A podcast about Metastatic Breast Cancer.
Could a cure for cancer be closer than you think? Welcome to "Live from Stage," where MBC takes center stage as we talk to experts, share inspiring stories, break down science and shine the spotlight on what matters most. Because when it comes down to it, this pod for us, by us, and it’s all about us.
Listen on –
Martha Carlson
Martha has spent most of her professional life focused on communication, as a writer, editor, and proofreader. Diagnosed with de novo metastatic breast cancer in December 2014 at 50 years old and with three pre-teen and teen children, she turned to writing to help process this sudden change to her present and future. Through those published pieces, she found the world of formal metastatic breast cancer advocacy. In 2017, she was part of Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s Hear My Voice class, returning in 2018 as an HMV mentor. Martha went through Project LEAD with the National Breast Cancer Coalition, has been a patient advocate mentor for GRASP, and has lobbied and reviewed LOIs for Metavivor, among other advocacy activities. She continues to write regularly for Cure magazine as a Voices contributor and has written for other publications and sites about her experience living with metastatic cancer. Among her most beloved invitations-to-write was a request from visual artist Valerie Roybal, for her work titled For-Get-Me-Not.
In addition to her work with the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance, Martha is a research partner in funded research and in patient-led research projects. The focus of her advocacy efforts continues to be on communicating with patients, care providers, pharmaceutical companies, and the public about why the patient experience matters and how we can work together to make lives better now and in the future.
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Ellen Landsberger, MD
Upon developing metastatic breast cancer 22 years after my primary lesion, I began to research how this delayed invasion of my spine could occur. I learned about dormancy and chose to turn my anger and fear into activism. I am a member of the Alliance because I believe in this organization’s mission to advance research to treat metastatic disease and to advance access to optimal care for all who are living with MBC.
As a physician, it’s not surprising that I’m getting more involved in research advocacy at my treatment institution, MSK. I’ve been a member of the Patient and Family Advisory Council for Quality and am the MSKCC Patient Advocate representative to the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium. I am a Team Leader with the National Breast Cancer Coalition which advocates for research and funding with the Department of Defense program.
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Jill Tirabassi, MD
Jill Tirabassi is a physician, researcher, and advocate who is living with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). She was diagnosed with BC during her second pregnancy at age 36. She now works part-time while raising her two young sons with her husband outside of Buffalo, NY. She champions the importance of patient perspectives informing research to ensure meaningful advancements and is dedicated to making scientific findings accessible to the broader community. She is an advocate with MBCAlliance and is currently creating research partnerships in the MBC space. She enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, gardening and is finally getting the hang of cooking.
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Lynda Weatherby
Lynda has been living with MBC since 2013 and is an experienced patient advocate living in Seattle. She co-founded and co-chaired the Northwest MBC Conference from 2016-2020, hosted by Amazon. She also serves on the Executive Group of the MBC Alliance, and has completed multiple advocate training programs through the MBC Alliance, Living Beyond Breast Cancer and Research Advocacy Network. Lynda also co-founded an MBC Patient Advisory Group to Komen National which has been active for 4 years. Lynda was first diagnosed in 2001 with Stage 0 DCIS and underwent bilateral mastectomy. In 2013, Lynda learned that that primary cancer had spread throughout her skeleton, to the brain, and to a particularly painful facial nerve. She has had two rounds of Gamma Knife, radiation to the spine, multiple systemic hormone therapies, and chemotherapy. She is passionate about making MBC *survivable* – especially in the young women and mothers and the brain mets patient populations. Working collaboratively, Lynda works across industry, non-profits and clinical organizations to elevate unmet needs in MBC wherever possible.
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Alexis Desai
Alexis Desai, a born-and-raised New Yorker and former educator, is a patient research advocate dedicated to reshaping the narrative for young women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and ensuring patient voices drive meaningful research and policy. Diagnosed with MBC at age 37, she is actively involved with METAvivor and is a recent graduate of NBCC’s Project LEAD. Alexis is passionate about advancing research that fosters meaningful patient–researcher collaboration and patient involvement at every stage. Outside of advocacy, Alexis is a die-hard Bills fan, proud dog mom, aunt, passport stamp collector, and enjoys Pilates and paddleboarding.
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Abigail Johnston, JD
Abigail lives in Orlando, Florida and has been an attorney since 2002.
In 2017, while tandem breastfeeding her children (then 1 and 3), Abigail was diagnosed with de novo Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer
(MBC) and soon thereafter discovered that she has a genetic mutation
that predisposed her to developing cancer at ATM. Since her diagnosis, Abigail has focused her efforts on patient advocacy and supporting those people in the MBC Community through her experience and
training, virtually and in person. Abigail has been asked to write and
speak about her experiences in a variety of settings and always welcomes the opportunity to educate others on how to truly live with cancer
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Judy Perkins
Judy Perkins was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in
2013. A retired engineer, she became involved with patient
advocacy at first to learn more about her own diagnosis and
attended conferences offered by the Metastatic Breast Cancer
Network and the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC).
In December, 2015, Ms. Perkins became the first breast cancer patient to be treated with immunotherapy using tumor infiltrating lymphocytes.
Since May of 2016, she has been cancer free.
After news of the clinical trial was published in Nature Medicine
in June, 2018, Ms. Perkins has been featured in a variety of news
reports worldwide.
Ms. Perkins has remained involved since 2013 as a breast cancer
advocate. She attended Project LEAD in 2015, and has served
multiple times as a consumer reviewer for the Department of
Defense Breast Cancer Research Program. She regularly assists
the NIH and NCI as a patient advocate to review large cancer
center grant proposals. She volunteers with the
Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation to support their Advocate
Scholarship Program. In November 2018, Judy joined the
National Cancer Institute Central Institutional Review Board,
which provides oversight for clinical trials, as a patient advocate.
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Victoria Goldberg
Victoria is a seasoned podcast producer who advocates passionately for science and research in breast cancer.
Living with HER2+/HR+ metastatic breast cancer since 2014 (initial diagnosis in 2004), she brings lived experience and clear-eyed optimism to her work. Previously an Executive Director of Securitized Products Technology at JP Morgan Chase, treatment side effects ended her finance career early and led her into patient advocacy.
In 2018 Victoria founded TalkMets, SHARE’s helpline for people with metastatic breast cancer, and in 2022 became Executive Producer of the Our MBC Life podcast.
A 2018 graduate of NBCC’s Project LEAD, Victoria works to represent the patient perspective alongside researchers and clinicians.
She lives in New York City and, while she never forgets her advanced disease, it’s no longer the centerpiece of her life.
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Melanie Sisk, BSN, RN
Melanie was employed full-time as a registered nurse when, at age 47, she received a diagnosis of recurrent Metastatic Breast Cancer, four years following her initial Stage 1A breast cancer diagnosis. Due to the progression of her illness and the demands of treatment, she retired from her nursing career. Seeking continued purpose, Melanie transitioned to advocacy, driven by a commitment to make a meaningful impact in the time available to her.
She is dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for individuals affected by metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Central to her outreach is the message that early detection does not guarantee survival for all, as evidenced by her own experience.
Melanie co-founded and leads the Piedmont Triad METsters, a local support group in North Carolina. Her volunteer activities include serving with Cancer Services, Inc., acting as a Peer-to-Peer Support Group Leader for METAvivor, and participating as a mentor with Project Life. Additionally, she is a Living Beyond Breast Cancer 2023 Hear My Voice MBC leadership alumna and a 2025 Project Lead Institute graduate. Melanie is also an individual member of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance, a Patient Ambassador for Foundation Medicine, an executive member of the PIK3CA Pathbreakers, and a member of the MBC Leadership Committee for SurvivingBreastCancer.org.
She remains deeply committed to advancing the interests and well-being of the metastatic breast cancer community.
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