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Breast Cancer Now

Breast Cancer Now

By: Breast Cancer Now
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About this listen

 If you’re looking for authentic stories about life with and beyond breast cancer, we’re here. Welcome to the Breast Cancer Now podcast.

Join host Laura for open, supportive and honest conversations with guests who have personal or professional experience of breast cancer.

Laura Price is a writer, podcaster and author of the novel Single Bald Female. She’s living with secondary, incurable breast cancer.

We’re Breast Cancer Now, the research and support charity. If you’ve got questions about breast cancer, go to our website breastcancernow.org.

New episodes every other Friday.


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Episodes
  • S6 Ep20: Caroline on talking with children about death and grief

    S6 Ep20: Caroline on talking with children about death and grief
    Nov 21 2025
    Caroline Leek is the founder of Fruitfly Collective, which empowers people with a cancer diagnosis to navigate family life and to support their children. Caroline set up Fruitfly Collective to give the kind of support she wished she’d had when her own father died when she was 12 years old.

    In this episode, Caroline focuses on talking to children and teenagers about death and grief, and how to communicate with children about being diagnosed with incurable cancer. She talks about strategies for communicating with teenagers, discusses whether it's OK to tell a white lie, and shares helpful tips and prompts to help children with death and grief.

    Find out more about Fruitfly Collective.

    If you'd like to find out more about Breast Cancer Now's support services, visit the Breast Cancer Now website or phone our free helpline on 0808 800 6000 (UK only).

    You can subscribe to this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every episode is available to watch or listen to on the Breast Cancer Now website. You can also watch it on YouTube.

    Key Topics:
    0:16 Laura outlines the episode and shares her thoughts
    2:40 When a child visits a parent who is dying
    7:06 How to have a conversation with a child about an upcoming death
    9:42 How honest should you be when a child asks if you're going to die?
    14:10 Ways of starting a conversation with a child about the death of their parent
    25:54 Caroline reveals how her unprocessed grief came to light
    27:55 The tools Caroline used to process her grief and support her mental health
    31:15 "Pip" kits from Fruitfly Collective
    39:39 How to access Fruitfly Collective's excellent resources and support
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
  • S6 Ep19: Rosamund and Alice on writing through the breast cancer experience

    S6 Ep19: Rosamund and Alice on writing through the breast cancer experience
    Nov 7 2025
    In this episode of the Breast Cancer Now podcast, Laura speaks to fellow authors and previous podcast guests, Rosamund Dean and Alice May Purkiss.


    They talk about writing, specifically how to put your own breast cancer experience into words. Laura talks to Rosamund and Alice about how they started writing and why they wanted to share their experience with others. They each discuss topics such as how writing affects their mental health, imposter syndrome and how anyone can be a writer. Both Rosamund and Alice also share their book and newsletter recommendations for people experiencing a breast cancer diagnosis.


    Key Topics:

    02:06 What made you decide to write about your cancer?
    06:40 What affect does writing have on your mental health?
    09:53 What do you find the most difficult part of writing?
    10:51 Getting started
    12:24 Rosamund talks about the process of writing her book, 'Reconstruction'
    14:40 Advice for someone interested in writing
    16:35 Book recommendations
    18:30 Which authors inspire Rosamund the most
    19:50 Rosamund's best tips for writing
    23:06 Where to find Rosamund's work
    23:35 Laura's thoughts
    24:40 How writing affects Alice's mental health
    26:48 Where should people start if they are interested in writing?
    30:15 Advice for someone looking to get published
    31:20 Long form writing, e.g. blogs
    33:31 Alice's self-publishing process and advice
    36:55 Tips for writing or creativity
    41:27 Book recommendations
    49:05 Inspiring authors books/blogs
    54:10 Where to find Alice's work



    Rosamund
    Well well well newsletter- rosamunddean.substack.com
    Rosamund’s books- Reconstruction + Mindful Drinking
    @rosamunddean

    Alice
    Alice's book- Life Lemons and Melons
    alicemaypurkiss.co.uk
    @alicemaypurkiss

    Laura
    Laura's book- Single Bald Female
    @laurapricewrites


    Book recommendations:

    Hattie Crissel - In Writing
    Oliver Burkeman - Four Thousand Weeks
    Miranda July - All Fours
    Fran Littlewood - Amazing Grace Adams
    Kris Hallenga - Glittering a Turd
    Bessel Van Der Kolk - The Body Keeps The Score
    Sophie Savage - Lifeshocks
    Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross -Your Brain on Art
    Rick Rubin - The Creative Act
    Will Storr - The Science of Storytelling


    Newletters (substack) :

    Alice Vincent - Savour
    Daisy Buchannan - Creative Confidence Clinic
    Porna Bell - As I Was Saying
    Hayley Nahman - Maybe Baby
    Show More Show Less
    56 mins
  • S6 Ep18: Dr Hajra on being newly diagnosed with breast cancer

    S6 Ep18: Dr Hajra on being newly diagnosed with breast cancer
    Oct 24 2025
    Dr Hajra is a GP and aesthetic doctor who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2025, aged 37. In this episode of the Breast Cancer Now podcast, Hajra talks to Laura about the shock of her recent diagnosis, the effects of the chemotherapy treatment she’s undergoing, and the treatment plan coming up, including a double mastectomy.

    Hajra also shares the differences in experiencing cancer as a doctor, compared with as a patient, and the surprising ways it’s affected her. She tells Laura about her BRCA gene mutation, and how that news affected her outlook on her breast cancer diagnosis.

    You can find Dr Hajra on Instagram @drhajrasdiary

    If you'd like to find out more about Breast Cancer Now's support services, visit the Breast Cancer Now website or phone our free helpline on 0808 800 6000 (UK only).

    You can subscribe to this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every episode is available to watch or listen to on the Breast Cancer Now website. You can also watch it on YouTube.

    Key Topics:
    1:56 Hajra's work as a GP and aesthetic doctor
    6:23 Practising breast awareness as a doctor
    9:02 Biopsies and scans, as a doctor
    16:18 Receiving biopsy results with friends and family
    18:09 Hajra is diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer
    19:19 The treatment plan for Hajra's breast cancer
    20:26 Being treated as a patient rather than as a doctor
    21:40 Hajra is the first in her family with breast cancer
    22:14 The physical effects of chemotherapy
    23:42 Genetic testing for breast cancer gene mutations
    29:03 Coping with the impact of a gene mutation diagnosis
    33:22 Breast cancer treatment and fertility
    39:22 The effect of chemotherapy on physical apperarance
    44:57 Hajra's plan for aesthetic treatments after chemotherapy
    47:28 Thoughts on the upcoming double mastectomy
    50:15 Mental health and breast cancer treatment
    53:17 Working during treatment for breast cancer
    54:53 The importance of sharing your story
    56:43 What it means to Hajra to "live well"
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
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