October 13th was a day full of emotion, advocacy, surprises, and a whole lot of metastatic breast cancer awareness.

In this episode of Her Cancer Our Story, we recap an incredibly eventful MBC Awareness Day, starting with an unexpected surprise when Kaela’s friends showed up to support her at an early morning Hive session. It was a meaningful reminder that even in the middle of everything, she doesn’t have to do this alone.

From there, Kaela headed straight into a PET/CT scan, bringing all the emotions that come with scan day, especially after the medication roller coaster of the summer. The results? Overall, very positive, giving us another reason to breathe a little easier and feel grateful for where things stand.

We also stopped by a local city council meeting, where the mayor officially proclaimed October 13th, 2026, as Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day. Kaela had the opportunity to speak with the council afterward, and we’re sharing that conversation as part of this episode.

Finally, we get to the main event: LightUpMBC’s live event, where Kaela was honored to be selected as one of the speakers. But as we reflect on the day, the conversation takes a deeper turn. The feelings that have been building beneath the surface come pouring out as Kaela opens up about the heaviness of living in the world of metastatic breast cancer advocacy.

During one particularly difficult moment, Kaela shares how the diagnosing oncologist explained that patients with MBC live an average of 5–15 years. It’s a reality that is incredibly difficult to hear, let alone carry with you as you navigate life with this diagnosis. In that moment, I remind her of what I whispered to her when we first heard those words: “You’re Not Average.”

Those three words have stayed with us, and they mean so much more than a response to a statistic. They’re a reminder that Kaela is a person, not a number. That averages cannot predict an individual’s story. And that even while we acknowledge the realities of metastatic breast cancer, we refuse to let a statistic define the boundaries of our hope.

Because advocacy is meaningful. It’s necessary. It’s a way to fight for a community that deserves so much more. But it’s also heavy. When MBC is your reality, raising awareness isn’t something you can simply turn off when the event ends.

This episode is a look at a day filled with reasons to celebrate, moments of hope, and the complicated emotions that come with carrying this work so close to your heart. Because even on the days when we’re making a difference, that doesn’t mean the weight of it all disappears.

Video recording can be found on YouTube here

Please watch LightUpMBC's live event recording here