Meet the Models: Amy Finegold

Amy knew something wasn’t right before the words were even spoken. But when the doctor said it out loud—when the urgency set in—it was like the world slowed to a crawl.

“It felt like everything was happening in slow motion. I listened to my doctor say the two lumps looked like cancer and would need to be biopsied right away. The surgeon came in to do it immediately. And when she called the next morning before office hours to confirm—time just stopped.”

Her very first thought was not of herself—but of her children. How do I tell them?

Despite the shock, Amy was equipped in ways most aren’t. She had just completed her certification as a Health and Life Coach, and the timing proved more than coincidence—it was a lifeline.

“I would not have had the tools to get through the diagnosis and treatment without what I had just learned—about caring for my body, and the power of mindset.”

Her husband—also a public figure as a State Senator—was by her side for every appointment, learning how to tie the cold cap snugly on her head and ensuring she felt supported in every step. Together, they created a structure that let life continue at home, especially for their three children.

“I made sure my son still had me at breakfast every morning. We kept up healthy meals. We kept the house going. I kept coaching and styling—on my good days—because living through it, not just surviving it, mattered to me.”

But the support that meant the most came from unexpected places.

“We are private people. But my husband shared our story so his absence at public events would be understood. What followed was a flood of love—texts, cards, Facebook messages from people I barely knew, or didn’t know at all. It was overwhelming—in the best way.”

Even a stranger, touched by Amy’s strength, left a handwritten note, books, and flowers from her garden in a homemade vase. That gesture, like so many others, became sustenance.

“What sustained me the most were the people who checked in with no expectations. A hello text. A kind message. No pressure to respond—just love, with no strings attached.”

And when treatment ended, a different kind of challenge emerged.

“The hardest part was the end. Everyone says you’re ‘done,’ but you feel like you’ve been dropped at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere. After two years of appointments, chemo, surgeries, radiation—it’s disorienting.”

But Amy found her way forward by speaking with women who had already walked the road.

“Talk to people on the other side. Two women in particular—one just a few months post-treatment, another a few years out—gave me hope. They showed me I would get there too.”

Amy’s story is a masterclass in grace under pressure. She lived through treatment not by stepping away from life, but by staying rooted in it—by finding peace, purpose, and even joy in the in-between moments.

At Runway for Recovery, we are honored to share her journey. She reminds us that love doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful, and survival isn’t just about living—it’s about how you live through it.