On August 6, Lisa Laudico, the creator and driving force behind the podcast series, died peacefully at the age of 56, surrounded by her family. It was an enormous loss for the MBC community, felt nowhere more keenly than among the Our MBC Life team and Share staff and volunteers. In this episode of our podcast, Lisa’s friends, family, and colleagues remember her amazing life—and celebrate the many ways she fostered connection, resilience, and hope throughout the MBC community.

“Lisa was a natural leader, and her passion for raising diverse voices and uniting those living with MBC was infectious,” says close friend Victoria Goldberg, founder of SHARE’s TalkMets Helpline and Lisa’s co-host and co-producer on Our MBC Life. “Her vision for the future was that a giant spotlight needs to shine on metastatic breast cancer research to change the outcomes of this disease, and her belief in our mission never wavered. Her beautiful voice will live on in the old episodes, and the podcast team will strive to continue to make her vision a reality.”

Diagnosed with de novo metastatic breast cancer in 2017, Lisa was the 4th generation in her family to have breast cancer, but the first to be diagnosed at Stage 4. She met this challenge with the same passion and energy that helped fuel her high-powered career in international business, as well as the compassion and love she brought to her second career as a clinical therapist helping young children deal with trauma.

Embodying SHARE’s philosophy that “no one should have to face cancer alone,” Lisa created Our MBC Life at the height of the pandemic to amplify the voices of fellow community members and share their day-to-day realities. As senior producer and host, she invited dozens of people living with MBC to share their stories, and partnered with experts in the field to raise awareness and explore solutions to challenges. With episodes covering everything from racial disparities in treatment for people of color to parenting and working with MBC, it is truly a podcast, as Lisa said in the introduction for each episode, “for us, by us.”

Lisa was also a dedicated volunteer for organizations like The Cancer Couch Foundation, where she supported fundraising initiatives like the #Reason4FreezinMBC campaign; and for SHARE Cancer Support. As an influential member of the MBC Alliance’s Executive Group, she played a meaningful role in shaping the organization’s vision. She was a passionate advocate for the movement to allow more crossover in oncology clinical trials, which would permit patients to switch from a control group to experimental treatment; and for expanded access to allow seriously ill patients more access to investigational drugs when other lines of approved treatment are exhausted. These areas of focus are now included in the Alliance’s strategic planning.

Even with her unflagging work ethic, Lisa was a constant and loving presence in the lives of her friends and family. She delighted in spending time with her husband Tony, dog Kita, and two sons Alex and Matthias, who were the lights of her life. From playing games around the kitchen table during the pandemic to skiing and hiking with her sons and visiting extended Canadian family, she took great joy in remaining closely connected to her loved ones.

Lisa’s story reminds us that we are all much, much more than our diagnosis. It also attests to the profound and enduring difference that one person can make in the lives of many. Here’s to Lisa!