Episode
Stage 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer Survivor Sarah Beaver: Self-Advocacy, Identity Shifts & Choosing Yourself After Diagnosis
- Podcast
- Not Today Cancer
- Published
- Apr 11, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2681
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://jendelvaux.com
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Summary
You've probably heard stories about women who get diagnosed and "bounce back." But what does it actually look like when a stage three triple negative breast cancer diagnosis tears your entire life apart — and you have to rebuild from scratch as a single mom? In this episode, Jen sits down with Sarah Beaver — stage three triple negative breast cancer survivor, mindset and resilience speaker, podcast host of Creating Sunshine, and a woman who walked away from 27 years in corporate America to step fully into her purpose. Sarah takes us back to the moment she found her lump through self-exam, the agonizing wait between imaging and diagnosis, and what it was like to hear the words "you have cancer" on January 3rd, 2025. She opens up about telling her two young daughters (one of whom scooted away thinking it was contagious), making the bold decision to take a leave of absence instead of pushing through chemo while working as a senior manager at Costco, and completely overhauling her family's nutrition during treatment. Jen and Sarah go deep on advocating for yourself when a surgeon's plan doesn't feel right, fighting insurance companies for an out-of-network reconstructive surgeon, getting second opinions, and trusting your gut — even when everyone around you is telling you to "just do what the doctor says." Sarah shares how she chose a double mastectomy with DIEP flap reconstruction (no implants, no expanders) and the emotional reality of seeing her body for the first time after surgery. They also talk about the identity shift that hits after treatment ends — the "now what?" that nobody prepares you for — and Sarah's free, accessible tools for healing: journaling, meditation (she's 220+ days in a row on Insight Timer), accepting help, and creating "sunshine moments" with he…