Siobhan Donovan’s Story

What are you most excited about this year?

This year, Siobhan Donovan is excited to walk the Runway stage with her children.

After walking in Boston and then modeling in New York, Siobhan is looking forward to returning for Runway for Recovery’s 20th Anniversary Show with her kids beside her.

More than anything, Siobhan is excited for her children to become part of something that has meant so much to her and her husband.

“I’m really excited to do it with my kids because I just feel like it’s one of those core memories that we’ll always remember,” she says.

Why does walking with your children feel meaningful?

When Siobhan was first diagnosed, her children were very young. Much of the cancer world was not part of their understanding yet.

Now, they are older.

Her daughter and one of her sons understand more. Her youngest still understands less, but Siobhan hopes that Runway can help them see something important.

Cancer has brought hard things into their family’s life, but it has also brought community, love, and support.

Siobhan wants her children to know they are part of something bigger. She wants them to feel surrounded by people who care about them, support their family, and understand what they have been through.

“I’m hoping that a lot of the positive parts and the parts of the community that are so important and special become a part of their life also,” Siobhan says.

For Siobhan, this is not only about one night on stage. It is about introducing her children to a community they can carry with them.

“It’s not all bad,” she says. “It’s not all bad, and you’re not in it alone.”

How did you feel after the New York show?

“The strength and the just impressiveness of everybody there was just so moving and powerful,” she says.

Her husband was also able to attend the New York show, which made the experience even more special.

Siobhan remembers feeling sad when it was over.

“It was so fun,” she says.

For her, Runway is special not only because of the event itself, but because of the feeling it creates: celebration, connection, and a reminder that no one has to carry breast cancer alone.

 

How are you feeling today?

Physically, Siobhan is doing well.

She is on what she describes as a relatively easy treatment compared to others she has done, and she is trying to enjoy and soak in this season.

Mentally, she is in a more complicated place.

She is also approaching five years since her metastatic breast cancer diagnosis.

That milestone brings many emotions.

“It feels really happy in so many ways, and celebratory in so many ways, and heavy, and sad, and there’s guilt,” Siobhan says.

She feels lucky.

She knows she is lucky.

And she is deeply grateful.

 

What does five years mean to you?

“I can’t believe it’s going to be five years,” she says.

In so many ways, that feels good. It feels like something to celebrate.

But it also brings sadness, guilt, and the awareness that not everyone gets to reach this point.

Siobhan is trying to let all of those feelings exist.

She is also trying to enjoy the summer with her family. They went to Maine. They went to Disney World. They spent time with her parents, siblings, and children. They made memories.

But, for someone living with metastatic breast cancer, Siobhan is also constantly threatened with that awful question: Is this the last time?

Siobhan tries not to dwell there. She also does not ignore it.

Instead, she lets that awareness help her cherish what is in front of her.

“I got to come to the beach with my kids again,” she says. “I got to come to Disney with my kids again.”

What has Runway given you?

Runway has given Siobhan the feeling of being seen.

For someone living with metastatic breast cancer, that matters deeply.

People often assume that five years after diagnosis means remission, or that treatment is over, or that life has returned to what it was before.

But metastatic breast cancer does not work that way.

Siobhan is still living with cancer. She is still in treatment. She is still managing scans, appointments, uncertainty, and the emotional weight of all of it.

And she is also still living her life.

“Runway just makes you feel seen,” Siobhan says. “We live with cancer. We’re still living our lives. We just have cancer.”

Why does the Runway video matter to you?

Siobhan’s family video has become a beautiful reminder of what matters most.

Her children have watched it too, and her daughter understands that parts of it are sad. Siobhan wants her to also understand that cancer is not only sadness.

The video captures their family in motion: her daughter running up on the swing, her son racing through the yard, ordinary moments made extraordinary by the love inside them.

Siobhan says she never gets sick of watching it.

“It’s just a beautiful reminder,” she says.

For her, the video is another way Runway has helped her family feel seen.

It honors the hard parts, but it also preserves the joy.

We can’t wait for Siobhan and her kids to experience even more of that joy together on the Runway stage!