We Tell Your Story
Part of Runway's mission is to honor the legacies and stories of those who have been impacted by breast cancer. Our blog page is dedicated to helping us share those stories.
Learn more about the importance and impact of our blog by watching the following video.
As an OB/GYN, Janis has spent decades guiding women through critical health decisions. She knows the statistics. She understands risk factors. But when it came to breast cancer, even she was surprised.
“You don’t think it will happen to you.”
When Deanne heard the words no one ever expects—you have breast cancer—her first reaction was pure shock. Despite catching it early and learning it was hormone-based, the news still felt surreal. What truly made it real was the daily number of women diagnosed—a statistic that kept echoing in her mind long after the doctor’s visit was over.
In September of 2023, 38-year-old Amy Burke was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Burke, a middle school teacher and mom of two, faced 16 rounds of chemotherapy and 28 straight days of radiation over the next year. After intensive treatment and a double mastectomy, the Haverhill native became cancer-free in 2024. Now, over two years later, Burke trains for the 130th Boston Marathon as one of four runners for Runway for Recovery, a non-profit that supports families’ journeys with breast cancer.
“At 33, hearing the words ‘breast cancer’ felt like the end of the world as I knew it.”
On August 25, 2009, Jeannette received a diagnosis that mirrored her mother’s—invasive ductal carcinoma, stage IIb, grade 3, triple negative. She was BRCA negative, but it didn’t ease the weight of what was ahead.
Julie had been down this road before—biopsies, scans, and follow-ups for six years. With dense breast tissue making every image inconclusive, each year brought more uncertainty and more anxiety. So when her doctor finally called with the news—stage 0 DCIS—she didn’t feel fear. She felt relief.
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