Meg Stier: Turning Survivorship into Purpose

— By Megan Brown, ABCD Marketing & Communications Support, and Edited by Gina Rich

September 18, 2025

At 26, Meg Stier was building her corporate retail career and enjoying her first apartment when a lump that doctors had minimized since she was 18, grew into something she could no longer ignore. “I’d been written off and told, ‘You’re young, you don’t have family history, it’s probably nothing,’” Meg recalls.

After seeing her doctor, and again hearing it was likely nothing, she went for a mammogram, followed by an ultrasound and a biopsy. It was breast cancer, specifically Stage 3 invasive ductal carcinoma that had spread to Meg’s lymph nodes. Meg’s treatment plan would include a bilateral mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and reconstruction.

“From the day of my diagnosis, I knew I would never again stop advocating for myself,” Meg says.

Navigating Cancer at a Young Age

Facing cancer in her mid-20s felt like being pulled out of one life chapter and forced into another. “It made me grow up really fast,” Meg says. “I was at that age where you’re really starting to become an adult and find your place, and suddenly I felt like I was taking 100 steps backwards.”

Though she was fortunate to have a supportive boyfriend—who she’s still with to this day—as well as caring family members and friends, Meg had the additional burden of facing a disease often perceived as only affecting older adults. Her diagnosis motivated her to help other young people who might not have the same support she did.

Discovering New Purpose

Once she completed active treatment, Meg struggled. “Treatment stops and everyone thinks you’re good now and can move on. But as the person who went through it, that’s when it’s the toughest,” she says.

She saw several therapists who helped her navigate this difficult stage and planted the seed for a new purpose. Yoga, meditation, and time in nature became anchors in Meg’s healing process, and what started as reflection blossomed into action: She became a certified life coach, and later a health and wellness coach, dedicating herself to helping others navigate survivorship and other challenges.

“I work with clients who have been diagnosed but also clients who weren’t, so it’s been really great. People have stories and I want to hear them,” she says.

Mentorship and ABCD

Meg’s first peer support experience came when she started mentoring through Imerman Angels, a non-profit organization that supports people affected by cancer. “It opened my eyes to what I could be doing,” Meg says.

Then in May 2024, she attended an Ascension Cancer Survivorship Health Fair and met Keeshia Jones, Director of Healthcare & Community Partnerships for ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis. “I shared that I was already mentoring through another organization, and Keeshia told me ABCD was looking for young Mentors,” Meg recalls.

That September, she completed ABCD’s New Mentor Training. In her first year as a Mentor, Meg has supported seven Participants. “Finding someone who has similar passions and hobbies, whether they’re divorced, have kids, are widowed, single, a part of the LTBTQ+ community—those things are so important. It’s not just the cancer, it’s all the other things in life that they’re now dealing with while having cancer,” she explains.

In August 2025, Meg joined ABCD as a Match Specialist, bringing her experience full circle. “Before being a Match Specialist, I thought about how they always matched me with someone I really related to and wondered how it works. Now seeing it from the other side, I get it,” she says. “To be matched with someone who has a lot of similarities, I understand even more how important that is. I just had someone tell me this was such a great match, they had even grown up in the same small town.”

For Meg, there are similarities between her roles as a Match Specialist and life coach. As she puts it, “it’s the act of listening. It’s about listening and letting [people] share their story.”

The Power of Advocacy and Support

Meg sees her breast cancer experience as a powerful reminder of the importance of self-advocacy.  “If something feels wrong and you don’t feel comfortable with the answers you’re getting, get a second opinion and keep fighting for yourself. Had I not, I truly feel that I wouldn’t be here,” she says.

She also wants the realities of survivorship to be better understood. “I wish more clinics, physicians, nurse navigators, nurses—all of them—talked more about survivorship. You hear a little bit about it, but it’s never at the right time,” Meg says, noting that there is an assumption that life goes back to normal when active treatment ends. “I think for most of us, that’s when it’s all starting to sink in and we’re maybe starting the grieving process of everything we just endured,” she says.

Living Fully, Today

Ten years after her 2015 diagnosis, Meg resides in Cleveland, Ohio, where she is an avid hiker, dog mom, foodie, and bookworm. She’s traveled widely, embraced new adventures, and found strength in pushing beyond her comfort zone.

“I wrote an article for Elephants and Tea called Dear Cancer: You Became My Silver Lining,” Meg shares. Elephants and Tea is a magazine written specifically for adolescents and young adults impacted by cancer. “A lot of good has come into my life by going through this really tough, terrible, dark time,” Meg says.

Through coaching, volunteering as an ABCD Mentor, and working as an ABCD Match Specialist, Meg ensures that people facing breast cancer have opportunities to find understanding, resilience, and even joy in the chapters that follow a diagnosis. “One of the reasons I love ABCD is that no one’s going through this alone, and I live and breathe that every day. It makes me so fulfilled, matching people and getting them the support they need,” Meg says.

Meg was diagnosed in May 2015 with Stage 3 ER+ PR+ HER2+ invasive ductal carcinoma that had spread to lymph nodes. Her treatment included a bilateral mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and reconstruction.