There is so much misunderstanding about metastatic breast cancer that I want to bang my head against the wall.

Vera has a better approach however; and that is to use her words to spread understanding and awareness. Read on to see her letter to the Today Show. And if you would be willing, pass it on.

Vera Writes —
You may have heard that Joan Lunden is going through breast cancer treatment. She was featured bald on People magazine and Today is doing a “Today Pink Power” show in October.

A friend of mine wrote to the show to ask that awareness of metastatic breast cancer be included. They invited her to appear on the show, only to un-invite her once they saw in her photo that she isn’t bald. They say they only want a group of women who are ‘bold and bald’ (their words) on the show to support the cause.

I was incensed at the ignorance and audacity of the Today Show. I wrote them an email, and published it on my Facebook pages too. Thought you might want to know about this.

Here’s my letter:

Hello,

I’m a metastatic breast cancer warrior. I’ve had this recurrence of breast cancer to my bones for the last 3 years.

My friend Lisa told me that you are only interested in women who are rendered bald by this disease.
I’ll have you know that 12 years ago, when I was bald from chemo, I was only stage 2 and had a 70% chance of never having cancer again.
Unfortunately I ended up in the unlucky 30% and here I am today.

That your news organization only wants ‘bold and bald’ women to stand around on the day you feature breast cancer is so highly offensive, I struggle for words to express to you, as someone dying from this disease, how insensitive and ignorant this truly is. Many treatments for end-stage breast cancer do not cause hair loss. It is one of the few indignities that some of us are spared in our last days.

Shame on you for putting shock value ahead of humanity. I will never watch the show again.

Vera Bierend
Stage 4 breast cancer patient
Santa Clarita, CA