Meet the Models, NYC: Amy Kazanoff

In October of 2020, Amy Kazanoff had a lot going on. Still navigating peak COVID restrictions, she and her family were just moving back to the city. The chaos of her daughter starting a new school and living in temporary housing until their apartment as ready meant she almost missed her mammogram. Luckily she attended and imaging would reveal she had breast cancer.

With three tumors in her breast, a double mastectomy was her only surgical option. She proceeded, but was happy to avoid chemo and go on a cocktail of other medications, many of which she is still receiving. Though she credits her support system as a whole, she is especially grateful to best friend (and longtime Runway model) Liz Silverman, who was “an amazing resource, mentor and friend. I was and am really lucky to have her.”

For Amy, the hardest part was telling her daughters, ages 7 and 9 at the time: “The only thing I remember being worried about was telling them.” In the end, Amy says she kept a positive attitude, to ensure her daughters felt positive too and “the most important thing is reassuring them their needs were going to be met. Someone was still going to be there to pick them up from school and make sure life went uninterrupted.”

Amy’s inspiration to dance the inaugural NYC Runway is drawn straight from her experience with her own children. She notes, “I was fortunate enough to never have to ask for support- my family, friends, babysitters, medical team etc- were just there to make sure my children’s lives didn’t change. The most important thing you can do during that time, for your own sanity, is to know that even though you are going through a horrible time, you can handle it because your kids are going to be ok.”

Amy will dance later this month in honor of that mission- to ensure every mother and family is wrapped with services that help ease the tension of fighting breast cancer.