Posts by Caroline O'Donnell
Meet the Models, SoCal: Sarah Valencia
“If you can prevent it, do it.”
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Jenni DeSilva
Jenni DeSilva learned she had the PALB2 mutation through a genetic test provided through her husband’s medical sales job. Herself being in medical sales, Jenni understood the importance of getting multiple consults from various doctors on what to do. Ultimately, she decided to have a double mastectomy because she “felt like I had a target on my back, like I was just waiting for it to come.” Eventually, she will also need a hysterectomy.
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Maria Glaze
Maria Glaze was a uterine cancer survivor, single mother of two high school boys and only 40 when she lost her job. It forced her to take a part time job with an extremely long commute. After her acceptance to culinary school, she was offered the job full time. Initially rejecting it, her supervisor convinced her to stay. Little did she know, after months of feeling extreme fatigue (which she thought was just due to her schedule), tests from the doctor would come back confirming stage 3 breast cancer.
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Tamara Deiro
In 1975 when Tamara Deiro was just 10 years old, she lost her great aunt to breast cancer. It was an emotional blow, particularly because Tamara was adopted and had a close bond to her aunt, whom she felt embraced her fully as her own.
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Patty Nandy & Danielle Cronin
Patty Nandy was very familiar with breast cancer. Her grandmother, aunt and mother all had breast cancer, which meant she was familiar with the brutality of the disease. It’s why, when her mammogram caught signs of cancer, she was not overly surprised. She was 50 at the time and when it was determined that she would not be able to take tamoxifen, Patty opted for a bilateral double mastectomy.
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Andrea Magni
It is often noted in this community that once one is diagnosed with breast cancer, they have it for life. Even if a survivor, the mental, physical and emotional toll of the disease can long outlast treatment and clear scans. It’s a sentiment Andrea Magni echoes. A native South African, she was diagnosed in January 2017 with DCIS, having three DCIS tumors in her right breast. She received a double mastectomy.
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Beth Rouse
at 41 years old and a mother of five, Beth decided to get her first mammogram. Her dedication to the testing meant she had to stop breastfeeding and wait two months before the mammogram could occur. It would be a decision that would save her life.
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Tracy Cushing
Tracy Cushing is a force of a female. An ER physician with extensive knowledge in wilderness medicine, she also spent time in medical school as a physician in the direct aftermath of 9/11. She has had a plant based diet for over a decade and was training for her fifth ironman when she felt a lump in her breast.
Read More2023 Runway Show, New England
To our donors, models, board members, sponsors, and the entire Runway community — we could not do our annual show without you!
Read MoreReflecting
I have listened to hundreds of stories over the years and written even more blogs.
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