Meet the Models, SoCal: Stephanie Czajkowski

Facing three unrelated cancers in one year, Stephanie Czajkowski is not stranger to diagnosis and treatment. Despite a clean mammogram in 2018, she found a lump six months later that led to a stage two cancer diagnosis. A double mastectomy, chemo and radiation followed and she shaved her own head in the midst of treatment. Though now currently living with metastatic breast cancer, for now, there is no trace of cancer, and her doctors have told her that she is in remission.

That time taught her to let go of nearly everything, realizing that most everything was out of her control. One thing she was sure of was her own body. She taught fitness classes throughout treatment and even landed roles in feature films: “I feel fine enough to do this. I have a better sense of my body and where it was and I learned to trust my body and decide for myself what I can and cannot do.” She also started a podcast with her husband, Chemo Skinny, which was born out of her desire for her husband to have a space to talk about what it is like to be a caregiver for someone with cancer.

Though she remains positive about catching the cancer early and completing treatment for now, she is honest about how heavily the after effects of cancer weigh on her: “society says treatment is done and so I should be too, but that’s not reality.” Despite all that, she remains focused on the positive perspective shift cancer has brought into her life. It has encouraged her to move towards the things she wants, including a new Palm Springs house. Her next adventure will be taking to the runway to honor her journey.