The resource I wish existed when I was diagnosed: a weekly mix of firsthand experience, practical advice, interviews, and essays about navigating breast cancer with clarity and honesty.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer one month after turning 40. When I first found the lump, I jokingly called it “my cancer boob,” without actually believing it was cancer. I had no family history of breast cancer, I’d breastfed both my kids, I ate well, I exercised. Cancer wasn’t supposed to happen to me.
And yet there I was, sitting across from a surgeon telling me I had Stage 3 breast cancer and that we needed to operate as soon as the following week.
In the days that followed, I joined every breast cancer Facebook group I could find. I scoured Reddit threads. I googled prognosis charts and mastectomy recovery tips at 2 a.m. But the truth is: I didn’t even know what questions to ask. So much of my diagnosis simply unfolded as I went. I only found out after surgery, for example, that I’d need four rounds of a brutal chemo nicknamed the “Red Devil.”
I was desperate for first-person stories—real, unfiltered, practical—and I wasn’t finding them. Eventually I downloaded TikTok and found a woman with thyroid cancer (not even breast cancer) vlogging her chemo journey. I watched every video of what she ate, what she packed for the hospital, how she exercised. I craved that level of detail. I needed someone to show me what treatment actually looked like.
This Substack is the resource I wish existed the day I was diagnosed.
It’s for you if you’re just starting your treatment journey and don’t know WTF to expect.
It’s for you if you’re already deep into treatment and dealing with all the side effects.
And it’s for you if you’re done with the active treatment, and now you’re on the lifelong path of prevention, of scans every few months, reconstruction, and the very real fear of reoccurrence.
If any of that sounds like you, you’re in the right place.
What You’ll Get Here
Every week, I share the real, behind-the-scenes version of navigating breast cancer and medical menopause, the stuff no one prepares you for, the things I had to learn the hard way, and the tiny decisions that make the whole experience a little more bearable.
Expect posts like:
What you actually need for chemo (products, snacks, comfort items)
My workout routine during treatment and how I adjusted it around fatigue
What I ate to support chemo (simple, doable, science-backed meals)
How I approached chemo hair loss
What to bring to the hospital for a mastectomy
Conversations with breast cancer experts (oncologists, surgeons, nutritionists)
How we told our kids I had breast cancer
What I wish I knew before starting doxorubicin (aka “Red Devil”)
Living in medical menopause at 42
The exact supplements and medications I take now to lower recurrence risk
Why I chose to remove my ovaries and fallopian tubes
Stories and interviews with women who’ve walked this path (the real stuff you won’t hear in a doctor’s office)
Everything I publish answers one question:
What will someone gain from reading this?
My goal is to help you feel less alone, more prepared, and a little more in control of something that feels uncontrollable.
A Little About Me
I’m Alison, a former journalist and now head of content for a Seattle startup, a South Africa/American living in France, mom of two, and a woman who went through a year of chemo, a mastectomy, radiation, and now the ongoing world of aromatase inhibitors, medical menopause, and preventive surgery.
I’m not a doctor. I’m not a guru. I’m not promising a miracle protocol.
I’m just someone who has actually lived this and is willing to talk about it honestly.
Who This Space Is For
Women who:
Are in treatment, newly diagnosed, or recovering
Want honesty without fear-mongering
Want practical advice from someone who’s lived it
Want to feel less alone
Want a soft landing place on a very hard path
And for the women supporting women, the friends, daughters, sisters, partners, you’re welcome here too.
Free vs. Paid (So You Know Exactly What You Get)
Free subscribers get:
Weekly posts about treatment, recovery, and real life in between
Practical checklists, tips, and emotional survival tools
Honest stories that help you feel seen
Paid subscribers get:
Deeper, more vulnerable essays I don’t publish publicly
Step-by-step guides (like “My exact chemo survival kit”)
Private Q&A threads and community discussions
Early access to new resources and templates
If money is tight because of treatment, stay on the free tier, truly. This space is meant to support you, not add another burden.
Join Us
More and more women find this space every week.
If you want practical guidance, messy honesty, and a companion for the long road of cancer, subscribe below. I’d love to have you.
Thanks for being here.
— Alison
Ready to feel less alone? You’re in the right place.
