Survivors
Alyssa Wakeley’s Story
Breast cancer changed the way Alyssa saw her body, her confidence, and her sense of femininity.
Diagnosed at 27 with stage III breast cancer, Alyssa went through chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, radiation, and reconstruction while raising two young children during the height of the pandemic.
She is honest about how hard it can be to look in the mirror after breast cancer, even after reconstruction.
“They may be perky, but you sometimes don’t feel like a woman,” she says. “It’s very hard mentally.”
Now, as she prepares to step onto the Runway stage, Alyssa wants other women to know that beauty is not something cancer gets to take away.
“No matter what changes have happened to your body, you are still a woman,” she says. “You’re still beautiful.”
Read MoreLori Coleman’s Story
Lori believes there is room for humor, even in cancer.
When preparing to support a 13-year-old family friend with aggressive Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma as she shaved her head, Lori considered bringing a cake that said, “Buzz off cancer.”
“Why can’t it be a party?” she says.
But underneath the humor is Lori’s deepest reason for pushing forward: her family.
“I promised my kids I would do anything I needed to do to be here for them,” she says.
Read MoreRebecca Muirhead’s Story
Rebecca Muirhead grew up knowing breast cancer was part of her family story.
Her grandmother was diagnosed around 48. Her mother was diagnosed at 40 and faced breast cancer twice. Because of that history, Rebecca began seeing breast doctors when she was just 18 and started mammograms at 30.
That early screening changed everything. After a mammogram found atypical ductal hyperplasia, an MRI revealed stage I invasive breast cancer.
“It really changed me,” Rebecca says. “I’m telling all my friends, just go and get it checked.”
Read MoreWhy Our Models Choose to Dance the Runway
Experience the power of Runway for Recovery through the voices of our Models—individuals who are breast cancer previvors, survivors, currently in treatment, and those living with metastatic breast cancer, alongside the legacies of loved ones we honor and remember.
Read MoreJLynn’s Story
JLynn McCarthy’s story is one of resilience, self-reliance, and radical self-love.
“When I was told they couldn’t save my breast or nipple, I remember feeling calm… and then everything else felt distant.”
Diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in 2023, JLynn faced her journey largely on her own—navigating treatment, a divorce, and a move all at once. Without a strong support system, she became her own: taking herself on dates, choosing self-love daily, and ultimately embracing life flat with confidence and pride.
Read MorePatricia’s Story
Patricia San Pedro describes her breast cancer journey in a way that stops people in their tracks. “I can’t imagine what my life today would be like if I had not had breast cancer… and that sounds bizarre.”
Read MoreEve’s Story
Eve Bender’s story begins with a moment she can still picture clearly. After postponing a routine screening while caring for her father, she finally went in for her mammogram and sonogram in 2015—something she had always done together. A few days later, on a Friday night as she was pulling into the train station to head upstate to see her fiancé, her phone rang.
“Getting a cancer diagnosis actually made me realize I was giving my life to the wrong things,” she shared. Before her diagnosis, Karen had spent years building a career she loved. But in the stillness that followed, she gained a clarity she hadn’t had before.
Karen’s Story
When Karen was diagnosed with breast cancer on July 7, 2022, her life didn’t just change medically—it shifted entirely in how she saw the world around her.
“Getting a cancer diagnosis actually made me realize I was giving my life to the wrong things,” she shared. Before her diagnosis, Karen had spent years building a career she loved. But in the stillness that followed, she gained a clarity she hadn’t had before.
Read MoreLisa’s Story
Lisa’s breast cancer journey is grounded in something simple, but powerful: resilience.
Diagnosed on October 5, 2025, her experience with cancer has shaped the way she sees herself and the world around her—but it has also strengthened her in ways she carries forward every day.
“It made me resilient,” she shared, “and empowered me to help others on their journey.”
Read MoreTonya’s Story
Tonya’s diagnosis came in the middle of an ordinary moment—one that should have been filled with celebration.
“It was my son’s birthday,” she shared. “We were walking through the store looking for a football that he wanted.”
In an instant, everything changed.
“I was in complete shock. All I could think about were my three boys and how I would tell them.”
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