Meet the Models: Caroline Saba

Caroline knew before anyone told her. When she found the lump, something inside her whispered the truth. But knowing and hearing are two very different things.

“Weirdly, I sort of knew it was cancer. But hearing the words… that’s never easy.”

At her breast center appointment, the nurse told her there was “too much going on” and that a biopsy would be scheduled. But later that same day, Caroline saw her BI-RADS 5 result in MyChart—95% chance of malignancy.

“Well… that was tough.”

The next morning at 8:30am, she was called in for her biopsy. She met with a breast surgeon who showed her the images, explained what would happen next, and confirmed what Caroline already suspected.

“I asked, ‘Am I your cancer patient already?’ She held my shoulders and said: ‘I won’t sugar coat this for you. Yes. The biopsy won’t tell me if it’s cancer—it will tell me what kind of cancer it is.’”

That’s when a single tear slipped down Caroline’s cheek—and then she shifted into fight mode.

“I normally say I died that day. The woman I was before had never gone through breast cancer. I did.”

Her treatment path began immediately. There were IVF injections to preserve fertility, administered by her sister. Her husband never missed a chemo cycle. Her mother left her home country and stayed with Caroline for a year—caring for her, for her son, and for the home.

“There’s no comparison to what my mom did. She held me through a whole year of active treatment.”

Her son, still so young, brought her joy in the darkest moments. And through it all, she kept working—a decision she still reflects on.

“I worked through treatment, and that was both a blessing and a curse. If I could do one thing differently, it would be to stop blaming myself for being tired.”

Caroline found beauty in the unexpected: deep friendship, meaningful connection, and an infusion nurse she still adores.

“I found so much community. I made friends for life.”

But recovery brought its own struggle.

“I thought the side effects ended with treatment. But I have brain fog, fatigue—it’s hard. The post-treatment phase is deeply underestimated.”

Her advice to those newly diagnosed is grounded and calming:

“Being newly diagnosed is the hardest part. But once you have a plan with your oncologist, things begin to clear. Cancer is a word—not a sentence.”

And for those wondering how to support someone with cancer, Caroline is clear:

“Don’t ask, ‘What can I do to help?’ Just help. Cook the meal. Do the laundry. Sit with them. Be okay with their tears. Be strong enough to hold their pain.”

Caroline’s story is one of transformation—the woman she was before is not the woman she is today. She is fiercer, more grounded, and more compassionate than ever. At Runway for Recovery, we honor her resilience and the way she turns pain into presence.