Alicia’s Story

Meet the Models, SoCal: Alicia Fisher

Alicia Fisher’s breast cancer journey began in a year already marked by collective struggle — 2020. On New Year’s Eve, just as the world was preparing to say goodbye to one of the most difficult years in recent memory, Alicia received the devastating call: she had breast cancer. She was 34 years old and had discovered the lump herself. Her primary care doctor believed her concerns and acted quickly, ordering the tests that led to her diagnosis. It was a moment that changed everything.

What followed was a brutal stretch of surgeries, treatments, and emotional upheaval. Just a few weeks later, in January 2021, she underwent a double mastectomy. That alone would have been enough to shake any sense of normalcy, but Alicia’s path was far more complicated. Over the next four years, she endured 18 surgeries — a staggering number that included reconstruction, complications, and ultimately, a second cancer diagnosis. The cancer returned in 2023 and couldn’t be removed surgically, requiring eight rounds of chemotherapy and 19 rounds of radiation.

“Chemo really broke my spirit,” Alicia shares. “There were days I didn’t recognize the woman in the mirror. Days I wondered if I’d ever feel whole again.”

And yet, Alicia doesn’t tell her story from a place of bitterness. Her voice carries both the weight of her pain and the clarity of someone who has been cracked open by hardship and rebuilt herself with purpose.

“Breast cancer broke me open. It stripped away every illusion of control and forced me to face myself — my fears, my pain, my strength. But somehow, through all the loss and exhaustion, I found something sacred — a deeper connection to life, to love, and to my own resilience.”

In addition to being a two-time survivor, Alicia is also 16 years sober. Her recovery journey and her cancer journey became deeply intertwined — not just in the act of survival, but in how she approached her spirituality, vulnerability, and the power of community.

“Sobriety gave me tools that saved my life again during cancer. I had no desire to drink — I knew it wouldn’t fix anything. Instead, I leaned into spiritual experiences, into asking for help, and into receiving love, which was not always easy.”

Community became her lifeline. The recovery network rallied for her with a softball fundraiser. Friends held a “Ta-Ta to My Tatas” party before her mastectomy. When she had to shave her long, beloved hair, her fiancé made her a handmade flower crown and gently placed it on her head. She also found healing with the Booby Queens, a breast cancer retreat community for women under 40. There, during a deeply emotional photo shoot, she painted her scars in gold and held a framed photo of herself during chemo — a moment she says helped her finally process that she had survived, and more than that, had reclaimed her story.

“That retreat helped me cry for the first time, really cry. I realized I had made it through not once, but twice. That I was proud of myself.”

Now living in Southern California, Alicia is preparing to walk in her very first Runway for Recovery show — something she discovered on Instagram through mutual connections in the breast cancer community.

“I’ve always wanted to walk in a runway show. This one feels like I’ve earned it.”

She’ll be walking alongside her fiancé, who she describes as her rock — someone who has stood beside her through every twist and turn of this journey. She’s excited for the community, for the celebration, and for the symbolism of reclaiming beauty and confidence on the runway.

December 2025: A Milestone of Healing

This December marks two years since her final chemo treatment — a milestone that feels especially meaningful.

“I finally feel like I’m coming home to me again,” Alicia says. “I don’t take anything for granted anymore. I see beauty where I used to see scars. I survived, but more than that, I woke up.”

Alicia’s story is a testament to the power of community, vulnerability, and healing. Her journey is not just one of survival, but of transformation — and when she steps onto the runway this year, it will be with every hard-won ounce of joy, strength, and pride she carries.