Ready for Battle with Liz McFarland
Liz McFarland was diagnosed with HER2+ breast cancer at 39. She is a realtor and has lived in North Dallas, Texas for the past five years after a lifetime in Northern California. Liz is a proud Choice Mom to two young adults, and is now embracing the empty-nest chapter in her life.
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Ready for Battle
“I still feel the loss of my nipples and give myself that space to feel sad and grieve what once was.”
At 39, Liz McFarland was diagnosed with Stage II, HER2+ breast cancer, including both DCIS and IDC. What followed were years of surgeries, chemo, radiation, reconstruction, implants, explants, tattooed nipples, and learning how to live inside a body that kept changing beneath her.
Her essay, “Ready for Battle,” is about more than survivorship. It’s about the stories we carry about our bodies long before cancer enters the room. The shame learned in middle school. The complicated relationship with femininity. The moment you realize vulnerability may require more courage than armor ever did.
In this episode of The Burn, Liz shares the deeply human terrain between grief and acceptance — and what happened when she finally allowed herself to be fully seen.
This conversation holds space for all of it: the humor, the discomfort, the tenderness, the phantom grief, the hard-won gratitude, and the ongoing process of reclaiming a body after breast cancer.
Writing Prompt 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:
What I had to show and what it taught me…
I invite you to write about a moment when you had to reveal something vulnerable about yourself—whether it was your body, your history, your truth. What did you reveal, and what did that moment teach you about strength or shame or love or grief?
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 “Body” issue of Wildfire Journal.
More about our episode sponsor: Resensation
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