Meet the Models, NYC: KC Hines
Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease as a teenager, KC Hines was aware the chemo and radiation she endured could mean a potential cancer diagnosis in the future. It’s why she was diligent about screenings long before she turned 40. The screenings would save her life, as it led to a breast cancer diagnosis in her latter 30’s.
The breast cancer diagnosis meant a double mastectomy and oral chemotherapy. Naturally, her immediate worry was her son, 10 at the time, but she notes the luck of timing that he was away with his father for most of summer while she was recovering. With no family close by, KC relied on the support of friends: “their support carried me through. I went and lived with a friend for a time. I am so profoundly grateful for that.”
Throughout her treatment, KC remained rather private noting, “I was hesitant to share my story because health felt deeply personal and I didn’t want to be defined by my illness or recovery.” Over time however, that hesitation shifted “due to connecting with so many women over the years, some even strangers. Moments of connection have really showed me the power of shared experience.” In that connection, KC has found an intense appreciation for women facing diagnosis: “what struck me most is how many women quietly juggle a diagnosis with working full time, being a mom full time and not skipping a beat. It really is inspiring. I have so much admiration for mothers, caretakers and women going through this.”
Today, KC feels more comfortable to tell her story, with the anxiety of cancer subsiding somewhat in part to her son’s age: “having younger children, it’s a nightly worry. What if something happens to me? Who will raise him? My son is 18 now. I have raised him to the ability I can and I specifically chose a school that would be an added layer of community around him should something happen. For me, that releases much of my worries around cancer in my life.”
In what feels like a full circle moment, KC’s first runway was as an attendee- at our first ever New England Show, nearly 19 years ago. Now, she will grace our first ever NYC runway in the hopes that “honoring this part of my journey could bring awareness to this incredible cause.”