Meet the Models, New England: Christina Muratore
Christina Murartore has been cheering her sister on in The Runway Show for some time now. Her sister, Katie Smith, is a stage 4 metastatic model who has danced our runways on both coasts. Christina sums the experience of the show up perfectly saying, “there is a lot of sadness, but there is also so much hope and happiness. It’s ok to have both and important to not exist in this bubble where nothing bad ever happens.”
For Christina, breast cancer has always been top of mind. Extensive family history coupled with her sister’s stage 4 diagnosis has meant increased vigilance around self checks, mammograms and more. The past two years particularly, Christina began working towards a preventative mastectomy to lessen her chances of breast cancer. It was during one of those preparatory appointments that her doctor found a mass. It turned out to be stage 1 cancer. This past spring, she had a mastectomy and was lucky that it hadn’t spread to her lymph nodes, meaning she didn’t need further treatment. It does mean she will need to take Tamoxifen for the next five years: “While I don’t love the idea of having a drug continue for five years, at least I will get those five years. I am a scientist, so as much as I want to believe the cancer is gone, if this drug lessens the chances of recurrence, then I’ll take it.”
Perhaps because she always felt breast cancer was in her destiny, Christina is calmly well spoken about her experience through diagnosis and treatment, but she is honest about the challenges of navigating who and how she told people. Though concerned about telling her parents saying, “I was worried they would be overburdened by my sister’s diagnosis and mine,” Christina felt being open and honest would only benefit those around her, especially other women who may have found lumps or considered missing their annual screening.
She is also quick to note that having a sister with a very different diagnosis and prognosis has challenges, but as sisters, they haven’t played the comparison game: “ultimately everyone’s journey is completely different.” Christina is grateful for how open they have been with one another and continues to be impressed with her sister’s ability to be such a support, even if the topic may be triggering: “I have tried to be sensitive, but she is such a supporter and if anything did bother her, she didn’t show it.” Particularly impressive because Christina keenly points out how often triggers can arise, like celebrity diagnoses or deaths from the disease on social media. She herself has occasionally gotten caught up in the mini spiral that can arise when you start googling what their diagnosis was to compared to her own.
Chiefly though, Christina looks at her experience as mostly positive: “for me it was such a positive experience because I was so prepared for it. I had been thinking about it for so long and even though it was surprising to get the diagnosis, I had almost been preparing for this my whole life. The only thing I was mad about was I didn’t beat cancer to the diagnosis.” From doctors and nurses, to family who helped with childcare, to people who dropped off meals, Christina feels grateful for the support of the tribe who rallied around her.
Come the fall, Christina won’t be taking her seat in the audience, but lining up backstage to celebrate her own journey. She is excited to be with a group where she “is not the minority, but with a group of people who understand what I’ve been through.” Chiefly though, she is most excited to share the runway with her incredible sister.