Melissa Herrmann’s Story

How has breast cancer affected your life?

In 2022, just two months after her 39th birthday, Melissa Hermann was diagnosed with Stage 3A HER2-positive inflammatory breast cancer.

After discovering a lump, Melissa noticed that her right breast had doubled in size and become very red.

What followed was a year of treatment.

While continuing to work full-time, Melissa underwent 16 rounds of chemotherapy, followed by a single mastectomy with removal of her sentinel and axillary lymph nodes. She also completed 25 rounds of radiation.

Following surgery, Melissa received the incredible news that she had achieved a pathologic complete response, meaning no residual invasive cancer was found in the tissue examined.

Her treatment journey continued into 2024, when she underwent DIEP flap reconstruction and breast reduction surgery.

Looking back, Melissa describes 2022 as the ultimate journey of self-love, gratitude, and grace.

Through it all, she leaned on her family and medical team, along with a handful of extraordinary people who never gave up on her.

 

How has breast cancer affected your family?

Breast cancer was not unfamiliar to Melissa.

In 2010, she lost her mother to metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.

Growing up on Cape Cod, Melissa and her mother shared a special connection to Boston. They spent time together attending theater performances and discovering new restaurants throughout the city.

When her mother became ill, Boston took on a different meaning.

Her mother received treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital and stayed at Hope Lodge while undergoing radiation for brain metastases.

Today, Boston holds some of Melissa's most cherished memories with her mother, alongside the heartbreak of losing her.

 

What does walking in Runway's 20th Anniversary Show mean to you?

For Melissa, returning to Boston for Runway's 20th Anniversary is especially meaningful.

It is a chance to celebrate her own experience with breast cancer in a city so closely connected to her mother's story.

This October, Melissa walks as a survivor, but also as a daughter honoring the woman whose memory continues to inspire her.

 

What advice would you give someone facing breast cancer?

Melissa wants others to remember that there is always room for hope, even during the most difficult experiences.

“Never give up on yourself. Life is worth every second, no matter how much strife or struggles may lie ahead. There is always a silver lining and a place where hope grows.”

For Melissa, survivorship has meant learning to give herself grace and appreciating the life she gets to live.

As she prepares to step onto the Runway stage, she carries one final sentiment, inspired by Freya Ridings:

“You are gonna watch me rise!”