Marci Eiserman’s Story

How are you feeling as you return to Runway this year?

Marci Eiserman is returning to the Runway stage for the 20th Anniversary.

For the past few years, her daughters, Kenzie and Addie, have walked while Marci watched from the audience. She loved getting to experience the show that way, seeing her girls on stage and feeling the energy of the night without being behind the scenes herself. 

At first, Marci thought she might wait until she reached 10 years since diagnosis before walking again. This year marks eight.

But when Olivia reached out about the 20th Anniversary, Marci started to think differently.

“I feel like we think about life and milestones,” Marci says. “But it’s like, why?”

For Marci, the 20th Anniversary felt like the right reason to return.

 

What has it been like watching your daughters grow up with Runway?

Marci loves watching her girls on the Runway stage.

“They speed runway,” she says, laughing. “I don’t think they stop.”

Last year felt especially fun because the girls were up there with friends, cheering on other models and being part of the energy of the night. 

Runway has also helped shape the way Marci talks with her daughters about breast cancer.

Marci’s mother passed away from breast cancer before Kenzie and Addie had the chance to meet her. Because of that, Marci has always been open with them. They honor her mother’s birthday and the day she passed, often by doing something together as a family.

As Kenzie and Addie get older, those conversations continue to change. Kenzie recently turned 12, and Marci has started thinking more about what conversations with doctors may look like as her daughters grow. Marci tested negative for known genetic mutations, but she knows testing has changed since she went through it eight years ago.

Her approach with her daughters is simple: be open, be honest, and make sure breast cancer is not treated like something they are not allowed to ask about.

 

How has Runway helped those conversations?

Runway has made breast cancer feel less scary for Marci’s daughters.

They see photos. They hear stories. They know their mom had no hair during treatment and can now look back at those moments with her.

Marci is even hoping to recreate photos she took with Melena before her surgery, when she first walked. This time, there will be a new version of those images: her girls older, Marci with hair, and their family further along in the story. 

For Marci, Runway helps because her daughters see people happy on the night of the show.

It gives them a way to understand breast cancer that includes memory, celebration, and community.

 

What advice would you give someone newly diagnosed?

Looking back, Marci would tell someone newly diagnosed not to take on too much.

She worked through treatment, and now she would tell someone else not to do that if they can avoid it.

“Don’t work, and don’t put a lot on yourself,” she says.

Marci also encourages people to find the few people they can be honest with. The people who can listen. The people who can show up in ways that actually help.

She knows people will not always say the right thing. Most of the time, they are trying their best, even if they do not know what to do. Her advice is to accept what you can, let the rest go, and ask for the kind of help that truly makes life easier.

For Marci, that meant things like grocery shopping and gift cards. It meant support that did not take away the parts of parenting she still wanted to control.

Most of all, she would tell someone to take time.

 

What are you most excited about this year?

Marci is excited to feel the energy of the show again.

She loves being on the stage, seeing everyone in the room, and feeling the support that fills the night. She is also hoping people from her Newburyport community will come and experience it for themselves. 

This year has been hard for her family, with Bob dealing with dialysis again. For Marci, the Runway Show offers a night to step out of that for a moment and be fully present.

She is also thinking about the newer models.

By walking eight years after diagnosis, Marci gets to show others what life can look like further out. Not perfect. Not untouched by hard things. But still here, still moving, still able to celebrate.

 

What are we celebrating this year?

This year, we are celebrating Marci’s return to the Runway stage.

We are celebrating eight years since her diagnosis and the daughters who have grown up with Runway as part of their lives.