Meet the Models: Melanie Randall

Meet the Models: Melanie’s Story – It Changes You Forever

Melanie wasn’t shocked when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her body had been signaling that something was wrong for quite some time.

“I was actually a bit relieved to finally have an answer. I could feel something was off—and now I knew what it was. Now I could do something about it.”

But diagnosis is only the beginning. What followed was a path of treatment, decisions, setbacks, and growth. A path Melanie didn’t walk alone.

One person who stands out in every part of her journey is her boyfriend, Aaron.

“We’d only been dating about six months. I gave him the ‘get out of jail free card’—told him he didn’t sign up for this. But he said, ‘I’m not going anywhere. And neither are you.’ Seven years later, we’re still together.”

Aaron wasn’t alone in his steadfastness. Melanie’s circle of friends, family, and neighbors surrounded her with love, including her small-town community, who rallied under the name “Team Mel.”

“They showed up. They organized benefits. They made sure I felt the love.”

But cancer is more than a diagnosis, more than a treatment plan, more than a set of medical decisions. Melanie is clear-eyed about the emotional reality of survivorship.

“Cancer never ends. People think it’s over once treatment stops—but it doesn’t work like that. It changes you forever.”

She’s also honest about her own decisions—what she would do differently, and what she’s learned through lived experience.

“The journey to reconstruction was harder than I ever could’ve imagined. I now wish I had gone flat with my initial surgery.”

Still, Melanie has found strength in community—in survivor groups, in shared stories, in knowing she isn’t alone.

“Survivor groups have become such an important part of my healing. That connection matters.”

Her advice to others is thoughtful and wise:

“Listen. Listen to your body. To your doctors. To survivors. And most importantly, to yourself. Everyone’s journey is unique, and the choices you make should be the right ones for you.”

And to those supporting someone with cancer, Melanie offers a reminder:

“Celebrate the milestones, yes—but don’t expect them to go back to who they were before. Survivors are always adapting, always changing. That’s how we keep going.”

At Runway for Recovery, we celebrate Melanie’s honesty, her resilience, and her reminder that cancer changes a person forever—but that doesn’t mean it ends their story. In fact, it may just mark the beginning of a new one.