Breast Cancer in my 40’s
Meet the Models, SoCal: Carmen Hernandez
Focus on the positive, find the little moments of joy and small victories. Don’t hold onto negative.”
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: 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 MoreMeet the Models, New England: Jennifer Leventhal
When her sister Meredith Parkinson was diagnosed with breast cancer, “we were leveled” and completely shocked. Avid about her own mammograms, Jennifer received a clear mammogram in November 2021. In January however, she felt a lump and immediately called the doctor: “if Meredith had not been diagnosed, I don’t think I would have been as proactive. Otherwise, I would have just gone off my previous healthy mammogram and waited until the next year.” Even just the fact that she did a self exam is an ode to Meredith, as she had never been doing them previously.
Read MoreMeet the Models, New England: Kimberly Daly
“I didn’t want to spend all of my time being sad and mad. I had to know there was going to be an end where I could be ok.”
Read MoreMeet the Models, New England: Jillian Black
Her appreciation for the support she received is why she is passionate about partaking in Runway this year: “You need that support and not everyone is lucky enough to have it. Runway provides the support I didn’t need, but know is absolutely crucial.”
Read MoreMeet the Models, New England: Heather Pardo
Heather Pardo resides in the southern most tip of Texas. It’s a community she is grateful everyday to be raising her three boys in: “McAllen, TX is a real family oriented, traditional Hispanic community. Love, food and taking care of each other is part of the every day, and when something happens, like breast cancer, it’s even more so.”
Read MoreMeet the Models: Ami Mehr
Her greatest advice to those newly diagnosed: “even when it hurts, you finish the race. You can be in the worst of situations and obviously everyone’s story is different, but you really need to focus on a goal. That’s what is going to get you through.”
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