Live-Today

There is a part of survivorship that doesn't always fit neatly beneath a pink ribbon.

The world sees someone who beat cancer.

The survivor may see a body she is still learning to understand.

Both can be true.

Cancer treatment can change how someone looks, feels, moves, works and experiences her own body.

And when lymphedema becomes part of that story, adaptation can continue long after everyone else believes the cancer journey has ended.

That's why we created Survivor Voices.

Not every survivor wants to tell her story publicly.

But the experiences shared quietly with us deserve to inform how we support this community.

This October, let's make room for more than triumphant stories.

Let's make room for truthful ones.

ASK DR. SHERI®

“What does breast cancer have to do with the lymphatic system?”

More than many survivors realize.

The lymphatic system is part of the body's network for moving lymph fluid and supporting immune function. Breast cancer treatment can involve lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels, and disruption or damage to that system can contribute to the development of lymphedema.

That's why understanding the lymphatic system belongs in conversations about breast cancer survivorship.

We spend a great deal of October teaching people about breasts.

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let's teach survivors something about the lymphatic system, too.

Knowledge isn't about creating fear.

It's about giving survivors information they can use to advocate for themselves.

💛 Save this post and share it with someone whose breast cancer treatment may be behind them.

She survived.

Those may be two of the most beautiful words anyone touched by cancer can hear.

But they shouldn't end the conversation.

Because sometimes cancer leaves—and consequences of treatment remain.

For some breast cancer survivors, one of those consequences is lymphedema: a chronic condition that can develop after lymph nodes or lymphatic vessels are affected by cancer treatment.

Survival deserves celebration.

But celebrating survival should never require us to pretend that survivorship is easy.

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, LIVE Today is making room for the whole story.

The diagnosis.
The treatment.
The survival.
And what comes afterward.

Because survivors deserve more than applause for surviving.

They deserve support for living.

Tomorrow begins Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Pink will appear everywhere.

Buildings will glow pink. Ribbons will be worn. Stories will be shared.

And all of that visibility has value.

But at LIVE Today, we're asking our community to go one step further this October.

Let's make awareness about what happens after breast cancer, too.

For some survivors, treatment leaves behind a lifelong condition called lymphedema.

It may affect an arm, hand, breast or other area. It can change how someone dresses, works, travels, sleeps and moves through everyday life.

And many people still know remarkably little about it.

So this October, we'll wear the pink.

But we're also going to talk beyond the pink.

Stay with us. There is more to the breast cancer story.

Cancer treatment has a finish line on the calendar.

Survivorship doesn't.

Long after appointments become less frequent and life is expected to return to “normal,” some survivors are still adapting to what treatment left behind.

New challenges.
New expenses.
New questions.
New ways of caring for a body that has been through something extraordinary.

At LIVE Today, much of our work happens in that space—the part of the cancer journey that continues after so many people have stopped watching.

Because completing treatment should never mean completing support.

💛 We haven't stopped seeing you.

Not everyone who believes in a mission will support it in the same way.

And that's okay.

Some people give.

Some volunteer.

Some introduce us to a potential partner.

Some share our posts.

Some tell a survivor about us.

Some open our newsletter and learn something they later pass along to someone else.

All of it helps build the community around this mission.

As LIVE Today continues to grow, we want more people inside that circle—not simply as donors, but as people who believe cancer survivors deserve access, dignity and support.

So here's our invitation:

Find your place in the mission.

Follow. Share. Join our community. Volunteer. Give when you can.

Because changing someone's life doesn't always begin with a big gesture.

Sometimes it begins with simply deciding, “I want to help.” 💛

There is something profoundly different about giving when you can understand what your generosity makes possible.

At LIVE Today, financial support helps us provide medically necessary compression garments to eligible cancer patients and survivors living with lymphedema who otherwise may struggle to afford them.

A sleeve.
A glove.
A gauntlet.
A nighttime garment.
Compression for the leg or other affected area.

These aren't luxuries.

They are part of managing a chronic condition.

So when you support LIVE Today, you're helping us put something tangible into the hands—and onto the bodies—of people who need it.

If you've been looking for a meaningful way to stand with cancer survivors, consider supporting our garment program.

💛 Every gift helps us continue saying, “Yes, we can help.”

THE LIVE TODAY PERSPECTIVE

We talk often about increasing access to healthcare.

But there is another barrier we don't discuss nearly enough:

People can't access resources they don't know exist.

Some cancer survivors living with lymphedema may not know where to turn for information.

Some may not know financial assistance exists.

Some may assume that because they cannot afford a medically necessary compression garment, they simply have to go without.

This is why sharing matters.

Every time you share information about LIVE Today, you aren't simply helping us “get the word out.”

You may be helping a survivor find a resource they didn't know existed.

That's advocacy, too.

💛 Help us widen the circle. Share this post with someone who works with cancer patients or survivors.

Sometimes support isn't about having the perfect words.

It isn't about solving everything.

Sometimes it is simply the relief of realizing:

Someone sees me.
Someone understands.
Someone is willing to walk beside me.

This Survivor Voice reflects something we hear in many forms from people navigating life after cancer.

And it is why LIVE Today has always been about more than garments.

A compression sleeve, glove or other medically necessary garment may be what we provide—but dignity, reassurance and hope are part of what we hope people receive with it.

If someone came to mind while you were reading this, send them a little encouragement today. 💛



INSTAGRAM

Why do compression garments matter for someone living with lymphedema?

Because lymphedema is a chronic condition.

Compression garments can be an important part of helping manage swelling and supporting the affected limb—but they don't last forever.

They wear out. Bodies change. And garments need to be replaced.

Now imagine knowing that something helps you manage your condition...but not being able to afford it.

That is the gap LIVE Today was created to help fill.

We provide medically necessary compression garments at no cost to eligible, under-resourced cancer patients and survivors living with lymphedema.

Access to care shouldn't disappear when someone's ability to pay does.

💛 Share this post. Someone in your circle may need to know this resource exists.