Breast Cancer Stories

Recurrence: Natasha’s Nonstop Obsession

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....

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Nov. 7, 2023

Recurrence: Natasha’s Nonstop Obsession

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 …

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Oct. 23, 2023

Alicia’s DIEP Flap Reconstruction [Part 2 - After Surgery]

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 …

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May 11, 2023

Alicia’s DIEP Flap Reconstruction [Part 1]

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 …

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May 2, 2023

Natasha Update: Out, Dang Port!

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 …

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April 14, 2023

Defeating Stage 3 Breast Cancer: Kristen Vengler’s Courageous Battle …

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...

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Feb. 9, 2023

Kristen Update: The Last of the Post-Treatment Horrors and Indignitie…

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 …

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Recent Blog Posts

Our 2022 holiday gift guide is here! 🎁

What’s happening  🗞️ 🍈🍈 The holidays are in full swing, and it’s beyond challenging to find the perfect gift for someone with breast cancer. We have Kristen’s list of favorite things in this newsletter to give you (or t…

Yay, it's October?

I’m still fangirling about Dana Donofree, founder and CEO of AnaOno Intimates being on the podcast. And the episode with her is out now! We talk about our favorite items that helped get us through surgery. Don’t worry, we’ve listed…

How Cancer Has Changed My View On Life ... And Death

When you hear the word cancer, it immediately evokes a feeling of impending doom. Most of us have grieved the loss of a friend or family member dying of cancer or the effects of it. I watched my mother beat ovarian cancer after 2 years only to die 8…

About the Hosts

Kristen VenglerProfile Photo

Kristen Vengler

Host of Breast Cancer Stories, Former Teacher

In 2020, Kristen, an empty nester in her late 50s, moved from Austin to San Diego to start her life over after a life-shattering workplace trauma. A few months later she had that terrifying moment in the shower we all hope we never have. If you’ve just been diagnosed with breast cancer and have no idea where to turn, this podcast is here to help you through the shock of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Kristen had no breast cancer symptoms. The routine mammogram she had a few months earlier, which is the standard breast cancer screening, was completely clear. She found her tumor only because it had reached the surface of her skin. And in that moment, her entire world changed. One of the most detectable breast cancer signs is a lump in the breast or underarm, and Kristen found hers in the shower.

In Breast Cancer Stories, Kristen brings her full authentic self to every episode to reveal the things we never hear about having breast cancer.

Eva SheieProfile Photo

Eva Sheie

Founder & Podcast Producer at The Axis

Eva Sheie is a startup veteran, content strategist, podcast producer, and professional musician. She is the founder of The Axis, a podcast production agency devoted to meeting the needs of women confronting life-changing medical decisions.

With background as a public radio producer and classically trained musician, and two decades of healthcare marketing experience devoted to helping people find, evaluate, and choose good doctors, Eva's clients find her approach to marketing through podcasting a much needed counterbalance to the relentless demands of social media.

Previously as the Director of Practice Development at RealSelf, she built and scaled the RealSelf University customer education program, and hosted the RealSelf University Podcast. Today she is the host of Meet the Doctor, co-host of Breast Cancer Stories & Before and After Stories, and the executive producer of numerous titles on behalf of clients.

Away from the computer, Eva’s attention is reserved exclusively for seeing the world through the eyes of her two little girls and an occasional viola gig in or around Austin.

Natasha CurryProfile Photo

Natasha Curry

Host of Breast Cancer Stories & Nurse Practitioner

Natasha Curry is a palliative care nurse practitioner at San Francisco General Hospital. The second season of Breast Cancer Stories follows her throughout her experience of being a nurse and becoming a patient herself after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Natasha was working to overcome a massively traumatic event at the time of her diagnosis. She 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 with the help of her friends she pulled herself together and went back to work.

Natasha discovered her tumor in the shower, but she did everything she tells her patients not to do and dismissed it. 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 just five months after that heart-sinking breakup text, which led her to ask herself, “what’s next?”