Cassy Villalta’s Story

What has changed since we last shared your story?

For Cassy Villalta, the biggest change is almost hard to believe.

In January 2022, doctors saw a spot on her ribs. At the time, there was uncertainty around what it meant. Cassy did not know whether she was stage IV, in remission, or somewhere in between.

Because of where the spot was located, too close to her lungs and heart, doctors could not biopsy it.

Cassy wanted answers.

“I just want to know,” she remembers thinking. “Is it or not?”

The reports from her bone scan, MRI, and other imaging suggested that the cancer was in her bones. She also had a fractured rib, which made doctors believe the spot was metastatic.

So Cassy began treatment.

She has been receiving monthly Faslodex injections at Dana-Farber, along with regular labs and appointments. The medication is intense, and after years of reactions, a traveling nurse eventually helped find a better injection site.

Over time, Cassy built relationships with the nurses who treated her. Many of them knew her by name. One even told Cassy she was putting herself on her chart so she could care for her whenever possible.

But recently, everything changed.

Cassy’s last three CT scans of her abdomen, pelvis, and chest have shown nothing.

“They are confident that it’s not there,” Cassy says.

Now, after one more treatment in August, Cassy will no longer need to go every month for labs, medication, and appointments. She will move to six-month check-ins.

“It seems surreal,” she says.

 

How have you carried yourself through all of this?

Cassy has always brought a natural positivity to her experience.

At first, when she began sharing updates online, she did it mostly to keep people informed. It was easier than sending the same information to multiple people.

She did not realize how many people were paying attention.

Then people started reaching out.

Someone running the Boston Marathon told her they had thought of Cassy when they wanted to stop.

Cassy could hardly believe it.

“You were thinking of me during the Boston Marathon?” she remembers thinking.

Over time, Cassy realized that sharing her story and her positivity was helping people through their own hard moments.

 

How do you think about your diagnosis now?

Cassy has never viewed breast cancer as a death sentence.

Instead, she has approached it as something to move through.

“I never looked at it as a diagnosis and a death sentence,” she says. “It was kind of just like, oh, this is what I have, and we’re going to do X, Y, and Z to get through it.”

That does not mean everything has been easy. It means Cassy has chosen to keep living, keep moving, and keep believing there is purpose in her story.

She believes she is here for a reason.

“Maybe my purpose is to spread positivity or news on breast cancer or to help people get through it,” she says.

For Cassy, breast cancer is part of her, but it is not something she thinks about every moment of every day. Sometimes it is simply part of the routine: another appointment, another check-in, another drive to Boston after school.

It is part of her life, but it does not get to take over her whole life.

 

Why is Runway’s 20th Anniversary Show important to you?

Cassy is deeply excited to return to the Runway stage for the 20th Anniversary Show.

At the most recent Runway retreat, she learned more about the organization’s mission, funding, and the families supported by Runway. Hearing directly about what Runway grants can do, from groceries to camp to helping a family get through a difficult season, gave her a deeper understanding of the impact.

She realized that walking in the show was not only about showing up for one night.

It was also about raising funds, spreading awareness, and helping families going through breast cancer.

“I really want to promote my fundraising and just really be a part of raising funds and helping families that are going through it,” Cassy says.

This year feels especially meaningful because of the timing.

By the time Cassy walks in October, she will have finished monthly treatment.

For her, the show feels like a celebration of everything she has been through and everything she is ready to step into next.

“I want to use it as kind of like I’m finished and move on,” she says. “This is my big hurrah.”

We will be celebrating the big hurrah she so deeply deserves on October 29th. We can’t wait!