Lindsay McGloughlin’s Story

Where does your breast cancer journey begin?

Lindsay had been diagnosed with cancer at 28 years old, when her son Charlie was only 18 months old. Looking back on that time, she remembered feeling like her life was crumbling beneath her.

“Charlie was my strength,” Lindsay shared in 2014. “He kept me smiling and gave me something to fight for.”

Even then, Lindsay knew how much her son had carried her through treatment, surgeries, fear, and uncertainty.

“He will never truly know how much he helped throughout my battle,” she said.

What did Runway mean to you then?

In 2014, Lindsay shared that after treatment and surgeries ended, she still felt lost.

Cancer had changed her life, and survivorship brought its own emotional weight.

“Just because you are ‘cancer free’ does not mean you are free from the emotional toll it has taken on you and your family,” Lindsay said then.

When she first participated in Runway, Lindsay was nervous. But that night became a turning point.

“For the first time I was dancing and celebrating me and my survival,” she shared.

Hearing the crowd cheer helped Lindsay realize something she had not fully allowed herself to feel: she had survived. She was still here. She was going to keep living.

“I finally realized I did it,” she said. “I survived and I am going to continue to live my life.”

For Lindsay, Runway helped bring confidence back into her body and joy back into her story.

“Runway helped send that confidence through my veins and inspire me to keep dancing through life,” she said.

What has changed since then?

Now, Lindsay is 13 years out from her initial diagnosis.

She was diagnosed at both 28 and 33 years old, and through those chapters, Runway has remained a constant source of community, friendship, and love.

“Runway has become such a special and safe place for my son Charlie and I,” she says.

Charlie was only two years old when he made his Runway debut. This fall, he is headed to high school.

For Lindsay, that passage of time is powerful. Runway has watched Charlie grow up, and Charlie has been beside his mom through some of the most meaningful moments of her survivorship.

 

What has the Runway community meant to you over the years?

“I value the community that Runway has created,” Lindsay says. “I have made incredible friendships and met the most amazing people over the years.”

For Lindsay, a Runway event is a place where people understand the depth of what it means to take the stage.

“The love that surrounds you at a Runway event is unlike anything I have ever experienced,” she says.

How has Lindsay led within the Runway community?

Lindsay’s impact on Runway extends far beyond the stage.

At last year’s 19th Annual Runway Show, Lindsay received the Ilene Beal Legacy of Leadership Award, an honor recognizing visionary leadership, resilience, community, and compassion.

A trailblazer in every sense, Lindsay serves as a Fire Lieutenant and paramedic in her Concord community. As a two-time breast cancer survivor, devoted mother, and leader in the fire service, she has broken barriers, paved the way for more women in her department, and helped build a powerful sisterhood of support.

Within Runway, Lindsay has been a model, a speaker, a supporter behind the curtain — a steady presence for others walking their own path through breast cancer.

Lindsay shows up again and again: for her family, her colleagues, her community, and the Runway family. 

What are you looking forward to now?

In 2014, Lindsay looked forward to dancing with Charlie. 

“My best friend, my biggest fan, and the number one reason I fought as hard as I did — he will dance with his Momma,” she shared then.

Now, nearly a decade later, Lindsay will dance with Charlie again!

“I can’t wait to celebrate year 20 in Boston,” Lindsay says.

We can’t wait to celebrate with you, Lindsay!