Currently in Treatment
Meet the Models: Katie Smith
Katie Smith was enjoying all the facets of being a new mother to her boys, ages 2 and 5. In fact, she and her husband were trying for a third. Six months prior, given extensive family history of breast cancer, Katie received her first mammogram, at an earlier than typical age, and was all clear. She carried on with family life and being a science teacher to her middle schoolers. Her seemingly blissful family existence was soon shattered, first by a miscarriage and then a devastating diagnosis of stage four metastatic breast cancer. Katie has been fighting the disease for three years now.
Read MoreMeet the Models: Barbara Bigelow
Barbara Bigelow is a force in the world of breast cancer. Cancer has been apart of her life for twenty years. She was originally diagnosed with early stage breast cancer and entered treatment. What proved to be even more shocking was that in her first year of treatment, her two sisters were diagnosed with breast cancer. Sadly, one sister passed away of metastatic breast cancer.
Read MoreMeet the Models: Rebecca Kitchen
Rebecca Kitchen was on her way to urgent care when she decided to stop home for a quick shower. While showering she noticed a lump in her breast. Not thinking much of it, she brought it up to the urgent care doctor just in case. He too believed it to be a cyst, or something minor given Rebecca’s young age of 30. To be safe he sent her for a mammogram and ultrasound, both of which came back inconclusive. Three biopsies later, Rebecca was diagnosed with stage three ductal carcinoma breast cancer. It came as a complete shock: “it was so far outside the realm of possibilities for me. I would never have even thought it was possible.” Indeed, Rebecca had no family history and later genetic testing would reveal she also had no precursors.
Read MoreMeet the Models: Cassandra (Cassy) Villalta
Cassy Villalta beams with positivity. One would never know the journey she has been on in the past decade. At just 35, with a 3 and 5 year old at home, Cassy was diagnosed with grade 3 ductal carcinoma. She would go on to have a lumpectomy, chemo, radiation and immunotherapy. It was grueling schedule, but Cassy remained upbeat throughout: “as long as it was fixable, I kept a smile on my face.” Her main priority was her children and ensuring their lives were uninterrupted by her diagnosis. She remains steadfast in her motivation to have her children’s memories of growing up not be tainted with images of her sick.
Read MoreMeet the Models: LaWanda Woumnm
Lawanda’s electric energy is impossible to miss. Sit with her for sixty seconds and you feel enveloped in her warmth. It’s a feeling she is hoping to spread: “Although I continue to fight the fight, while on this journey, I want to inspire, I want to encourage, I want to motivate. Breast Cancer is what happened to me. It is not my identity. I remind myself every day I am on this journey- I am who God says I am. I am approved, I am accepted, I am valuable, I am a masterpiece AND I am a child of the Most High God!”
Read MoreMeet the Models: Jillian Miller
“the world portrays breast cancer as THE cancer to get. Get a t-shirt, a ribbon and you’re good to go. So I was like alright, lets go, let’s do this thing.”
Read MoreMeet the Models: Christine Leach
Last September, Christine Leach lost her husband after his 22 month battle with glioblastoma. It was a tragedy that thrust her, and her two children, into unimaginable grief. She was due for her mammogram in December 2021
Read MoreMeet the Models: Alexis Klimchenko
. Her self advocation would turn out to be live saving- testing confirmed Alexis had invasive ductal carcinoma. Days later she would find out that spots on her liver meant she was stage four.
Read MoreMeet the Models: Brienne Black
Like many of us, Brienne Black had a milestone birthday in Quarantine. She turned 40 this past January and decided to drive down to Florida two weeks later with her husband, Michael, and their children Alanna and William. It did take a bit of convincing to get Brienne and her family packed up in a car for the 24 hour road trip down there. However, the promise of family time in the warm weather and a very cute Golden Retriever named Charlie really tipped the scales.
Read MoreMeet the Models: Hannah Earle
Hannah Earle is living with metastatic breast cancer. In 2016, as a 31-year old mother of 2 young children, Hannah was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Her children were just 4 and 18 months old; she was in the thick of her world as a mom when cancer came roaring into her life and altered it forever. However, Hannah was steadfast that her diagnosis would not gravely affect the childhood of her two boys. You’ll come to realize this is an ever-present theme woven into the fabric of Hannah’s story.
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