of relief, laughter, and a reminder that even in the middle of something hard, there’s still room for light moments.

It’s something Kaela has said in previous episodes, and in this conversation we spend time unpacking what that really means.

We talk about the ways cancer has changed her—how her perspective, priorities, and outlook on life have shifted since the diagnosis. But we also explore something just as important: the parts of her that haven’t changed. The core values, the personality, and the person she still is deep down.

Cancer may alter parts of life, but it doesn’t erase who someone truly is.

We wrap the episode as Mike shares an honest admission about how difficult this journey has been for him lately. We talk openly about the grief of missing the life we had before cancer and the reality of learning to live with a future that looks very different than we once imagined.

This episode is a vulnerable conversation about identity, change, and the complicated emotions that come with navigating life after a diagnosis.

In this episode, we talk about Kaela’s family history and the genetic testing she underwent after her diagnosis. What started as a medical step quickly became a deeper conversation about what family history can reveal—and why understanding it matters.

We discuss how genetics can influence cancer risk, what we learned through testing, and why knowing your family’s medical history can empower you to advocate for earlier screenings and better care.

Knowledge can’t change the past, and sometimes can feel scary, but it can shape the future. If this episode encourages even one person to ask more questions about their family history or talk to their doctor about screening, it’s a conversation worth having.

Then we turn to one of the most difficult parts of this journey: parenting two young boys through a stage 4 metastatic breast cancer diagnosis.

We talk about the immediate fear that hits as parents — the quiet panic about how this will shape our kids’ world. We share how our mindset shifted after hearing “stage 4,” the weight of deciding when and how to tell our 8-year-old, and the conversations we struggled through behind closed doors.

We discuss how we hope to involve our boys more as we move forward — not just protecting them, but gently bringing them into the journey in ways that build empathy, resilience, and hopefully one day a passion for causes bigger than themselves.

This episode carries some raw emotion as we face the fear of the worst-case scenario — and admit that we are still very much figuring this out in real time.

We close by sharing our vision for Her Cancer Our Story and our hope to bring future guests on the show — thrivers, survivors, caregivers, and anyone navigating life-altering challenges — because none of us are meant to walk this road alone.

We also share about a weekend away with friends that reminded us that cancer may be part of our story, but it is not the whole story. As Kaela says in this episode, “I’m much more than just the lady with cancer.” Stepping away for a few days helped us breathe, laugh, and remember who we are outside of appointments and scan results.

We close with a conversation about the “rings of support” — how to show up for people in crisis without adding weight to what they’re already carrying, and what healthy support has looked like for our family in this season.

Because sometimes surviving isn’t just about treatment — it’s about connection, identity, and holding onto the parts of yourself that cancer doesn’t get to take.

After weeks of scans, appointments, and uncertainty, we received the diagnosis: stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. In this conversation, we take you into that room with us—the moment we heard the words, the questions that followed, and the weight that settled in.

We share what the following weeks have really looked like: the fear, the tears, the unexpected peace, the support from loved ones, and the strength we’re discovering we didn’t know we had. We also talk about the immediate treatment plan and what the next chapter of this fight will involve.

Our hope is that by sharing this openly, others facing metastatic breast cancer—or any life-altering diagnosis—might feel seen and supported. We’re at the beginning of a road we didn’t choose, but we’re walking it together.

After receiving a confirmed breast cancer diagnosis, the rollercoaster doesn’t slow down — it speeds up. In this episode, we talk about the flood of emotions that follow, the endless appointments and scans, and the mental exhaustion that comes with all the unknowns. We also get real about the added stress of insurance frustrations and trying to advocate for yourself in a system that doesn’t always make it easy.

We end this episode in a place many know too well — waiting. In just a few days, we’ll receive the PET/CT scan results. Until then, we’re sitting with the uncertainty and taking you along for the journey.

In this episode, we rewind to the very beginning of our cancer journey - before diagnoses, before treatment, before the word metastatic entered our lives. We talk through the moment Kaela found the lump, the early appointments we hoped would be "nothing", the scans that raised more questions and fear than answers.

This is a conversation about uncertainty, fear, hope, and the quiet moments in between - when life keeps moving forward even as we felt like time stopped. We share what it was like to sit in limbo as a married couple and parents, trying to protect our kids while bracing ourselves for news that might change everything.

This is where our story starts.

Take a few minutes to get to know one of Our Story's fiercest supporters and learn how a cancer diagnosis may impact those beyond our immediate support rings.

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