Episode 83: When Cancer Affects the Ones We Love with Megan-Claire Chase
Nine years cancer-free, yet Megan-Claire Chase’s journey is far from over. Having once battled cancer alongside her mother, she now faces an even greater challenge—losing her. In this episode, Megan-Claire opens up about the emotional weight of grief, sharing the deeply personal experience of a daughter saying goodbye to her mother. Confronting one’s own mortality is difficult, but navigating the loss of loved ones—friends, family, and fellow survivors—brings an entirely different kind of heartbreak.
Key Highlights:
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Watching her mother’s cancer progress has brought waves of anticipatory grief. Yet through that pain, Megan has embraced the chance to learn more about her mother’s past, uncovering cherished childhood memories.
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To preserve these moments, Megan and her mother engage in a meaningful bonding ritual—using question cards and recording their conversations. One of the most touching revelations? Her mother’s reflection on a life well-lived, proving that true fulfillment comes from leaving this world with a sense of joy.
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Facing mortality shifts perspective—sparking the need for self-confidence, the determination to live authentically, and the inevitable feelings of loneliness that come with loss.
About our guest:
Check out the first episode Megan-Claire Chase appeared in here.
Megan-Claire Chase, widely known as Warrior Megsie, is the Breast Cancer Program Director and host of the Our BC Life podcast at SHARE Cancer Support. A passionate advocate and invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) survivor based in Atlanta, GA, she champions the needs of breast cancer patients, particularly those from minoritized and AYA (adolescent and young adult) communities.
Beyond her role at SHARE, Megan contributes as a member of Bayer Oncology's Digital Patient Council, serves on the Oncology Data Advisor Editorial Board, and recently joined the Worth the Wait Charity advisory board. She is also an advisory board member and writer for Patient Power, helping to elevate the voices of breast cancer patients.
Her advocacy extends far and wide—speaking as a panelist on patient-centered oncologic care at the 2024 ASCO Quality Care Symposium, co-authoring a podcast and infographic on metastatic breast cancer genetic testing, and working with Pfizer on the Action Guide to Disrupt Inequitable Health Outcomes. Megan-Claire has shared her personal story through PBS’s Beyond Cancer series and has been featured in The New York Times, People Magazine, Cancer Health, Cancer Today, and CURE Magazine.
Outside of her cancer advocacy, Megan-Claire is a talented voiceover artist, a dedicated social justice activist, and a proud cat mom to Phoebe.
Looking for tools to guide your cancer journey? Check out My Cancer GPS™ from Manta Cares—a comprehensive step-by-step guide designed to help patients navigate their cancer experience with clarity and support.
Key Moments:
At 2 minutes 32 seconds "I get that excitement and relief of, wow, I’m still NED, that’s great, nine years, that’s a lot, that’s good… yet my mother’s cancer is progressing. That kind of anticipatory stress and grief—it made me feel some kind of way. I can’t be the only adult child whose parent has cancer, but it does feel like I’m the only one sometimes."
At 10 minutes 30 seconds "She won’t let me do video, but I recorded an hour’s worth of her stories. Now I have more of her story, in her voice. What stood out to me? She had a lot more joy than I thought she did."
At 20 minutes 30 seconds “Staring my mortality in the face, it made me realize up until that point, I had not really been living. I had simply been existing.”
At 31 minutes 57 seconds “The fear of isolation, the fear of loneliness, the fear of being abandoned, the fear of being the last one, feels more debilitating than the fear of death.”
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