Meet the Models, SoCal: Ashley Zdunich

Ashley Zdunich was 37 when she found a lump in her breast. She called her doctor right away and “I knew by the way they were interacting with each other that it was cancer.” Indeed, she would go on to get a diagnosis on Christmas. Although bad timing, she notes, “it was the best Christmas my family and I have ever had because we all just loved on each other- we dropped the petty stuff in the face of this.”

Immediately Ashely attacked treatment head on. She did egg harvesting and had prioritized surgery as her first form of treatment. From there, she started chemo and then radiation. She finished all treatments in October 2023. An ice hockey power skating coach, she worked throughout: “cancer doesn’t own me. I am cancer’s boss.” She especially credits her mother for the love and support throughout to get her through such a challenging time.

Now, Ashley focuses on providing the support she found most helpful during treatment: “Doctors give you the necessary medical info, but survivors give you the best tips and tricks for actual treatments. Tips like that are everything to someone going through it, but you’ll never hear them from doctors.”