Meet the Models, NYC: Michele Schwartz

Michele Schwartz was 37, on maternity leave and enjoying time with her family when she felt a lump: “I was fine the day before and then all of a sudden, my left breast felt extremely itchy, to the point I wanted to scratch my skin off.” After seeing a difference in her two breasts (“one was engorged”) she called her doctor. Scans revealed a breast cancer diagnosis. 

Michele immediately entered treatment, starting with 16 rounds of chemo. She would go on to have a double mastectomy and 28 rounds of radiation, wrapping up treatment in 2019. It was grueling, but she mostly worried about her children: “all my life I have wanted to be a mom, so to have breast cancer as a young mom was really scary because my biggest concern was being an absent mother.” 

Especially difficult was feeling like there weren’t support groups or other women her age she could connect with. It made the entire experience feel more lonely, but she is grateful to her husband and parents for being with her every step of the way. Their support was also key when it came time to telling her children. A psychologist herself, Michele was open with her children and even let her son decorate her bandanas with her. Choosing lightening bolts, her son said “it would give her super powers” during treatment. Michele made certain to take pictures in it to show him each time. 

Though some years out from cancer now, Michele is honest that “I’ll never be without the residual effects of cancer and it has taken a long time to come to terms with that.” This is particularly true because Michele, after much back and forth, decided to go flat. The journey has been difficult, as she did not receive aesthetic flat closures, but she is passionate about raising awareness to let women know that going flat is a choice they have. 

Michele is excited to hit the runway to honor her survivorship and though she “has come to accept the way I am, I am looking forward to feeling beautiful and celebrating my journey.” She is particularly excited, as a young mom who had a young family during diagnosis, to support Runway “not only for my own emotional and psychological support, but I also feel I need to do something and I want to work with organizations who support people currently living in cancer.”