Survivors
Shelley 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 MoreSona 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 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 MoreLaWanda Woumnm’s Story
When LaWanda began training as a 911 dispatcher with the Natick Police Department, she was excited to launch the next chapter of her life.
Six days later, her doctor called with the news: she had Stage 2 HER2+ breast cancer.
What followed was aggressive treatment, deep exhaustion, depression, financial stress, and a lesson LaWanda now carries with her: when you need help, ask for it.
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.”
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 MoreLaura Gradel’s Story
Laura has been through breast cancer treatment, pregnancy loss, questions about fertility, chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and eventually, two pregnancies after treatment.
For years, Laura was not always sure how much of that story she wanted to share.
Now, five years later, she is ready to tell the fuller version.
“I want to be able to just talk about it,” she says. “And not be protecting people from feeling sad or feeling overwhelmed.”
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