Model Profiles
Meet the Models, SoCal: Maria Glaze
Maria Glaze was a uterine cancer survivor, single mother of two high school boys and only 40 when she lost her job. It forced her to take a part time job with an extremely long commute. After her acceptance to culinary school, she was offered the job full time. Initially rejecting it, her supervisor convinced her to stay. Little did she know, after months of feeling extreme fatigue (which she thought was just due to her schedule), tests from the doctor would come back confirming stage 3 breast cancer.
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Tamara Deiro
In 1975 when Tamara Deiro was just 10 years old, she lost her great aunt to breast cancer. It was an emotional blow, particularly because Tamara was adopted and had a close bond to her aunt, whom she felt embraced her fully as her own.
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Patty Nandy & Danielle Cronin
Patty Nandy was very familiar with breast cancer. Her grandmother, aunt and mother all had breast cancer, which meant she was familiar with the brutality of the disease. It’s why, when her mammogram caught signs of cancer, she was not overly surprised. She was 50 at the time and when it was determined that she would not be able to take tamoxifen, Patty opted for a bilateral double mastectomy.
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Andrea Magni
It is often noted in this community that once one is diagnosed with breast cancer, they have it for life. Even if a survivor, the mental, physical and emotional toll of the disease can long outlast treatment and clear scans. It’s a sentiment Andrea Magni echoes. A native South African, she was diagnosed in January 2017 with DCIS, having three DCIS tumors in her right breast. She received a double mastectomy.
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Beth Rouse
at 41 years old and a mother of five, Beth decided to get her first mammogram. Her dedication to the testing meant she had to stop breastfeeding and wait two months before the mammogram could occur. It would be a decision that would save her life.
Read MoreMeet the Models, SoCal: Tracy Cushing
Tracy Cushing is a force of a female. An ER physician with extensive knowledge in wilderness medicine, she also spent time in medical school as a physician in the direct aftermath of 9/11. She has had a plant based diet for over a decade and was training for her fifth ironman when she felt a lump in her breast.
Read MoreMeet the Models, New England: Musu-Kulla Massaquoi
Musu-Kulla Massaquoi was a mom to two girls, ages 8 and 11 when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. The diagnosis came around the holidays and ever the incredible mother, she chose to keep the news from her family so as not to ruin the magic for her children. When she did tell family, the news was met with shock. The only girl with six brothers, the news hit them hardest because they “couldn’t really fight or protect me from this.”
Read MoreMeet the Models, New England: Kendall Smiley
Kendall Smiley credits her bucket list for saving her life. At 36 she entered a body building competition to check another goal off the list. She would go on to do much more than that, competing in multiple events and coming in first for most of them. On a strict eating and workout regiment, she was acutely aware of every aspect of her body. It’s why, when she felt a pea sized painful lump in her breast, she consulted her doctor right away.
Read MoreMeet the Models, New England: Heather Sandquist
One month before her scheduled mammogram, Heather Sandquist felt a lump. She figured she would hold off addressing it until her scheduled appointment, but a few weeks later, when the lump was bigger, she decided to see her PCP.
Read MoreMeet the Models, New England: Lisa Hanson
“It’s a tough thing to hear. I was alone with my dog at the time and I sent my husband a text to pull over so I could tell him. There was just silence. That was hard to take.”
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