Meet the Models, NYC: Jill Fishman

Jill Fishman was 49, in the midst of COVID, when she found out her gynecologist had retired. Already 18 months since her last visit, she made an appointment with a new doctor. It would save her life. A lump found during the visit led to imaging that confirmed a breast cancer diagnosis. 

As if a breast cancer diagnosis isn’t jarring enough, COVID restrictions meant Jill faced appointments alone: “While I had the support of my husband and family members, I was attending appointments by myself. It was very surreal.” She soon would get COVID herself and it would delay treatment by nine weeks. Eventually, she received a double mastectomy and lymph node removal. Clear margins meant she didn’t need chemo- a bright spot during an otherwise uncertain time. 

The entire experience “allowed me to take stalk in my life in a different way. It changed my perspective on myself and how I conduct my life” says Jill. Though side effects of medication can be tough, she notes “it is far better than the alternative.” She is grateful for her incredible medical team, who caught a cyst on her ovary in 2023 that led to a hysterectomy. In addition, her boss (Jill recently retired from her role at Michael Kors after 21 years) was exceptional in giving her the flexibility to attend appointments and take time to get healthy. Her support team was rounded out by friends who showed up to take long walks outside with her, or ensure her now 13 year old son had playdates: “that support was really wonderful.” 

When close friend Amy Kazanoff sent her the details on Runway, Jill found it the perfect intersection of her life- an event involving fashion that supports other women. Moreso, she is excited to be an example to women newly diagnosed that “you can survive with a light after diagnosis.”