Parents with Breast Cancer

Linda’s daughters describe her as their “amazing mother who defeated cancer and never lost her positive attitude throughout the entire process.”

Linda Phelan returns to Runway with deep gratitude for the family and community that carried her through breast cancer.

Kristen Barcelo was diagnosed with breast cancer at 32, when her daughter was not yet 18 months old.

Now, two years from diagnosis and one year with no evidence of disease, Kristen is beginning to feel like she can get her head above water.

This October, she will walk the Runway with her daughter in mind.

“I want my daughter to see that I’m strong,” Kristen says. “I’m okay. We’re getting through this.”

Sharon Tarby never thought of herself as strong until she had no choice.

In 1999, she found a lump in her right breast over Memorial Day weekend. Soon after, Sharon learned she not only had breast cancer, but was also pregnant.

Now, more than 25 years later, Sharon’s boys are grown, and she recently became a grandmother.

Jenna Auber is almost 14 years out from her breast cancer diagnosis.

At 36, while breastfeeding her youngest son, Jenna pushed forward with early screening. Months later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer on her birthday, with her almost two-year-old sitting on her lap.

“I feel like I’m a poster child for genetic testing and early screening,” Jenna says.

Now, years later, Jenna carries both gratitude and grief.

This year, Betsy is celebrating more than 25 years of survivorship after breast cancer.

She is also honoring her mother, Sally Hetzler, who passed away from breast cancer just eight days before Frannie was born.

When Betsy was diagnosed, her children were 5 and 10 years old. Today, they are 31 and 36, and Betsy is a proud grandmother to a beautiful one-year-old grandson.

Debbie First was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1977 and had 13 months of a groundbreaking treatment. With three children under 12 and the support of her husband, Debbie managed a full time position as Executive Director of Action for Children’s Television. Nearly five decades later, she is cancer free and walks the Runway stage for the third time with a unique perspective on how far cancer awareness, research, treatment and support have come—giving us hope for a future with more cures and more people living with the disease.

As a single mother diagnosed with breast cancer, Jennie’s first fear was not for herself. It was for her kids. But through treatment, Jennie found strength, faith, and a renewed commitment to her own happiness.

“I always get back up, no matter what,” she says.