Parents with Breast Cancer
Emily Knight’s Story
Emily Knight was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2022, just before her 40th birthday.
Now living with metastatic breast cancer, Emily continues treatment indefinitely and is currently doing well, with clear scans since radiation and treatment to the affected area.
Through it all, Emily has found that community matters most.
“The community is the most important thing,” Emily says.
Read MoreKaren Walsh’s Story
“The reason I sought you guys out was for community,” Karen says. “Community for my boys, for families.”
Now returning for Runway’s 20th anniversary, Karen is grateful to be part of a space where stories are allowed to change, where hard things can be named, and where no one has to feel alone in what they are carrying.
Read MoreShelley Murray’s Story
Shelley Murray was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago. At first, she kept her diagnosis private.
But over time, she realized that sharing her story could become a way to help others feel less alone.
“What motivates me in life is giving back to people and adding value to their lives,” she says.
“After the first three years, I decided this is crazy. I need to go public with this,” Shelley says. “I know so many people, and I need to give back.”
Read MoreSarah Hickey’s Story
Sarah Hickey dreams of being there for her daughter’s wedding.
For a long time, she imagined that certain future milestones such as this would define the fullness of her life.
But she is also learning to see that fullness in the present: dropping her daughter off at kindergarten, tucking her in at night, and sharing the small, ordinary moments that now feel anything but ordinary.
“I’m measuring the success of my life in those little moments,” Sarah says.
She still wants the big moments. But she no longer believes they are the only proof of a life well lived.
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 MorePamela Soto’s Story
Pamela was only 12 years old when her mother was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. Two years later, Pamela lost her.
When Pamela had daughters of her own, she made a choice that would change the course of her own story: she got genetic testing.
The test came back positive for the BRCA gene mutation, and Pamela began early screenings. Years later, those screenings helped catch her own triple negative breast cancer at stage one.
“The choice that I made to get tested for the gene and having all the screenings early allowed them to catch it early,” Pamela says, “and give me a chance to still be here enjoying my daughters.”
Read MoreArlene Garcia’s Story
As Arlene continues living with metastatic breast cancer, there have been many changes: progression in her brain tumors, liver, and bones, difficult side effects, double vision, and the uncertainty of hoping a new treatment will work.
Still, Arlene is holding tightly to hope — especially through her children.
“I am hoping to see them thrive and grow,” Arlene says.
Read MoreDebby Alter’s Story
Debby Alter was 16 days away from being one year cancer free from kidney cancer when a routine mammogram found breast cancer.
She was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma and treated with a lumpectomy, followed by a month of radiation. While her treatment plan was physically straightforward compared to what it could have been, emotionally, breast cancer changed everything.
“I can’t even count the ways it’s changed my life,” Debby says. “It’s changed the way I see things. It’s changed the way I feel like I’m seen.”
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 MoreAlison Flanagan’s Story
“I really never have been public about my breast cancer.”
After years of carrying her story quietly, Alison realized Runway might be what she needed to finally process, connect, and feel less alone.
“Maybe this is what I need,” she says. “Not a new job, not more surgeries, not all these other things. Maybe I need to find a community and connect that way.”
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