Catherine Gigante-Brown

BCBs are loud and proud and refuse to go down easy. And quietly. We have things to say. We have things to teach. We still have life to live. And damn it, we are and we will. With one breast. With no breasts. With reconstruction surgery.

I’m sure you’ll find it a delicious and well-stocked place. There are just a few rules

At first, I felt like an abandoned ten-year-old, dropped off at a remote summer camp—with the extra added attraction of no cell phone reception or Wi-Fi. I thought the hardest part of the weekend was going to be picking out a robe. Boy, was I wrong!

I try. I really do. But whenever I attempt to embrace my husband Peter’s Cuban culture, I always screw up.

Alexa is like a nosy neighbor: She’s always listening. That’s how she can respond when you ask her to do something. So, when you’re getting busy on the kitchen counter — Alexa’s listening. When you’re telling Capital One the last four digits of your SSN — Alexa’s listening. And who knows who else is.

I’m boycotting you until you start recognizing breast cancer survivors like me by carrying mastectomy bras.

8. Educate, don’t fixate.

"I was afraid this thing was going to do me in. But I took a deep breath and decided very early on that I would face cancer on my own terms."

herbalist. shiatsu practitioner. healer.

Being a little bit chubby is better than being a lot dead.