29 MAY. 2024 · After a fiasco in Escondido involving multiplying rodents and toxic air quality, Kristen’s on the move again.  The pulmonologist found ground glass lungs and an enlarged heart, then Dr. Ali found an enlarged lymph node between her liver and stomach and asked for a PET scan. With recurrence always lurking, we play the old, familiar waiting game. ==== Season 3 is coming soon and we need your help!  Tita Gray’s story is different, but the same. Listen for a preview of what’s to come in June 2024.  Support the https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/donate Subscribe to our https://breastcancerstories.substack.com/subscribe This podcast is about what happens when you have breast cancer, told in real time. Host and Executive Producer: Eva Sheie Co-Host: Kristen Vengler Editor and Audio Engineer: Daniel Croeser Theme Music: Them Highs and Lows, https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bird-of-figment/1434663902 Production Assistant: Mary Ellen Clarkson Cover Art Designer: Shawn Hiatt Assistant Producer: Hannah Burkhart Breast Cancer Stories is a production of https://www.theaxis.io/ PROUDLY MADE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

7 NOV. 2023 · About to turn 60, Natasha is in a dark place thinking of other things that can go wrong with her health if she’ll have to go it alone. Even though a routine MRI is clear, she obsesses about cancer spreading to other areas that aren’t being checked. Following her mother’s recent lung cancer diagnosis, Natasha worries more for her than she did for herself. Staying close to her, she plans to visit and help her navigate the impossible decisions that come with having cancer. https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/donate Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://breastcancerstories.substack.com/subscribe About Breast Cancer Stories Breast Cancer Stories follows Natasha Curry, a palliative care nurse practitioner at San Francisco General Hospital, through her experience of going from being a nurse to a patient after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Natasha was in Malawi on a Doctors Without Borders mission in 2021 when her husband of 25 years announced in a text message that he was leaving. She returned home, fell into bed for a few weeks, and eventually pulled herself together and went back to work. A few months later when she discovered an almond-sized lump in her armpit, she did everything she tells her patients not to do and dismissed it, or wrote it off as a “fat lump." Months went by before Natasha finally got a mammogram, but radiology saw nothing in either breast. It was the armpit lump that caught their attention. Next step was an ultrasound, where the lump was clearly visible. One painful biopsy later, Natasha found out she had cancer; in one life-changing moment, the nurse became the patient. This podcast is about what happens when you have breast cancer, told in real time. Host and Executive Producer: Eva Sheie Co-Host: Kristen Vengler Editor and Audio Engineer: Daniel Croeser Theme Music: Them Highs and Lows, https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bird-of-figment/1434663902 Production Assistant: Mary Ellen Clarkson Cover Art Designer: Shawn Hiatt Assistant Producer: Hannah Burkhart Breast Cancer Stories is a production ofhttps://www.theaxis.io/ PROUDLY MADE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

23 OCT. 2023 · 5 months after her DIEP flap reconstruction surgery, Alicia returns with an update. Although the original plan was to do a DIEP flap on both sides, it didn’t turn out that way and she still has an expander on the other side. Still unsure what to do next, Alicia is taking her time to decide. If she had known things would go the way they did, she believes she would’ve just stayed flat. Support the https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/donate Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://breastcancerstories.substack.com/subscribe About Breast Cancer Stories This podcast is about what happens when you have breast cancer, told in real time. Host and Executive Producer: Eva Sheie Co-Host: Kristen Vengler Editor and Audio Engineer: Daniel Croeser Theme Music: Them Highs and Lows, https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bird-of-figment/1434663902 Production Assistant: Mary Ellen Clarkson Cover Art Designer: Shawn Hiatt Assistant Producer: Hannah Burkhart Breast Cancer Stories is a production of https://www.theaxis.io/. PROUDLY MADE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

11 MAY. 2023 · With the BRCA mutation and a family history of breast cancer, the “clock” started ticking for Alicia with biannual screenings at age 30. She tried to keep up with the screening schedule, but had young children and decided to go to nursing school. Nine uneventful years went by until she was diagnosed with Stage 2 HER2 negative hormone positive breast cancer in March of 2021. Although her mastectomy was over two years ago, Alicia’s reconstruction had to wait because of the extreme damage done to her breast tissue by radiation. Her surgeon recommended the DIEP flap reconstruction, in which tissue and vasculature are taken from the stomach and reconnected into muscles under the breast. Days before Alicia’s DIEP flap reconstruction surgery and 5 night hospital stay, she has her fair share of fears, but is hopeful that the outcome will be better than what she’s going through now. About Breast Cancer Stories Breast Cancer Stories is about what happens when you have breast cancer, told in real time. Whether you’ve just been diagnosed with breast cancer or love someone who has, this podcast is here to help you through the shock of diagnosis and treatment. Host and Executive Producer: Eva Sheie Co-Host: Kristen Vengler Editor and Audio Engineer: Daniel Croeser Theme Music: Them Highs and Lows, Bird of Figment Production Assistant: Mary Ellen Clarkson Cover Art Designer: Shawn Hiatt Assistant Producer: Hannah Burkhart Breast Cancer Stories is a production of The Axis. PROUDLY MADE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

2 MAY. 2023 · Natasha’s port is out and is huge, resembling a miniature computer mouse. She still believes getting a port was the best decision she’s ever made and now that it’s gone, she can wear her old clothes again. While she enjoys living alone and is back at work five days a week, advice from her oncologist has her rethinking her relationship with alcohol. Fatigue sometimes holds her back, but she still makes the most of life knowing she’s not getting any younger and recurrence will happen someday. On a whim, she decides to take a trip to Saudi Arabia. Support the Breast Cancer Stories podcast https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/donate Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://breastcancerstories.substack.com/subscribe About Breast Cancer Stories Breast Cancer Stories follows Natasha Curry, a palliative care nurse practitioner at San Francisco General Hospital, through her experience of going from being a nurse to a patient after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Natasha was in Malawi on a Doctors Without Borders mission in 2021 when her husband of 25 years announced in a text message that he was leaving. She returned home, fell into bed for a few weeks, and eventually pulled herself together and went back to work. A few months later when she discovered an almond-sized lump in her armpit, she did everything she tells her patients not to do and dismissed it, or wrote it off as a “fat lump." Months went by before Natasha finally got a mammogram, but radiology saw nothing in either breast. It was the armpit lump that caught their attention. Next step was an ultrasound, where the lump was clearly visible. One painful biopsy later, Natasha found out she had cancer; in one life-changing moment, the nurse became the patient. This podcast is about what happens when you have breast cancer, told in real time. Host and Executive Producer: Eva Sheie Co-Host: Kristen Vengler Editor and Audio Engineer: Daniel Croeser Theme Music: Them Highs and Lows, Bird of Figment Production Assistant: Mary Ellen Clarkson Cover Art Designer: Shawn Hiatt Assistant Producer: Hannah Burkhart Breast Cancer Stories is a production of The Axis. PROUDLY MADE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

14 ABR. 2023 · In this episode of Cancer U Thrivers, hear Kristen’s interview with author, speaker, entrepreneur, and patient advocate Andrea Wilson Woods on her podcast Cancer U Thrivers. Kristen walks Andrea and her audience through her experience with stage 3 breast cancer, from finding her tumor in the shower, to chemo, her mastectomy and reconstruction, to radiation and beyond. Listen to more episodes of Cancer U Thrivers https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cancer-u-thrivers Support the Breast Cancer Stories podcast https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/donate Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://breastcancerstories.substack.com/subscribe About Breast Cancer Stories Breast Cancer Stories follows Natasha Curry, a palliative care nurse practitioner at San Francisco General Hospital, through her experience of going from being a nurse to a patient after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Natasha was in Malawi on a Doctors Without Borders mission in 2021 when her husband of 25 years announced in a text message that he was leaving. She returned home, fell into bed for a few weeks, and eventually pulled herself together and went back to work. A few months later when she discovered an almond-sized lump in her armpit, she did everything she tells her patients not to do and dismissed it, or wrote it off as a “fat lump." Months went by before Natasha finally got a mammogram, but radiology saw nothing in either breast. It was the armpit lump that caught their attention. Next step was an ultrasound, where the lump was clearly visible. One painful biopsy later, Natasha found out she had cancer; in one life-changing moment, the nurse became the patient. This podcast is about what happens when you have breast cancer, told in real time. Host and Executive Producer: Eva Sheie Co-Host: Kristen Vengler Editor and Audio Engineer: Daniel Croeser Theme Music: Them Highs and Lows, Bird of Figment Production Assistant: Mary Ellen Clarkson Cover Art Designer: Shawn Hiatt Assistant Producer: Hannah Burkhart Breast Cancer Stories is a production of The Axis. PROUDLY MADE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

9 FEB. 2023 · After a hard fall, Kristen breaks several ribs and at a scan to check for a ruptured implant, the radiologist sees a Skittle-sized spot near her breast implant just in time for the two year anniversary of her diagnosis. On the heels of a brand new set of post-treatment horrors and indignities, Kristen returns to share the good, the bad, and the ugly, including why she moved *again* and how she ended up willingly living with roommates at the age of 58. Support the Breast Cancer Stories podcast: https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/p/donate/ Subscribe to our newsletter here: https://breastcancerstories.substack.com/subscribe This podcast is about what happens when you have breast cancer, told in real time. Host and Executive Producer: Eva Sheie Co-Host: Kristen Vengler Editor and Audio Engineer: Daniel Croeser Theme Music: Them Highs and Lows,https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bird-of-figment/1434663902 Story Editor: Mary Ellen Clarkson Assistant Producer: Hannah Burkhart Cover Art Designer: Shawn Hiatt Breast Cancer Stories is a production of https://www.theaxis.io/ PROUDLY MADE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

26 ENE. 2023 · Natasha adjusts to post-treatment daily life, continuing with hormone blockers and finally seeing a mental health professional. While working with less fortunate patients who don't have mittens or cold caps, Natasha looks back with gratitude on how privileged her treatment experience was. At work, she finds herself pushing patients much harder to advocate for themselves around symptom management and advises them not to accept puking and feeling like crap the whole time. Cold weather leads to cold feet which leads to worrying about the onset of neuropathy. She experiences a constellation of odd side effects including tingling, arrhythmia, jacked up taste buds, hot flashes that may or may not mean anything and wonders about the cause. Is it from the hormone blockers? Menopause? Aftereffects of chemo? In this final episode of Season 2, she finally gets in to see a therapist and wishes it had been possible from the beginning. Going back and listening to episodes of the podcast reminds her how far she's come and although she’ll always be terrified, it has opened her heart in a way she’s thankful for and there is a way it’s made her softer. Thank you to all who have listened to Natasha’s story. We hope her real-time story has helped you and welcome your notes, thoughts, and feedback. We’ll be back soon with some special episodes, including a long awaited Kristen update and some incredible special guests. To stay in touch with what we’re doing, the newsletter is the best place to get real time updates. Subscribe at https://breastcancerstories.substack.com/subscribe If you have just been diagnosed, and are interested in telling your story from beginning to end on our podcast, send us a note on our website at breastcancerstoriespodcast.com Your support is crucial to continuing our mission, which is simply to help those with breast cancer and the people who love them through the shock of diagnosis and treatment. Support the Breast Cancer Stories podcast: https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/p/donate/ or become a premium subscriber of our newsletter at https://breastcancerstories.substack.com/subscribe **About Breast Cancer Stories** Breast Cancer Stories follows Natasha Curry, a palliative care nurse practitioner at San Francisco General Hospital, through her experience of going from being a nurse to a patient after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Natasha was in Malawi on a Doctors Without Borders mission in 2021 when her husband of 25 years announced in a text message that he was leaving. She returned home, fell into bed for a few weeks, and eventually pulled herself together and went back to work. A few months later when she discovered an almond-sized lump in her armpit, she did everything she tells her patients not to do and dismissed it, or wrote it off as a “fat lump." Months went by before Natasha finally got a mammogram, but radiology saw nothing in either breast. It was the armpit lump that caught their attention. Next step was an ultrasound, where the lump was clearly visible. One painful biopsy later, Natasha found out she had cancer; in one life-changing moment, the nurse became the patient. This podcast is about what happens when you have breast cancer, told in real time. Host and Executive Producer: Eva Sheie Co-Host: Kristen Vengler Editor and Audio Engineer: Daniel Croeser Theme Music: Them Highs and Lows,https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bird-of-figment/1434663902 Story Editor: Mary Ellen Clarkson Assistant Producer: Hannah Burkhart Cover Art Designer: Shawn Hiatt Breast Cancer Stories is a production of https://www.theaxis.io/ PROUDLY MADE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

5 ENE. 2023 · After a scan shows a 1.2 cm nodule on her thyroid, Natasha goes for a biopsy which comes back with complicated results. Not wanting any more surgery or radiation right now means there’s a difficult decision to make. Three and a half weeks of radiation end without any terrible burns or skin issues, but celebrating feels phony because it’s never really over. Transitioning back into work is feeling good, and she finds the experience of having gone through cancer is immediately useful to her patients and fellow nurses. If you have just been diagnosed, and are interested in telling your story from beginning to end on our podcast, send us a note on our website at breastcancerstoriespodcast.com Your support is crucial to continuing our mission, which is simply to help those with breast cancer and the people who love them through the shock of diagnosis and treatment. Support the Breast Cancer Stories podcast: https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/p/donate/ or become a premium subscriber of our newsletter at https://breastcancerstories.substack.com/subscribe **About Breast Cancer Stories** Breast Cancer Stories follows Natasha Curry, a palliative care nurse practitioner at San Francisco General Hospital, through her experience of going from being a nurse to a patient after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Natasha was in Malawi on a Doctors Without Borders mission in 2021 when her husband of 25 years announced in a text message that he was leaving. She returned home, fell into bed for a few weeks, and eventually pulled herself together and went back to work. A few months later when she discovered an almond-sized lump in her armpit, she did everything she tells her patients not to do and dismissed it, or wrote it off as a “fat lump." Months went by before Natasha finally got a mammogram, but radiology saw nothing in either breast. It was the armpit lump that caught their attention. Next step was an ultrasound, where the lump was clearly visible. One painful biopsy later, Natasha found out she had cancer; in one life-changing moment, the nurse became the patient. This podcast is about what happens when you have breast cancer, told in real time. Host and Executive Producer: Eva Sheie Co-Host: Kristen Vengler Editor and Audio Engineer: Daniel Croeser Theme Music: Them Highs and Lows,https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bird-of-figment/1434663902 Story Editor: Mary Ellen Clarkson Assistant Producer: Hannah Burkhart Cover Art Designer: Shawn Hiatt Breast Cancer Stories is a production of https://www.theaxis.io/ PROUDLY MADE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

15 DIC. 2022 · The radiation oncologist sends Natasha to a psycho-oncologist (did you know that was a thing?) because her antidepressants aren’t working, making self-care too hard. This forces her to confront the mental health struggles caused by the abrupt end of her time in Malawi, the surprise end of her 25-year marriage, and a cancer diagnosis all happening at the same time. Missing her old pre-cancer life, but not necessarily the marriage, she is engulfed in sadness and nostalgia but chooses to still show up. == A special thank you to Doctors Without Borders for listening to the show and sending good thoughts to Natasha! If you have just been diagnosed, and are interested in telling your story from beginning to end on our podcast, send us a note on our website at breastcancerstoriespodcast.com Your support is crucial to continuing our mission, which is simply to help those with breast cancer and the people who love them through the shock of diagnosis and treatment. Support the Breast Cancer Stories podcast: https://www.breastcancerstoriespodcast.com/p/donate/ or become a premium subscriber of our newsletter at https://breastcancerstories.substack.com/subscribe **About Breast Cancer Stories** Breast Cancer Stories follows Natasha Curry, a palliative care nurse practitioner at San Francisco General Hospital, through her experience of going from being a nurse to a patient after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Natasha was in Malawi on a Doctors Without Borders mission in 2021 when her husband of 25 years announced in a text message that he was leaving. She returned home, fell into bed for a few weeks, and eventually pulled herself together and went back to work. A few months later when she discovered an almond-sized lump in her armpit, she did everything she tells her patients not to do and dismissed it, or wrote it off as a “fat lump." Months went by before Natasha finally got a mammogram, but radiology saw nothing in either breast. It was the armpit lump that caught their attention. Next step was an ultrasound, where the lump was clearly visible. One painful biopsy later, Natasha found out she had cancer; in one life-changing moment, the nurse became the patient. This podcast is about what happens when you have breast cancer, told in real time. Host and Executive Producer: Eva Sheie Co-Host: Kristen Vengler Editor and Audio Engineer: Daniel Croeser Theme Music: Them Highs and Lows,https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bird-of-figment/1434663902 Story Editor: Mary Ellen Clarkson Assistant Producer: Hannah Burkhart Cover Art Designer: Shawn Hiatt Breast Cancer Stories is a production of https://www.theaxis.io/ PROUDLY MADE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS