A Pep Talk from A Stage 4 Cancer Warrior
- Former America's Got Talent frontrunner Jane Marczewski, aka Nightbirde, is battling metastatic breast cancer and inspiring millions along the way with her commitment to positivity and faith.
- In a recent Instagram update, she shared the “pep talk” she gave to herself which showed, yet again, her unceasing positivity amid her cancer battle.
- Metastatic breast cancer also called "stage four" breast cancer means that the cancer has spread, or metastasized, beyond the breasts to other parts of the body. It most commonly spreads to the bones, liver and lungs, but it may also spread to the brain or other organs.
The metastatic breast cancer warrior often updates fans on the status of her health and never fails to inspire with her unwavering positivity. Most recently, she gave her followers a look at the type of inner dialogue that keeps her going.
Read MoreAnd she won’t let people forget she’s “#stillgotdreams.” But how, you might wonder, does she manage to stay so positive during her ongoing health battle? Well, one way is through her own “pep talk[s].”
In a recent Instagram post, she shared a picture of herself looking happy as a clam in her comfy pajamas. In the caption, was ” a pep talk from me, to me.”
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“A little skinny, but other than that you're looking pretty alive today,” she wrote under a picture of her smiling into a mirror. “Look at your amazing fashion sensethe world needs to see your A++ pajama choice. You are killing it, Jane, out here putting up a fight LIKE I HAVE NEVER SEEN. ðŸ‘🼠Scrappy ðŸ‘🼠as ðŸ‘🼠hell ðŸ‘ðŸ¼. Keep at it girlfriend!! Winnin and grinnin!!”
In another recent Instagram post, she shared “an old photo from [her] happy place” and asked fans what they were “rebelliously hoping for.”
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“I'll be back on a mic one day soon, and hopefully all of you will be in the room with me,” she wrote under a photo of her singing. “We're on the way.”
Understanding Metastatic Breast Cancer
Nightbirde has proven that a stage four cancer diagnosis does not require that you stop living. Metastatic breast cancer also called "stage four" breast cancer means that the cancer has spread, or metastasized, beyond the breasts to other parts of the body. It most commonly spreads to the bones, liver and lungs, but it may also spread to the brain or other organs.
When Breast Cancer Spreads to the Bones
And while there is technically no cure for metastatic breast cancer, there is a wide variety of treatment options used to battle the disease including hormone therapy, chemotherapy, targeted drugs, immunotherapy and a combination of various treatments.
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Elizabeth Comen, an oncologist with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, explained how she tries to manage breast cancer when it has progressed to a later stage.
"With advanced disease, the goal of treatment is to keep you as stable as possible, slow the tumor growth and improve your quality of life," she said.
The American Cancer Society reports that there were more than 3.8 million U.S. women with a history of breast cancer alive at the start of 2019. Some of the women were cancer-free, and others still had evidence of the disease, but they also reported that more than 150,000 breast cancer survivors were living with metastatic disease, three-fourths of whom were originally diagnosed with stage I-III. And with ongoing advancements in treatments and options out there today that can dramatically reduce systems, there are many reasons to be hopeful.
Staying Positive Through Treatment
Nightbirde has inspired millions with her relentless positivity. But it's important to remember that it’s very normal to have negative feelings throughout your cancer journey and it's okay to express them too! Anger, shame, fear, anxiety they’re all to be expected. But doctors will tell you that people who find a way to work through these emotions and stay positive tend to have better outcomes.
"A positive attitude is really important," says Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. "I'm pretty good at telling what kind of patients are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life."
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