Friendship is Sacred with Alyssa Tsagong
Alyssa was diagnosed at 38 with Stage III breast cancer and again at 41 with ER+, HER2 low metastatic breast cancer. She recently retired from a career in public media and education to channel her creativity for her health, her family, and artistic mischief. Alyssa co-founded the non-profit, Temple of Kinship, with her best friend Megan, offering retreats for MBC Thrivers and their chosen friend. You'll often find her with pockets full of stones and cedar twigs, dreaming new ideas into being with ink-stained fingers and exploring with her husband, Dhondup, and their two amazing kids.
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Friendship is Sacred
Some friendships don't ask you to be brave. They simply refuse to let you face the hard parts alone.
This week on The Burn, Alyssa Tsagong shares an essay about the kind of friendship that can hold fear without trying to erase it. Diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer at age 38, and later with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer at age 41, Alyssa reflects on the relationship that became more than friendship—it became kinship.
As cancer reshaped her life, she discovered that healing wasn't found in having the right answers. It was found in having someone willing to stay present with the questions.
"I can call Megan and tell her the shape of the fear that day unedited."
And perhaps that's what sacred friendship really is—not fixing, not bright-siding, but making room for truth.
"She walks carefully toward the abyss with me hand in hand, looks straight into the chasm, and asks me questions about it, listening for the truth underneath the darkness."
This conversation is a beautiful reminder that when we stop carrying fear alone, we create space for deeper connection, resilience, and even joy.
Writing Prompts Inspired by Today’s Episode
Set your timer for eight minutes, write without stopping or editing yourself. There is magic in leaning into that time. The prompt is:
The friend who can sit in the dark with me…
In this episode of The Burn, Alyssa shared an essay about a friendship where nothing has to be edited—where fear can be spoken in its true shape and met with curiosity instead of correction.
Write about a friendship that has carried you through something difficult. It could be illness, grief, uncertainty, or any season of profound change. Focus on one specific moment when this person met you honestly instead of trying to fix the situation or brighten it.
What was the scene? What did they say—or not say? What did their presence make possible? What truth were you able to speak because they stayed with you?
And if you don't yet have this kind of friendship, write toward it instead. What kind of friend are you hoping to find—or become? Who do you want to cultivate in your life to create a friendship that feels like kinship?
If you find that you write best with a good prompt, check out our free prompts and learn about our writing workshops.
Happy writing! Until next time, take good care.
Episode Links
Read a transcript of this episode.
Purchase the 2025 “MBC:Paradox” issue of Wildfire Journal.
Find Alyssa and Temple of Kinship on Instagram. Learn more about Temple of Kinship.
More about our episode sponsor: Triage Cancer
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