S6E20: What Breast Cancer Taught Me About Grief, Loss, and Finding Hope

In this deeply personal episode, the Besties with Breasties team explores what it really means to suffer — not the dictionary definition, but the guttural, life-shattering kind that leaves you without words. Jes opens up publicly for the first time about the staggering losses her family endured before she ever heard the words "breast cancer": her sister-in-law's passing from gastric cancer, the sudden death of her brother Justin from a heart attack at a young age, and the loss of her nephew — all within a span of eight years. What unfolds is an honest conversation about the things we don't talk about enough — the phone call in the middle of the night that changes everything, the guilt of laughing when someone you love is gone, the way grief lives in your body long after you think you've moved on, and the slow, non-linear process of choosing to keep living. Jes shares how she coped (or didn't) — retreating into a shell for months, fixating on health metrics as a way to regain control, and eventually finding her way back through small goals, a pull-up, a Spartan race, and the quiet belief that her brother was still looking out for her. Beth and Jes also explore the harder questions: Does suffering have a purpose? Can unprocessed grief make you physically sick? And when the world feels overwhelmingly dark — how do we choose to be a light instead of sinking further?Whether you've experienced profound loss, are navigating life after cancer, or are simply trying to understand how to show up for someone who is grieving, this episode is a reminder that you're not alone — and that sometimes the people who've been through the deepest darkness are the ones who can guide us through it. Learn more or support Faith Through Fire at faiththroughfire.org Companies mentioned in this episode: Faith Through Fire Thrivent Gateway Financial Group