New York, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 11/08/2018 --National breast and ovarian cancer nonprofit SHARE Cancer Support is launching the first dedicated Metastatic Breast Cancer Helpline program, called TalkMets/Tuesday, this November. TalkMets/Tuesday will allow metastatic callers to SHARE's Breast Cancer Helpline (844.ASK.SHARE) to use extension "6" to be assured that the person who answers their call is also living with metastatic breast cancer and has been trained to offer empathetic support, reliable information, and a listening ear.

"Women with metastatic disease often feel excluded by the wider breast cancer community," says Victoria Goldberg, a SHARE Helpline volunteer living with metastatic breast cancer. "We have different needs that are not necessarily served by programs geared toward early stage breast cancer."

According to the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance, virtually all of the 40,000 deaths from breast cancer in the U.S. each year occur as a result of metastatic breast cancer, (also called MBC or Stage IV disease) which begins in the breast and spreads to other parts of the body. It is progressive and incurable, and the median survival rate after diagnosis is just three years, though some women live longer.

"SHARE's dedicated Metastatic Helpline, TalkMets/Tuesday, recognizes our differences and makes them a priority," says Ms. Goldberg.

TalkMets/Tuesday is part of SHARE's unique metastatic breast cancer program, which touches lives 23,000 times each year through 15 monthly telephone and in-person support groups, including a Spanish-language group and a group for young women, an annual conference, roundtable discussions, exercise classes, and educational programs on practical and clinical topics.

"Our program participants tell us that the support and camaraderie they receive from women who share their diagnosis is invaluable," says Christine Benjamin, Breast Cancer Program Director at SHARE. "Many women living with metastatic disease have never met anyone else with MBC, so it can be especially meaningful for them to connect with someone who understands it firsthand."

SHARE's all-stage Breast Cancer Helpline (844.ASK.SHARE), available seven days a week, provides 6,000 women with compassionate peer support every year. Started in 1977 by a group of breast cancer patients, it continues to be staffed entirely by trained breast cancer peers. It is available in 19 languages. Callers with metastatic breast cancer who wish to speak to a peer on days other than TalkMets/Tuesdays can ask to be specially matched.

TalkMets/Tuesday is available beginning November 6, 2018 every Tuesday from 9:30am-9pm ET at 844.275.7527 ext. 6.

About SHARE
SHARE is a national nonprofit that supports, educates, and empowers women affected by breast or ovarian cancer, with a special focus on medically underserved communities. SHARE meets women wherever they are with the insight of others who have been there too, creating a nationwide community where no one feels alone. SHARE's free services, provided in both English and Spanish, include support groups, expert-led educational programs, national Helplines, community outreach, online communities, corporate education programs, advocacy opportunities, caregiver support, and survivor-patient navigation.