Michelle’s Story

Michelle Gallegos never expected to hear the words “Stage 4” after having already been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer once before. In 2013, she underwent a double mastectomy and reconstruction, closing what she thought was a painful chapter. More than a decade later, in early 2024, she found herself once again on the other end of a diagnosis—this time, metastatic breast cancer that had spread to her bones.

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Shannon’s Story

When Shannon Bernhart received her diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma on September 2, 2022, she was in the midst of planning for a joyful chapter in her life—she had just received the green light to pursue embryo adoption. The news of her cancer hit hard and fast, clouding a moment that was meant to be filled with hope and possibility. “I was pretty numb at first,” she recalls. “And then I got angry. It took time to digest it all.”

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Christina’s Story

When Christina Clements received her breast cancer diagnosis, she was stationed thousands of miles from home on the remote island of Guam, with her children just 5 and 8 years old. The news was devastating—and isolating. But Christina’s resilience, bolstered by the people who showed up for her, carried her through one of the most challenging chapters of her life.

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Lauren’s Story

On April 7, 2022, at 10:51am, Lauren Yerkes received the call that would change her life. She was preparing for a work meeting when the radiologist told her she had invasive ductal carcinoma. “I remember only hearing the word ‘carcinoma’—I knew what that meant,” she recalls. Overcome with fear and confusion, she rushed to find her husband and handed him the phone. The two stood in their kitchen, hugging and crying, before beginning the painful process of sharing the news with loved ones.

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Meet the Models: Sheelagh Cawleyknopf 2025

“Don’t disappear.”

When Sheelagh Cawley reflects on her experience with breast cancer, she doesn’t focus first on her diagnosis, or the treatments, or even the fear. She begins with something deeper—something many people forget:

“If there’s one thing I wish people who will never be diagnosed could understand, it’s this: don’t disappear.”

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