Understanding Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day: October 13

Every October 13^th is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, a day that emerged from the courage of nine patients who traveled to Washington, D.C. in 2009 to ensure their voices would be heard. Their advocacy led Congress to unanimously pass resolutions recognizing this critical day, forever changing how we address the most advanced form of breast cancer. 

Today, this awareness is global, with October 13th recognized in Canada, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

What Makes This Day Different

October is recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day puts a specific focus on those living with Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC). metastatic breast cancer is cancer that has spread from the breast to other parts of the body, such as the bones, lungs, liver, or brain. Unlike early-stage breast cancer, MBC has no cure yet but can often be managed with treatments to control the disease, alleviate symptoms, and improve quality of life, sometimes for many years.

Of the 3.5 million Americans living with a history of breast cancer, approximately 168,000 have metastatic disease and this number is projected to rise to over 246,000 by 2030. These individuals often feel invisible during traditional breast cancer awareness campaigns that emphasize early detection, pink ribbons, and cure narratives. Many well-meaning awareness events inadvertently exclude those for whom cancer isn't a battle won, but a daily reality managed. Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day brings their unique challenges, needs, and voices out of the shadows.

My mom faced metastatic breast cancer for many, many years.  I saw the challenges that metastatic breast cancer patients face.  As she always did, she faced it with strength, courage and resolve trying many different treatments to manage the disease and help the others learn from her medical experiences.

Why Awareness Matters

The statistics are sobering. About 30% of people diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer will eventually develop metastatic disease—even after doing "everything right" with screenings and treatment. This fact challenges the comforting narrative that early detection guarantees survival. An estimated 42,780 Americans will die from breast cancer annually, equal to 117 women and men per day, with metastasis as the underlying cause in most of these deaths.

Young women under 40 face particular vulnerability, as metastatic breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in this age group. This disease touches all races, ages, and socioeconomic classes, yet the people living with it often feel marginalized even within the breast cancer community.

Despite these numbers, research funding for metastatic breast cancer remains disproportionately low compared to early-stage disease. While billions are spent on awareness campaigns featuring pink products, only a fraction goes toward researching treatments for those with advanced disease.

My mom lamented many times about how little research was conducted on metastatic breast cancer.  While she was supportive of all facets of breast cancer awareness, studies, and research, she also felt that women with metastatic breast cancer were ignored.

Breast Cancer Awareness Day serves as a rallying cry for more research, better treatments, with the goal of a cure. It demands that we acknowledge an uncomfortable truth: no one brings metastatic disease on themselves, and anyone who has had breast cancer can experience a metastatic recurrence.

The Colors of Hope

The MBC awareness ribbon combines three meaningful colors: pink represents the legacy of breast cancer awareness, green symbolizes renewal and hope, and teal stands for healing and spiritual awareness.

How You Can Make a Difference

Support doesn't require grand gestures. Listen to someone's story without offering unsolicited advice about miracle cures or positive thinking. Acknowledge that living with MBC means balancing treatment with everyday life—raising children, working, traveling, finding joy despite uncertainty. One patient described it perfectly: "I somehow manage to put cancer away in a pocket most days and I'm able to just enjoy living."

Consider concrete actions: Donate to organizations like the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network, METAvivor, or the Breast Cancer Research Foundation that specifically fund metastatic breast cancer research.

Participate in or organize fundraising events, such as virtual walks, community gatherings, or workplace campaigns. Share accurate information on social media that dispels harmful myths, particularly the dangerous notion that all breast cancers are curable or that patients somehow failed if their cancer returns.

Incredibly important but often overlooked on a personal level, advocating for policy changes that matter to metastatic breast cancer patients: eliminating the 24-month waiting period before Medicare coverage begins for those on Social Security disability, addressing disparities in insurance reimbursement between IV (Intravenous) chemotherapy and oral medications, and pushing for increased federal research funding dedicated to metastatic disease.

If you know someone with metastatic breast cancer, offer practical help: meals, rides to appointments, childcare, or simply sitting together in comfortable silence. Understand that they're not "fighting a battle"—they're living with a chronic illness that requires ongoing management, and some days are harder than others.

Looking Forward

As one metastatic breast cancer patient beautifully expressed: "Above ground, it's a good day." This simple philosophy encapsulates the resilience and perspective that many metastatic breast cancer patients develop. They learn to find meaning in the present moment, to celebrate small victories, and to maintain hope even while acknowledging the seriousness of their diagnosis.  You can find many blogs at World Change Coalition about these ideas.

Treatment advances continue to emerge. New targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and antibody-drug conjugates are extending lives and improving quality of life for many patients. Clinical trials offer access to cutting-edge treatments. Academic research programs like AURORA are working to unravel the mysteries of metastatic disease. But progress requires sustained attention, funding, and advocacy, not just one day a year, but every day.

Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day reminds us to celebrate these lives, demand more research, and never forget that while one day of recognition isn't enough, it's a powerful symbol to raise awareness and action. It honors the nine brave patients who refused to remain invisible and the countless others who continue living, loving, and advocating for change.

This October 13th, wear the ribbon, share the stories, stand with those who refuse to be invisible, and commit to making metastatic breast cancer a priority not just during October, but throughout the year. Because every person living with metastatic breast cancer deserves to be seen, heard, supported, and given hope for a future with better treatments and, one day, a cure.

I will leave you with this, recognize that behind every metastatic breast cancer statistic is a person living fully, loving deeply, and hoping fiercely for more time and better treatments. They're not waiting to die; they're actively choosing to live.

That exemplified my mom and her life.

As always, I thank all of you that follow and support the World Change Coalition.  I thank my mom for all that she taught her son’s.  As I talked about in my last blog for any of you going through breast cancer, I hope that you are all dancing with NED (No Evidence of Disease) which was my mom’s favorite dance! 

Love and miss you mom, always.  Richie