How much do you really know about your family’s health history—and could that knowledge change your future?

In this episode, we talk about Kaela’s family history and the genetic testing she underwent after her diagnosis. What started as a medical step quickly became a deeper conversation about what family history can reveal—and why understanding it matters.

We discuss how genetics can influence cancer risk, what we learned through testing, and why knowing your family’s medical history can empower you to advocate for earlier screenings and better care.

Knowledge can’t change the past, and sometimes can feel scary, but it can shape the future. If this episode encourages even one person to ask more questions about their family history or talk to their doctor about screening, it’s a conversation worth having.

In Episode 5, Mike and Kaela open with a mix of funny — and not-so-funny — stories from past appointments. Because sometimes laughter is the only way through the hard days.

Then we turn to one of the most difficult parts of this journey: parenting two young boys through a stage 4 metastatic breast cancer diagnosis.

We talk about the immediate fear that hits as parents — the quiet panic about how this will shape our kids’ world. We share how our mindset shifted after hearing “stage 4,” the weight of deciding when and how to tell our 8-year-old, and the conversations we struggled through behind closed doors.

We discuss how we hope to involve our boys more as we move forward — not just protecting them, but gently bringing them into the journey in ways that build empathy, resilience, and hopefully one day a passion for causes bigger than themselves.

This episode carries some raw emotion as we face the fear of the worst-case scenario — and admit that we are still very much figuring this out in real time.

We close by sharing our vision for Her Cancer Our Story and our hope to bring future guests on the show — thrivers, survivors, caregivers, and anyone navigating life-altering challenges — because none of us are meant to walk this road alone.

Episode 4 brings some much-needed good news. We talk about finding a new oncologist who feels like a true partner in this fight, the relief of a benign MRI biopsy result, and the practice of celebrating every small victory in the midst of stage 4 breast cancer.

We also share about a weekend away with friends that reminded us that cancer may be part of our story, but it is not the whole story. As Kaela says in this episode, “I’m much more than just the lady with cancer.” Stepping away for a few days helped us breathe, laugh, and remember who we are outside of appointments and scan results.

We close with a conversation about the “rings of support” — how to show up for people in crisis without adding weight to what they’re already carrying, and what healthy support has looked like for our family in this season.

Because sometimes surviving isn’t just about treatment — it’s about connection, identity, and holding onto the parts of yourself that cancer doesn’t get to take.