Legacies of Passed Loved Ones
Maggie Corcoran Seitz’s Story
Breast cancer has shaped Maggie’s life through love, loss, and family.
Her mother passed away from breast cancer when Maggie was a young adult. At the time, there were very few people in her life who understood what it meant to lose a mother so young.
Olivia was one of them.
That shared understanding became part of what connected Maggie to Runway for Recovery.
Read MoreKathryn & Savannah’s Story
Kathryn Phillips and her daughter, Savannah “Savy,” have grown up with Runway across nearly every chapter of its history.
Kathryn first walked the Runway in 2007 in honor of her mother, Susan, who passed away from metastatic breast cancer.
Three years later, Kathryn returned to the stage while navigating breast cancer herself, this time with young Savy beside her.
They have been dancing on the Runway stage ever since!
“Once you’re in, you’re in for life,” Savy says.
Read MoreRachael Asselin’s Story
Rachael Asselin first came to Runway as a daughter who had lost her mother.
Now, through her role on the Runway Board as Chair of Family Grants, Rachael helps support children and families navigating the illness or loss of their own mothers.
This year, as Runway celebrates its 20th Anniversary, Rachael is reflecting on what it means to have grown alongside the organization, to have outlived her mother, and to help build the kind of community she once needed.
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 MoreDan Straffords’s Story
Dan Strafford and his daughters are returning to the Runway stage in memory of Kim.
For Dan, returning to Runway is about his daughters. When he asked if they wanted to walk again, their faces lit up.
“It was something brought to us because of pain that brought them joy,” he says.
Read MoreLily Hsin’s Story
Lily Hsin was only eight years old when she first shared her story with Runway.
Now 14 and starting high school, Lily continues to walk and dance in memory of Rachael, using Runway as a way to honor who Rachael was and keep her spirit present.
“It gives us a way to keep her alive,” Lily says.
Through the years, Runway has given Lily and her family a place to remember, celebrate, connect, and share Rachael’s story with others.
Read MoreLorna Brunelle’s Story
Lorna Brunelle is walking in honor of her mother, Wanda. Wanda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 and later learned it had returned as metastatic disease in her bones, liver, and lungs.
Now a two-time cancer survivor herself and currently living with stage four colorectal cancer, Lorna continues to carry her mother’s legacy forward by advocating for screening, supporting patients and caregivers, and reminding others to look for the light, even in the storm.
“I feel like having the audacity of hope is one of the most important pieces,” she says.
Read MoreKirstie & Caitlin’s Story
Some people have been part of Runway for Recovery since the very beginning. Few embody that history quite like Caitlin MacMillen.
Nearly twenty years later, Caitlin returns to the runway for her tenth Runway event, joined this year by her sister, Kirstie, celebrating not only Runway’s 20th Anniversary but the woman whose love continues to shape every part of this organization.
Read MoreErin Gonzalez’s Story
Erin Gonzalez is walking to honor the extraordinary woman who shaped her life: her mother, Denise Callahan.
“My mom never let cancer define her,” Erin says. “She was resilient, optimistic, and determined to make sure I would be okay.”
Read MoreJenny Clayton’s Story
After Jenny’s mother, Jean, passed away from breast cancer, Jenny and her sisters created a tradition to face their own family history together.
They called it Boobs and Baubles.
Each year, the sisters go for their mammograms together, supporting one another through the appointments before choosing a piece of jewelry to commemorate another year. What began as a way to make something frightening feel more celebratory has become one of the most meaningful traditions they share.
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