Psychotherapist Erin Weiss returns to The Burn for a third visit. Erin was diagnosed with Stage IV de novo metastatic breast cancer (MBC) following her first mammogram at age 42. She’s been living with MBC since August 2019. In this episode, she reads her essay “Barbershop Quartet” from Wildfire Magazine’s 2024 “Body” issue. Erin’s piece is about her experience of life’s traumas as told in four parts via haircuts that culminate with the cut that comes due to a cancer diagnosis. April and Erin will discuss Erin’s process for sharing different and varied stories from her breast cancer experience, and the writing that happens away from the keyboard. They will also talk about the loss of femininity hair loss evokes, realizing the trauma wrapped up in long hair, and the relationship between identity and living with MBC. This episode contains explicit language.

More about Erin: https://www.instagram.com/emweiss/

More about our episode sponsor AnaOno:

https://www.anaono.com/

https://www.instagram.com/anaonointimates/

Purchase the “Body” issue of Wildfire Magazine: https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/shop/p/digital-body24

Listen to past episodes featuring Erin:

A Guest Room for MBC

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/7f4b0f3b-d769-4ef9-bacb-ddfed49a86ef/

Feeling Good as Hell?

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/0facf0f6-8529-4634-bd65-5bed0ce76546/

Listen to past episodes featuring AnaOno founder Dana Donofree:

10 Years Learning to Love a New Body

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/2550ea8c-41b9-4314-9072-f612cf7394ba/

Chest Inclusivity

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/03ba8e52-d604-4937-91e4-689238b12bfe/

More episodes about hair:

Permanent: It Was Never Just About Hair with Stephanie Kinkel

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/b7d01912-1bd1-47c4-9f2a-2c547ed328b9/

Hair with Rebecca Hall

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/1a34adcc-dc65-439d-8c42-f6a9de3677dc/

Buy the Wildfire book Igniting the Fire Within: Stories of Healing, Hope & Humor, Inside Today’s Young Breast Cancer Community: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJVJ629F?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

Get the free Wildfire “Hot Flashes” email newsletter: https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/newsletter?rq=newsletter

Learn about Wildfire writing workshops: https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/workshops

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