Thriver Series Spotlight: Inspiring Journeys of Life After Breast Cancer with Andrea Reid — Rewriting the Cancer Script with Courage, Creativity, and Grace

A Lump and a Life-Changing Call

Coming out of the pandemic, Andrea Reid was busy doing what so many mothers do — holding everything together. With two young kids (ages 2 and 4), she had just moved her family out of the city, stopped breastfeeding, and assumed little of the lump she had noticed.

“I was sure it was a cyst,” she remembers. “I’d had milk duct blockages before. My mom had cysts after breastfeeding me. Cancer wasn’t even on my radar.”

But that tiny spot she had noticed years earlier didn’t go away. After casually mentioning it to her doctor during a visit for her kids, Andrea was sent for a mammogram at the beginning of December 2022, followed by a biopsy towards the end of the month. Within days, she received a call that would change everything. “It was the day after Christmas. I was home alone. They told me both breasts were 50% cancerous, and it had spread to both sets of lymph nodes. Happy New Year, 2023.”

When her husband came home from grocery shopping, she helped him unload the bags — both of them in shock, trying to grasp the news that had just landed.

Navigating the Storm: Setting Boundaries, Protecting Energy

With no history of cancer in her family, Andrea and her husband felt unprepared for the whirlwind of appointments, tests, and terminology that followed. “You expect there to be a calm, experienced team guiding you through,” she says, “but it’s raw. You realize nobody has all the answers, and you have to make peace with that.”

To cope, Andrea did something deeply intentional: she set boundaries.

She sent her family a detailed email outlining everything she knew, asking them not to text about cancer. “If you want to talk about my treatment, email me. If it’s daily life, text me. I needed control over when I looked at it — to protect myself.”

That decision became one of her most empowering acts of self-care. It helped her process, manage emotions, and set the tone for the kind of support she needed.

Telling the Kids — and Rewriting the Script through Filmmaking

When it came to explaining cancer to her young kids, Andrea faced mixed reactions from older generations. “People told me not to tell them. But hiding it would have come at too high a cost.”

Instead, she created a book for her kids, speaking directly to them with honesty and love. That experience wove its way into her podcast work. Ironically, just before her diagnosis, Andrea was raising funds for a documentary about a missing friend — a project she’d poured her heart into. “I was in the middle of a crowdfunding campaign, and my brain was screaming, Do this now. Then came the diagnosis. I felt robbed.”

That heartbreak became a new mission: to weave her cancer story into her creative work.

The Nicest Guy in Rock and Roll, opened conversations many families avoid — transforming fear into connection, through a raw exploration of a missing friend, motherhood, resilience, and reclaiming identity through illness. “I wanted them to know that yes, cancer is scary, but it doesn’t define who we are as a family. It became a creative process that healed all of us.”

Holistic Healing: Blending Science and Self-Care

Andrea took an integrative approach to healing that combined conventional medicine with holistic support. She began taking medicinal mushrooms early in treatment and stayed consistent with them, appreciating that her oncologist was open-minded about her choices. “I managed not to get sick, even with two little kids who always had colds,” she says.

Working with a naturopath specializing in cancer helped her track her bloodwork and stay strong through chemo and radiation. When she transitioned into surgical menopause after having her ovaries removed, she carefully weighed the pros and cons of estrogen blockers.

Therapy and meditation became vital tools for managing the emotional aftermath. “The trauma doesn’t hit until you’re safe enough to feel it,” Andrea explains. “For me, that was after radiation.”

Life After Treatment: Grace in the Gaps

Three years later, Andrea says the experience still feels close. “People act like you’re done now — but the emotional healing takes longer than anyone prepares you for.”

She continues therapy, practices mindfulness, and stays open about her journey. “You have to give yourself grace for the times you were far from your best,” she reflects.

“There were months where my kids ate more junk and had too much screen time. And that’s okay. They’re not scarred — they’re resilient. One day I woke up and cared about cooking again. That’s when I knew I was coming back to myself.”

Andrea’s Message for Other Women

Andrea wants other women to know that every cancer journey is unique — there’s no single right way to heal. She encourages therapy for everyone involved, not just the patient, because partners and caregivers need support too.

She reminds women to ask for help and to accept it, whether that means ordering takeout instead of cooking or letting a neighbour lend a hand. Most importantly, she urges mothers to release the guilt of not being perfect during treatment. “Your kids will be okay,” she says. “Healing takes time, and that’s enough.”

Her final words are simple: “There’s no backwards — only one foot in front of the other.”

The Bigger Picture

Today, Andrea continues to advocate for open conversations around cancer, motherhood, and mental health. She’s passionate about organizations like Nankind, which supports families affected by a mother’s cancer diagnosis — and believes more resources like it need to exist.

Her courage to speak up, set boundaries, and blend creativity with healing is exactly what defines survivorship in the modern era: real, raw, and radiant.

Watch and subscribe to Andrea’s inspiring documentary journey on The Nicest Guy in Rock and Roll.

Want to share your story? Reach out to be featured in Nutriditions’ Thriver Series: Inspiring Journeys of Life After Breast Cancer and inspire other women on the path of healing.