Making of A Diva

More Real Talk about Cancer and Shit

The Flares I’ve been dealing with cancer for ten years.Metastatic cancer for a little over three. I’m finally starting to understand what’s happening when my body reacts the way it does. And when I say body, I mean all of it — physical, mental, and emotional. You don’t get to separate those things when you’re…

Erika Sherek

January 27, 2026

About Cancer, Stage IV Updates

#stage4, breast cancer, cancer, chemo, chemotherapy, health

Coming Back to the Heart of Making of a Diva

I started Making of a Diva when I was turning 40. Back then, it wasn’t about cancer. It wasn’t about diagnoses or scans or treatment plans. It was about identity. Transition. That quiet, unsettling moment when you realize life doesn’t look the way you thought it would — and you’re not entirely sure who you…

Erika Sherek

January 15, 2026

Diva Training

Stable Isn’t the Same as Easy

I got my scan results back. They’re stable. No progression. This is when you would think the natural reaction would be joy, happiness and relief. When you have early stage cancer it’s happy, you are relieved! You are one step closer to the end. Not with Metastatic (Stage 4) Part of me is relieved sure.…

Erika Sherek

January 6, 2026

Stage IV Updates

Finding My Second Wind

For the first time in a long while, I feel a spark again.It’s subtle, but it’s there — a second wind that’s guiding me toward something meaningful. I have a few projects on the horizon that I’m genuinely excited about, and that excitement feels… new. Familiar in a way, yet deeply different. Maybe that’s because…

Erika Sherek

October 7, 2025

General Update, Stage IV Updates, Transition and Thoughts

blog, life, love, mental-health, stage-iv, writing

What Metastatic Breast Cancer Really Means: Beyond the Pink Ribbons

When people hear the words “breast cancer,” most think of pink ribbons, survivors ringing bells, and five-year remission celebrations. That’s part of the story—but it isn’t the whole story. There’s another side of breast cancer that doesn’t get talked about enough: metastatic breast cancer (MBC), also known as stage 4. This is the kind I…

Erika Sherek

September 22, 2025

About Cancer

#stage4, breast cancer, cancer, metastaticbreastcancer

Fatigue No One Sees

Here’s the thing about fatigue with stage IV cancer: it’s not “I stayed up too late last night” tired. It’s not “I just need a nap and a coffee” tired. It’s bone-deep, soul-sucking exhaustion that no amount of sleep, vitamins, or positive thinking can fix. And the kicker? It’s unpredictable. Just because I wake up…

Erika Sherek

September 18, 2025

About Cancer, Stage IV Updates

#stage4, breast cancer, cancer, cancer fatigue, fatigue, life, Metastatic, metastaticbreastcancer, StageIV

Grieving Your Youth

I’m 55 years old, on the cusp of 56, and I feel like I’m standing in two worlds at once. In my mind, I’m still in my thirties—maybe late twenties on a good day. But when I look in the mirror or feel the way my body moves, I can’t deny the truth: youth has…

Erika Sherek

September 16, 2025

Transition and Thoughts

aging, grieving, grieving self, growing old, youth

The Difference No One Talks About

When people talk about cancer, the story almost always centers on survivorship. There’s a beginning, a middle, and an end. A diagnosis, a battle, and a victory. Survivors ring bells, declare themselves warriors who “beat cancer,” and step back into a version of normal life. Yes, there’s fear of recurrence. Yes, there ay be follow-up…

Erika Sherek

September 8, 2025

Stage IV Updates, Transition and Thoughts

#fuckcancer, #stage4, breast cancer, Metastatic, metastaticbreastcancer

Grieving the Old Me with Stage IV Cancer

Grief with stage IV cancer isn’t just about death—it’s about losing pieces of yourself while you’re still here. I grieve the life I had. The ability to plan a day and actually do it. The energy to say yes without wondering if I’ll be too fatigued, in pain, or stuck at another surprise blood draw.…

Erika Sherek

September 1, 2025

General Update, Transition and Thoughts

#stage4, bitch please, breast cancer, cancer, cancer grief, grief, Transition, warrior

Radiation Sessions: Getting the Authorities Involved

Radiation sessions for this crazy party are officially complete. I like to think they made an example out of this group—showing the others that we’re not putting up with any nonsense. In case you missed: I think of every lesion and tumor as a party. The party in my hip got a bit out of…

Erika Sherek

August 26, 2025

Stage IV Updates

#stage4, breast cancer, oncology, radiation, radiology