Breast Cancer in the Black and Brown Community
Mercy, Brenda, Janelle and Waleska’s Story
Jennifer Pineda first danced on the Runway for Recovery stage in 2023 with her daughter, Janelle, by her side.
At the time, Jennifer was living with metastatic breast cancer, but her focus was never only on herself.
“My strength is my girls,” Jennifer shared. “They are my main motivation.”
Jennifer passed away on November 7, 2024, at the age of 40. Today, Brenda, Mercy, Waleska, Trayana, and Janelle continue to carry her legacy forward.
Read MoreEsther Kasin’s Story
Esther Kasin’s breast cancer story is one of persistence and self advocacy.
After years of monitoring a lump that had always tested benign, Esther knew something was different when it grew larger and became painful.
Again and again, Esther had to speak up for herself.
Read MoreErica Fontes’s Story
Erica explains her reason for walking the Runway on behalf of her mother.
“It’s my way of honoring her after 10 years.”
Read MoreAvamarie Warden’s Story
Avamarie never expected breast cancer to bring her into rooms she had not imagined for herself.
“I wanted no parts of any community,” she says.
But once she found one, she understood what people had been trying to tell her.
“It really is a difference when you’re around people who get it,” Avamarie says.
Read MoreVictoria Price’s Story
Victoria Price was 29 years old when she felt something unusual in her breast.
“My body is telling me that something’s not right,” she remembers thinking.
After weeks of appointments, scans, biopsies, and uncertainty, genetic testing later revealed that she carries the BRCA2 mutation.
“I’m grateful that I listened to my body and that I know my body,” Victoria says.
Now, Victoria uses her voice to help others feel seen, especially young Black women who may not see themselves reflected in breast cancer spaces.
Read MoreMariah Powell’s Story
Mariah Powell is bringing her story, her purpose, and her joy to Boston.
Since becoming part of the Runway community, Mariah has continued to grow into the kind of advocate she once hoped to see: a visible, honest, inspiring face for other Black women navigating breast cancer.
Now, as she prepares to come to Boston and step into a new role as a model mentor, Mariah is also building something of her own in Virginia Beach: a 5K fundraiser on the oceanfront to benefit Runway for Recovery.
Read MoreGiselle & AvaMarie Watkins’s Story
Gisele and Ava Marie Watkins are taking the Runway for Recovery stage in honor of their mother, Shadon Watkins.
When Shadon became part of the Runway for Recovery family, she was living with metastatic breast cancer. Through every treatment, hospitalization, and setback, her focus remained on her daughters and making sure they could still experience joy, confidence, and the simple parts of childhood.
“They are what keep me going,” Shadon shared.
In 2024, Gisele and Ava Marie danced beside their mother on the Runway stage. Last year, they returned to honor her memory. This year, they continue that tradition — celebrating the woman who showed them what courage, resilience, and unconditional love look like.
Read MoreLaWanda Woumnm’s Story
When LaWanda began training as a 911 dispatcher with the Natick Police Department, she was excited to launch the next chapter of her life.
Six days later, her doctor called with the news: she had Stage 2 HER2+ breast cancer.
What followed was aggressive treatment, deep exhaustion, depression, financial stress, and a lesson LaWanda now carries with her: when you need help, ask for it.
Read MoreAsha Miller’s Story
For Asha, learning to show her body as it is has become part of her survivorship.
After completing breast cancer treatment, Asha was diagnosed with vitiligo, bringing yet another layer of physical change to a body that had already been through so much.
At this year’s New York Runway Show, she made the intentional decision not to cover it.
In doing so, Asha is teaching us what it means to show up exactly as we are.
Read MoreCrystal Davis’s Story
Crystal Davis has spent her life caring for others.
This year, Crystal returns to Runway as a survivor, advocate, board member, and recipient of the 2026 Ilene Beal Legacy of Leadership Award — continuing to dance, lead, and light up the stage for a community she believes in.
Now 18 years cancer free, Crystal’s story is one of survival, service, and celebration — a reminder that leadership can come from lived experience, and that support can change everything.
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