Love the episode? Send us a text!

When Breast Cancer Changes Everything — What Do You Build Next?

What happens when a breast cancer diagnosis strips away your identity — and forces you to rebuild from the inside out?

In this deeply personal and powerful episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, Laura Carfang sits down with Christine Handy and Christine Anastos — two breast cancer survivors who turned trauma into transformation.

Christine Handy, former international model and author of Walk Beside Me, opens up about:

• Undergoing multiple mastectomy surgeries
• Breast implant illness
• Returning to the runway as a “breastless model”
• Turning her book into the award-winning film Hello Beautiful
• Reclaiming worth beyond appearance

Christine Anastos (christine@connect-and-thrive.com), environmental engineer and founder of Connect & Thrive (CAT) shares:

• Being diagnosed with DCIS while caregiving for her mother
• Cancer’s financial toxicity and hidden barriers
• Why 90% of breast cancer cases may be environmentally influenced
• Launching a public benefit corporation to bridge gaps in survivorship care

Together, these women explore:

• Identity after a cancer diagnosis
• Faith and post-traumatic growth
• The myth of “doing it alone”
• Why collaboration is more powerful than competition
• What it really means to be a “cancer disruptor”

Welcome to the conversation.

Support the show

Latest News:

• Become a Breast Cancer Conversations+ Member! Sign Up Now.
• Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday!
• Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources!
• Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work.

Love the episode? Send us a text!

In this powerful episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, Laura Carfang speaks with Kathy Giusti, a two-time cancer survivor who has lived with multiple myeloma for 30 years and later faced a breast cancer diagnosis as well.

Diagnosed at 37 after what she thought was a routine visit, Kathy was told she had a fatal blood cancer and would live “three years at best.” Instead of accepting that prognosis, she helped change the trajectory of cancer research by founding the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)—a model that brought scientists, clinicians, biotech, and the FDA together to accelerate treatments.

This conversation explores survivorship, advocacy, and what patients and caregivers can do when the science is moving fast—but the system isn’t.

In This Episode, We Discuss

• Getting a shocking diagnosis after a “routine” appointment
• Why multiple myeloma was once considered a “silent killer”
• How Kathy helped build a research engine that accelerated drug development
• The difference between fast-moving science and slow-moving systems
• How Kathy’s identical twin impacted her breast cancer risk and screening
• DCIS decisions and why “there’s no right or wrong—only what’s best for you”
• Why “looking healthy” can cause people to underestimate what you’re carrying
• How to set boundaries when you’re in treatment or survivorship
• Why you shouldn’t rely on only one or two caregivers—and how to “invite people in”
• Kathy’s book: Fatal to Fearless: 12 Steps to Beating Cancer in a Broken Medical System

Resources & Links

• Follow Kathy: @kathy.giusti
• Book: Fatal to Fearless: 12 Steps to Beating Cancer in a Broken Medical System
• SurvivingBreastCancer.org: Free programs, support groups, and community
• Download the SBC App: Search SurvivingBreastCancer.org in the App Store or Google Play

Support the show

Latest News:

• Become a Breast Cancer Conversations+ Member! Sign Up Now.
• Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday!
• Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources!
• Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work.

Love the episode? Send us a text!

What if part of what makes cancer so hard isn’t just the diagnosis—but the spaces where care happens?

In this eye-opening episode of Breast Cancer Conversations, host Laura Carfang explores how hospital design, architecture, and the built environment directly shape the cancer experience, often in ways patients never realize—but deeply feel.

Laura is joined by Abbie Clary, Executive Director of Market Strategies and Growth for Health for All, and a nationally recognized leader in healthcare architecture and experience design. With millions of square feet of cancer and healthcare facilities in her portfolio—including projects at Memorial Sloan Kettering, MD Anderson, and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab—Abbie pulls back the curtain on how hospitals are designed, who they’re designed for, and why women are so often treated as the “outlier.”

Together, they discuss trauma-informed design, survivorship-centered care, caregiver inclusion, gender bias in medical spaces, and why healing doesn’t only happen through medicine—it happens through dignity, control, and environment.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• Why hospitals and medical spaces are often designed for a “default male”
• How architecture impacts anxiety, trauma, and healing for cancer patients
• What trauma-informed design actually looks like in practice
• Why cancer patients experience healthcare differently than other patients
• The importance of designing for repeat visits, not one-time care
• How caregivers and loved ones should be treated as part of the care team
• Why dignity, control, and privacy matter as much as efficiency
• Gender bias in medical design—from gowns to equipment to workflows
• Why women’s pain and discomfort are often minimized in healthcare
• Designing cancer centers for survivorship, not just treatment

About Today's Guest

Abbie Clary, FAIA, FACHA, is the Executive Director of Market Strategies and Growth — Health for All. Her work spans some of the most ambitious healthcare projects in the world, including Memorial Sloan Kettering’s new Cancer Care Pavilion, MD Anderson Cancer Center’s 2030 facilities master plan, and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago.

A nationally sought-after speaker and TEDx presenter, Abbie’s work focuses on transforming healthcare through strategic, human-centered design—bridging architecture, culture change, patient experience, and health equity. Her mission is simple but radical: design healthcare spaces that actually support healing, dignity, and belonging.

Support the show

Latest News:

• Become a Breast Cancer Conversations+ Member! Sign Up Now.
• Join our Mailing List - New content drops every Monday!
• Discover FREE programs, support groups, and resources!
• Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our work.