Survivors
Meet the Models: Lisa Hennessy
Lisa Hennessy did not think twice about breast cancer in her thirties. There was no family history, but one day her 39 year old cousin called her up to tell her she had breast cancer. Lisa was shocked, but immediately began to advocate for herself with doctors. She asked her OBGYN several times if she should be tested, but given that she was 34, her doctors did not think testing was necessary. Shortly after having her third child, Lisa noticed what she thought, at the time, to be a blocked duct. Doctors agreed to screen it to be safe. On March 1, 2017, doctors alerted Lisa that she had HER2 invasive ductal carcinoma that had already spread to her lymph nodes. Lisa notes, “I immediately went into mode” and, given the aggressive nature of the cancer, on March 31st she began treatment.
Read MoreMeet the Models: Sharon DeCastro
Breast cancer has been apart of Sharon’s story for many years. She married her, now husband, after he had lost his first wife to breast cancer. She also became a step-mom to 10 year old Julia, who had seen her mom bravely battle the disease for nearly a decade. It’s why, when Sharon felt a small lump in her breast, she waived it off thinking, “lightening could not strike this household twice
Read MoreMeet the Models: Melissa Brandt
A number of years ago, Melissa Brandt felt a strong feeling to get genetic testing done. A variety of women in her family had breast cancer over the years and while they didn’t have access to advancements in genetic technology, Melissa took advantage of the fact that she did. It’s a decision that most likely saved her life. Melissa tested positive for BRCA2. Her father, brother and aunt would go on to test the same. She immediately spoke with a genetic counselor who encouraged her to see her doctors.
Read MoreMeet the Models: Meredith Parkinson
Meredith Parkinson is an ironman triathlete. In other words, she is a total bad*** who is extremely in tune with her body and it’s limits. It’s why, when one of her children accidently kicked her in the breast, the pain she felt made her uneasy. It was worse than normal and after some self checks, she felt a bump in her armpit.
Read MoreMeet the Models: Kristin Bahny
Kristin Bahny is very familiar with cancer. She lost her father to colon cancer and her mother is a two time breast cancer survivor. It meant that cancer, for her and her brother, was always front of mind. Given her mother’s older age when diagnosed with breast cancer, Kristin wasn’t too worried when she found a lump. She did however, bring it up to her doctor, who suggested more testing. She notes, “I was in denial because my mom was so much older when diagnosed. Up until the minute they told me, I was convinced it wasn’t cancer. I should have, but I didn’t see it coming.” Indeed, at 34 years old Kristin had breast cancer.
Read MoreMeet the Models: Barbara Bigelow
Barbara Bigelow is a force in the world of breast cancer. Cancer has been apart of her life for twenty years. She was originally diagnosed with early stage breast cancer and entered treatment. What proved to be even more shocking was that in her first year of treatment, her two sisters were diagnosed with breast cancer. Sadly, one sister passed away of metastatic breast cancer.
Read MoreMeet the Models: Donna Brady, Robin Tamburrini & Linda Heney
Donna Brady, Robin Tamburrini and Linda Heney are closer than your average sisters. Together they have faced unimaginable grief. In 1979 their grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She would battle the disease for many years before succumbing in 1999. Similarly, their mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993 and passed away in 2012. As a result of the family history, the three sisters were diligent about self checks at an early age. It would turn out to be life saving for Linda, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, one year after her mother’s death. She received a lumpectomy and radiation. Though a nine year survivor, Linda notes, “it scares me because both my grandmother and mother had the same pattern- clear of cancer for a number of years before the cancer returned and ultimately, they both lost their battle.”
Read MoreMeet the Models: Ilene Fabisch
Ilene Fabisch was on her way to Disney World when she got the news she had breast cancer: “it completely blindsided me.” She had no family history, ate clean (mostly vegan) and even competed in triathlons. In fact, she had just completed one a month prior. Though she had never gotten regular mammograms, Ilene did feel a lump under her arm in the shower and felt compelled to go to the doctor.
Read MoreMeet the Models: Joelle Lieman
For years Joelle Lieman diagnosed women with lumps and bumps. As an OBGYN, she was familiar with the difficulty of handing out scary news. She never anticipated it would happen to her, but at 39 years old she found a lump in her breast. Her husband encouraged her to use her diagnosing experience to keep a cool head: “he said, ‘what would you tell your patients?’ to which I responded, ‘there is a low chance that at 39 it’s cancer.’”
Read MoreMeet the Models: Kathryn Selinga
At 31 years old Kathryn Selinga was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer. It was a shocking diagnosis. Very privately, she received treatment and attempted to move on with the rest of her life. After all, she was in her young thirties and was about to buy her first home with her husband. The universe, however, had other plans and at 34 years old, Kathryn was diagnosed with breast cancer.
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