Survivors
Becky Conary’s Story
Breast cancer first touched Becky’s life when her mom was diagnosed in 2007. Watching someone she loved go through breast cancer changed her in ways that were hard to explain. A few years later, Becky faced her own diagnosis at 39.
After feeling a tiny lump in her right breast, Becky asked her doctor about it. A mammogram, ultrasound, and biopsy followed. Just days before her 40th birthday, she heard the words: “I’m sorry and very surprised to share with you that you have breast cancer.”
“I am living proof of why self-examinations and mammograms are so important.”
Read MoreMarci Eiserman’s Story
For the past few years, Marci has watched her daughters, Kenzie and Addie, take the stage without her. She loved being able to sit in the audience and experience the show from that side. But when Olivia asked her to come back for the 20th, Marci decided not to wait for the 10-year milestone she once had in mind.
Marci is excited to return to the stage and show newer models what life can look like years after diagnosis.
Read MoreLiz Silverman’s Story
Liz Silverman first shared these words with her children when she was diagnosed with breast cancer: “We can’t choose what happens to us, but we can choose how we will react to it.”
Liz and her family continue to try to live by that idea.
Read MoreDorothy Burnhams’s Story
Dorothy Burnham was nursing her infant while her two-year-old played at her feet when she noticed a lumpy area in her left breast.
Surrounded by all things baby, Dorothy assumed it was related to breastfeeding. It was not.
Today, Dorothy continues to be part of Runway as a member of the Board of Directors, helping carry forward the kind of support that families need when breast cancer interrupts ordinary life.
Read MoreAmi Mehr’s Story
Rowing has guided Ami through breast cancer, her mother’s later breast cancer diagnosis, and a benign brain tumor in 2019. Through it all, Ami has held onto one lesson: focus on a goal and keep moving toward it.
Read MoreLinda Phelan’s Story
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.
Read MoreKennedy Elsey’s Story
Kennedy Elsey has made a career out of making people laugh.
As one half of Boston’s beloved Karson & Kennedy morning show on Mix 104.1, laughter has always been part of who Kennedy is. But after her breast cancer diagnosis on July 3, 2024, laughter became much harder to find.
Today, Kennedy is cancer-free. Kennedy is still funny. She is still loud. And she refuses to let breast cancer define her.
Read MoreKristen Keough-Barcelo’s Story
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.”
Read MoreKate Martin’s Story
Kate Martin was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer nearly 10 years ago, when her son, Ronan, had just turned two.
Now, as she approaches her 10-year cancerversary, Kate is stepping onto the Runway stage to celebrate and help pull others through.
“When you meet the people that do understand it,” Kate says, “that’s where the healing is.”
Read MoreSharon Tarby’s Story
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.
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