Meet the Models, New England: Jill Tompkins

Jill Tompkins got a late mammogram in 2017. The delay meant she was able to take advantage of a new imaging machine that ultimately caught a mass in her breast. She would go on to receive treatment and live two years on maintenance medications. Soon though, neck pain began to develop and then some memory loss that prompted a full head scan. Again, the luck of the scan (not normally performed otherwise) was that it revealed cancer in her neck. It meant a recurrence and stage four diagnosis. 

Jill continues to work and in many ways is happy those around her don’t know she is sick: “it’s something you think about daily, but I try not to dwell on it. We don’t talk about the c word. We plan for today instead of looking ahead.” Instead, Jill focuses on the support from friends, who organize a yearly getaway or send helpful text messages. In fact, Jill remains overwhelmingly positive about her diagnosis: “For all intensive purposes, I am healed, but I am stage 4 and I take pills daily, which is a constant reminder. Even so, I am very excited to be a part of the cure. All of the data and study of my cancer will add up and I am happy to play an important role.” 

Jill remains dedicated to staying positive, which means yoga classes, listening to positive podcasts and more. It’s why she is excited to partake in something like Runway to “prove breast cancer is not the death sentence it had been years ago.”