Survivors

Cheryl Cuddy is returning to the Runway stage with a milestone she never takes for granted: 20 years since her breast cancer diagnosis.

The last time Cheryl walked with Runway was in 2017, when she was celebrating 10 years as a breast cancer survivor. At the time, she wrote, “I am proud to be alive.” Now, another decade later, those words carry even more meaning.

“I want some of these young girls to know it’s okay,” she says. “You can push through.”

As a hairstylist, Andrea has spent years helping other women through hair loss. She has shaved heads in bathrooms and private homes, witnessing just how emotional and traumatic that moment could be.

She never expected to go through hair loss herself.

“I still remember that I said, ‘But what about my hair?’”

“People will say, ‘It’s just hair,’ or ‘It’s just eyebrows,’” she says. “That is not it. It is not just hair. It is your identity.”

That understanding has shaped how she supports others now. She knows that preserving or rebuilding pieces of beauty can also help restore a sense of self.

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.”