Valerie David’s Story

What has changed since New York?

When Valerie David modeled in Runway for Recovery’s New York show, she had finished treatment just two months earlier.

Before surgery and radiation, Valerie remembers telling her doctor that she had a very clear deadline.

“I’m modeling April 30th,” she told him. “So you’re going to have to make sure I’m going to walk and I’m going to talk and I’ll have my memory.”

He reassured her that she would.

And she did.

But Valerie did not know what would come next. She was already on treatment for life and attending appointments every six weeks. Now, after the brain tumor, she also needed brain scans every three months and PET scans every four months.

Her original tumor had been described as benign. But after surgery, pathology revealed something unexpected: metastatic breast cancer had been growing on the tumor. Valerie describes it as a “collision mets tumor,” something with only a one to two percent chance of happening.

“I’m so lucky that my metastatic breast cancer hitched a ride and stayed on that tumor and didn’t go anywhere else,” Valerie says.

Still, she did not know what her next scans would show.

Then, last week, she got the news.

Her scans were clear.

“The doctor actually said, ‘Your scans are pristine,’” Valerie says. “And I was like, I’ll take it. I’ve never had pristine scans.”

What does that news mean for The Pink Hulk?

Valerie’s clear scans have opened the door for something deeply meaningful.

Her solo show, The Pink Hulk: One Woman’s Journey to Find the Superhero Within, chronicles her lymphoma and breast cancer story. This year marks the show’s 10th anniversary.

When Valerie was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer again, she did not know whether she would ever be able to perform the show again. She did not know whether the cancer would come back or whether she would be well enough to take the stage.

Now, with no evidence of disease, the show will go on.

“On with the show,” Valerie says.

This fall, The Pink Hulk will return for a special 10-year anniversary performance. The show will now include Valerie’s brain tumor story, adding a new chapter to a piece that has already helped so many people.

Over the past 10 years, Valerie has been diagnosed with breast cancer two more times. She is now a four-time cancer survivor over 27 years.

And yet, The Pink Hulk continues.

 

How has art helped you through cancer?

For Valerie, performing has been part of how she faces cancer.

In 2018, she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer on the very day her show was opening in Portland, Oregon.

She had a choice.

“What’s my choice?” Valerie says. “Run under the covers, or face it head on and say I’m going to do the show?”

She chose the show.

She performed that night, knowing she had just been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Then she performed the entire run.

For Valerie, the act of performing gave her strength. It required her to live the message she was sharing with others.

“I have to walk the walk and talk the talk,” she says.

That has been true again with her most recent diagnosis.

At first, Valerie told people she was having surgery for a benign tumor, because that was what she believed. When the pathology report came back showing cancer, she was blindsided. The news was traumatic, and for a while, she was afraid to share the truth publicly.

But keeping it in became heavy.

“The truth will set you free,” Valerie says.

When she finally shared what had happened, people responded with love, admiration, and gratitude. Some reached out to tell her that she had helped them through their own cancer experiences in real time.

For Valerie, making the private public became part of her healing.

 

What happened to The Pink Hulk during that time?

Valerie says that after her brain tumor diagnosis, she lost The Pink Hulk.

She had built a reputation as a woman of extraordinary strength, but in that moment, she did not feel strong. She did not feel her superpowers.

“The Pink Hulk wasn’t feeling strong,” Valerie says. “She wasn’t feeling her superpowers.”

It took time to reconcile what had happened. It took time to tell the truth. It took time to recover the part of herself that cancer had shaken.

But eventually, Valerie found her way back.

“The girl got her mojo back,” she says.

Now, she is bringing that strength into the next version of her show, the next chapter of her story, and the next Runway stage.

 

Why is returning to Boston important?

For Valerie, Boston’s 20th anniversary show feels especially meaningful.

This year, Runway for Recovery celebrates 20 years. The Pink Hulk celebrates 10 years. And Valerie is entering her 28th year of survivorship.

“We’re all celebrating,” Valerie says. “I want to celebrate with you all of our triumphs together.”

Runway has also given Valerie a community that extends far beyond the stage.

She and other Runway models have text chains. They celebrate clear scans. They support one another through hard days, family losses, graduations, and everything in between.

“Our friendships are beyond just cancer,” Valerie says. “It’s not just about cancer. It’s about being there for each other through everything.”

That is why returning to Boston matters. Valerie is not only coming back to model. She is coming back to celebrate with friends who understand the joy, fear, humor, and hope that come with life after diagnosis.

 

What did Runway’s retreat give you?

Valerie also treasures the community she found at the Runway retreat.

She remembers the laughter, the friendships, the staff, the volunteers, and the house full of women who quickly became part of her story.

She also remembers accidentally turning up the heat.

At the retreat, Valerie was rooming with Avery and Tanya. In her New York apartment, she says winter heat can be hard to come by, and her apartment has sometimes been as cold as 58 degrees. So when she saw a thermostat at the retreat, she turned it up.

The next morning, her bunkmates woke up overheated.

“I burnt my bunkmates,” Valerie jokes.

It became one of the stories they still laugh about, a reminder that Runway is not only a place for serious conversations and shared understanding. It is also a place for humor, friendship, and joy.

 

What do you want others to take from your story?

Valerie wants people to know that hope is still possible, even when the future is uncertain.

She knows what it feels like not to know what the next day will bring. She knows what it feels like to receive frightening news, to wait for scans, and to wonder what life will look like after another diagnosis.

But she also knows what it means to keep going.

“I want to help people because I know what it’s like to not know what your next day is going to be,” Valerie says. “But to not give up hope.”

That hope is what fuels The Pink Hulk. It is what brings her back to the stage. It is what helps her keep showing up for herself and others.

And even though Valerie jokes that she does not want any more material for the show, she knows that if another chapter comes, The Pink Hulk will go on.

 

What are we celebrating this year?

This year, we are celebrating Valerie’s pristine scans.

We are celebrating The Pink Hulk’s 10th anniversary.

We are celebrating 28 years of survivorship.

We are celebrating a woman who lost her superhero for a moment, then found her again.

And we are celebrating the way Valerie uses humor, honesty, art, and community to help others believe in hope.

On the Runway stage, we look forward to celebrating Valerie as she brings The Pink Hulk to Boston — clear scans, fierce spirit, pink cookies, superhero strength, and all.