Breast Cancer in the Asian Community
Sona Dalal’s Story
Sona Dalal was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, just six months after her brother passed away from chemotherapy-related complications.
At first, she kept her diagnosis private. She needed to move through treatment in a way that protected her peace and honored her boundaries.
“I wasn’t Sona with a diagnosis,” she says. “I was Sona, and I had a little extra to handle.”
For Sona, breast cancer changed many things, but it never changed who she was. Now, she uses her experience to help others feel less afraid, reminding them that a diagnosis may become part of your story, but it does not get to define your identity.
Read MoreLynne Cao’s Story
For Lynne, stepping onto the Runway stage is not about being a dancer or feeling perfectly comfortable in the spotlight. It is about courage, connection, and the love that surrounds her when she joins the Runway community.
“Imagine the warmest embrace that you can possibly imagine, the tightest hug,” she says. “That’s kind of how I would equate Runway for Recovery.”
Read MoreMy Doan’s Story
My Doan joined the Runway community in 2010.
Since then, she has watched it grow into something far bigger than she could have imagined.
For My, Runway has always felt like more than an event. It is a family, a reunion, and a place where she can celebrate her own survivorship while honoring her sister Lynne, who is living with metastatic breast cancer.
“I’m just so proud to be a part of the organization,” she says.
Read MoreVeronica Davis’s Story
Diagnosed during COVID, with one child in preschool and another in elementary school, Veronica moved through treatment with the help of doctors, friends, mothers’ groups, social workers, and a community that showed up with meals, rides, advice, and care.
“In many ways, it’s a triumph of everyone,” she says. “The fact that I’m here and I can celebrate it.”
Read MoreXiaoqi’s Story
Xiaoqi Han was diagnosed with breast cancer on January 30, 2024—after a routine mammogram that had been postponed for a couple of years. What followed was a moment that instantly shifted everything. “I was more than shocked… my sky was falling.”
Read MoreRunway Show, Boston 2025
Experience the power of Runway for Recovery through the voices of our Models—individuals who are breast cancer previvors, survivors, currently in treatment, and those living with metastatic breast cancer, alongside the legacies of loved ones we honor and remember.
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