Meet the Models: Angelina Hawley-Dolan

Meet the Models: Angelina’s Story – Anchored in Love, Strengthened by Community

Angelina is a mother, a wife, a teacher, a daughter, a friend—and now, a survivor. Her story begins not with a diagnosis, but in the quiet rhythm of everyday life: nursing her youngest child, juggling motherhood and her role as director of a Montessori school, and living fully at just 32 years old. Cancer wasn’t on her radar.

It started with a bout of mastitis—common enough for a breastfeeding mother. But when it cleared, a lump lingered. At first, Angelina assumed it was nothing. “I’ll get it checked at some point,” she told her husband. But his gentle concern quickly turned to firm insistence: “You need to make time. You need to do this.” That moment of insistence became a turning point—one that may have saved her life.

The days that followed moved both quickly and painfully slow. An ultrasound. A biopsy. Then a phone call, taken while standing in an alleyway outside her school. “You have cancer.” Invasive lobular carcinoma. Angelina’s world changed instantly.

“I remember running upstairs to my mom after the call. I collapsed into her arms. All I could think about was my two babies—how could I leave them?”

What followed was a swirl of fear, appointments, decisions, and uncertainty. But woven through the fear was an unwavering thread of love. Her husband, Chris, was there every step, catching her—literally—when she collapsed into his arms. “You’re going to be okay,” he said. And somehow, those words helped her begin to believe it.

The power of community carried Angelina through. Her family. Her school. Her friends. Strangers. All showing up in ways big and small—delivering meals, wearing her scarves in solidarity, asking nothing but offering everything.

“People often ask how I managed with such young children, a job, and treatment. The answer? My community. They lifted me. They walked beside me.”

Angelina now reflects on how little she knew about breast cancer in young women—and how important early vigilance truly is. But she also carries immense gratitude for the people who helped her find light through the darkest days.

“Even when I came home bandaged, hairless, exhausted—my children smiled at me like nothing had changed. Their resilience gave me strength.”

Today, Angelina shares her story so others know they’re not alone. She urges newly diagnosed women to talk to survivors, to ask questions, and to let hope remain—even when it’s hard to find.

“There is wisdom in those who’ve come before us. Don’t be afraid to reach out. There’s always someone willing to hold your hand through it.”

She walks the Runway this October not just as a model, but as a testament to the power of early detection, the unbreakable strength of love, and the deep healing found in community.

Angelina was also our Love for Runway, Concord speaker in the spring of 2025 (pictured first from the left). Read her full speech here.