MEET THE MODELS
Bethany Adair
Mindset Coach, MBC thriver, speaker, and author of My Guru Cancer, Bethany is on a mission to “Live the F*ck out of Life!” Diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2015 and stage 4 in 2021, she meets life with cancer with an open mind, full heart, and silly sense of humor. Her happy place? Sharing her story and helping others find that same freedom—through coaching, classes, advocacy, and chronic oversharing on social media. She'll be walking the NYFW runway for the first time this year in honor of her MBC bestie, Brittney Beadle, who recently gained her Angel wings.
Bethany lives just outside Boulder, Colorado with her amazing caregiver-hubby, Tim. Learn more at mygurucancer.com.
Bri Majsiak
Bri Majsiak (she/her) is a co-founder and Chief Content Officer of The Breasties, the first all-inclusive nonprofit community for individuals impacted by breast and gynecologic cancers. She lost her mom to stage 4 breast cancer at the age of five and grew up with a constant awareness of her own increased cancer risk. Although she tested negative for BRCA and positive for a lesser-known genetic variant, she chose to undergo a prophylactic mastectomy in 2020.
Prior to The Breasties, Bri was an editor at Everyday Health, where she covered the latest in breast and gynecologic oncology. She earned her bachelor's degree from Brandeis University and her master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. In 2019, she was selected as a National Cancer Institute Reporting Fellow.
At The Breasties, Bri oversees the organization's media platform, The Peak, and its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. She is passionate about expanding access to trusted resources and cultivating community for underrepresented individuals impacted by breast and gynecologic cancers.
Caroline Ezzo
Caroline Ezzo (b. 1990) is a writer, fundraiser, and patient advocate who lives in Philadelphia, PA. She was diagnosed with de novo metastatic breast cancer in 2023, an experience that completely changed her relationship with time, ambition, and what it means to live well. Her writing explores themes of mortality and identity, and her essays have been published in Wildfire Magazine as well as her Substack, @carolineezzo. Ezzo also mentors newly diagnosed women as they navigate life with metastatic breast cancer. She has raised tens of thousands of dollars for metastatic breast cancer research through partnerships with The Breasties x Reclaim October and MBC Cure. She believes joy deserves as much attention as grief—and that the future still matters, just not at the expense of today.
Cathy Williamson
Cathy Williamson is the founder of The Middle Page, where she inspires women to embrace style with confidence through every season of life. A wife, mom, grandmother, and Triple Negative Breast Cancer survivor, Cathy has spent more than a decade proving that resilience and beauty can coexist.
Through fashion, beauty, and authentic storytelling, she encourages women to celebrate who they are today while embracing the life they've been given. She is honored to walk in the Cancer Culture Fashion Show during New York Fashion Week, representing hope, strength, and the enduring spirit of the cancer community.
Dana Bledsoe
Dana has been living with breast cancer for 16 years. This September celebrating 11 years with stage 4 terminal Mestastic Breast cancer. I’ve never used the word fight or battle. When I’m not here - Please never use the words lost her battle to this disease - there is no battle - but a journey to my true self. It’s been a hell of a ride and so much more to learn and create and more people to meet and hear their stories of their lives. Connecting with people and being there for them when they need to be seen and heard is my greatest joy. I’ve been a creator of performance art for 30 years and now at 58 I’m making more dreams come true. Creating a performance art piece based on “living while dying “. Mum to 3 children I hope what I leave them with is that anything is possible and that they spread their wings and fly. To always be who they truly are. It took cancer to bring me to know myself and I’m still knowing and growing. Walking this runway has been a dream of mine for 5 years. We will all keep demanding for more research so that no one has to be without a mum or a powerful woman in their lives.
Dana Saunders
Since she was six years old, Dana has stood beside her mother through every chapter of her breast cancer journey, including three diagnoses, surgeries, treatments, and her ongoing battle with metastatic breast cancer. Watching her mother’s unwavering courage and resilience inspired Dana to approach her own health with the same strength.
After her first mammogram revealed concerning lumps, Dana chose to undergo a preventative mastectomy. Though she has never been diagnosed with breast cancer, she made the proactive decision to take control of her future, inspired by her mother’s example.
Today, Dana advocates for earlier conversations about breast cancer risk and screening, encouraging women to know their bodies, advocate for themselves, and seek individualized care. As she walks the runway, she honors her mother’s strength and hopes to inspire others to embrace prevention, courage, and the power of early action.
Francis Malinis
Frances Malinis is a mother of three from Las Vegas, Nevada. After being diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in 2023 and metastatic breast cancer in 2025, she chose to use her voice to advocate for patients and families impacted by cancer. Frances volunteers with national and local organizations to raise awareness about genetic and biomarker testing, advocate for policies that improve access to care, advance cancer research, and elevate the patient experience. She is passionate about ensuring people living with metastatic disease are seen, heard, and represented while showing her children that courage is not the absence of fear, but the choice to keep moving forward with faith, purpose, and hope.
Gillian Gallagher
Diagnosed at 31 with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, Gillian believed the prime of her life was over. Within a year, she underwent two surgeries, lost her job, her marriage, and moved back home. Through the breast cancer community, especially Cancer Culture, she found hope, purpose, and belonging. Gillian is passionate about patient well-being, advocating for the metastatic breast cancer community, and showing the world the realities of living with Stage IV disease. She hopes to make even a fraction of the impact on other women's lives that Cancer Culture has had on hers, proving that even with metastatic breast cancer, you can still truly live.
Jake Messier
Jake Messier is a stage 4 metastatic male breast cancer advocate, speaker, and content creator who has become a leading voice in raising awareness about a disease often overlooked in men. Diagnosed in 2023, he shares his journey through his social media platform, @theguywithstage4breastcancer, helping break stigma, encourage early detection, and support patients and families navigating cancer. Jake also works with national advocacy organizations to promote inclusive research, education, and mental health support for men with breast cancer.
Jessica Kopf
At 36, Jessica is living with metastatic breast cancer and learning to embrace both hope and uncertainty.
Since her diagnosis in 2024, she has discovered a deeper appreciation for the things that matter most: time with loved ones, cuddles with her dog Lulu, meaningful connections and the beauty of ordinary days.
Cancer has changed her perspective, but it has not changed who she is. She continues to dream, laugh, love and look forward to what’s next.
Today, Jessica walks in celebration of resilience, hope and the life she is still actively creating. Her goal is simple: to live fully, love deeply and make the most of every day she’s given.
Jocelyn Binder
Jocelyn Binder is an unstoppable model & influencer hailing from Los Angeles California by way of Florida. Launching her modeling career at age 15, Jocelyn signed to Wilhelmina and Direct Model Management in New York non-exclusively and went on to be featured in publications such as Maxim, multiple international Playboy editions (including the cover of Playboy South Africa), FHM and others. She also starred alongside Johnny Depp in Marilyn Manson's "Say10" music video.
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At age 28 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy and a double mastectomy that, for a short time, halted her modeling career. Given a diagnosis that had a median of 24 months before death, Jocelyn resigned herself to fight. She formed a powerful system by combining Western & Eastern medicine with modern techniques that left her without a trace of cancer in her body. Throughout her recovery, Jocelyn found herself fielding questions about her journey, and decided she would share her story. Vowing to spread some of the wisdom that guided her from stage 4 cancer to remission in just ten months, she wrote the book “Sexy After Breast Cancer”. Jocelyn's powerful account of resilience is a warning shot to the disease and a reminder that women can embrace their sexiness at any stage of their fight.
Dr. Liz O'Riordan
Dr Liz O’Riordan was a consultant breast surgeon in the UK when she was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer at the age of 40. She had the ’triathlon’ of treatment - chemo, mastectomy and radiotherapy and eventually went back to work. But 2 years later she had a local recurrence on her chest wall which meant she could no longer operate. And it came back again on her mastectomy scar in 2023. While Liz hung up her surgical scrubs, she still helps people all over the world with her books, videos on Instagram and YouTube, podcast and speaking appearances. She’s dedicated the last ten years of life to advocating for every person living with and beyond breast cancer, and she's a proud uniboober.
Mely Garza
Mely Garza was diagnosed with Stage 3 HER2-positive breast cancer at just 39 years old, while raising three children, with her youngest only a year old. She had to endure chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, lymph node removal, radiation, and reconstruction.
Now, four years into survivorship, Mely uses her platform as a content creator and advocate to share her story, uplift women, and remind others that there is still so much life, beauty, and purpose on the other side of a diagnosis.
She walks for her children, for every woman still fighting, and for the beautiful life she refused to stop believing in.
Mimi Frazier
I was diagnosed at age 34 in 2015. I was misdiagnosed 4 years prior to being diagnosed with stage 3B Invasive Breast Cancer. In 2016 went through 8 months of chemotherapy every 5 days, and in 2017 I had a double mastectomy. I am a proud FLATTIE and advocate for Health & Wellness after cancer. After the mastectomy, I went through a total of 10 months of radiation. In 2018 I had a Salpingo Oophorectomy. Since then, I have struggled through cancer treatments up to February 2026, where I had to stop due to the trauma it has caused my body and mental state. As of today, I am working on rebuilding my body while not in treatment and focusing on a healthier and more natural journey. I am still seeing many doctors for various other ailments and illnesses developed from my cancer diagnosis, but I will NEVER give up on myself. Since 2019 I have dedicated my life to spreading awareness, serving the community and supporting others through my work at Linkage. What started as just a small Breast Cancer Awareness Initiative, Linkage Beauty Movement, has now turned into Linkage Wellness Institute, built slowly with care and a passion for change. We are 100% committed to assisting individuals in rebuilding their lives one step at a time, after a cancer diagnosis or traumatic life event.
In 2025, I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Science and Human Services, specializing in Public Health and Crisis Intervention & Prevention.
Nediva Monroe
"My name is Nediva (Generous) Shani (Marvelous) — I am an 11-year breast cancer survivor, and 6-year mbc thriver that advocates for research; not ribbons!
A few months after losing my twins in 2014, I found a lump in my breast, at the age of 33. A mammogram proved there was a suspicious spot. It was followed by an ultrasound and a biopsy. I had stage 1, IDC, ER/PR+/HER2- breast cancer. I received 12 rounds Taxol, 4 rounds A/C, and a double mastectomy with reconstruction. After active treatment I moved on raising my sons while on Tamoxifen. At my 5-year appointment, my tumor markers were elevated. I was rushed back into scans, biopsies, radiation, and lifelong treatments. The cancer came back, it metastasized to my bones.
I’ve been living with stage 4 mBC for over 6 years. I work to improve the health of my mind, body, and soul. I’m incredibly grateful for my power and prayerfully the decades God will hold me in this fire!"
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Dr. Nikki Taylor
Dr. Nikki Taylor is a radiology resident and breast cancer advocate whose diagnosis followed a difficult path involving dense breast tissue, a significant family history, and barriers to accessing the advanced screening she knew she needed. When she did not feel fully seen or heard, she continued advocating for herself until her cancer was found.
Her experience strengthened her belief that early breast cancer diagnosis should never depend on insider knowledge. She now advocates for equitable access to breast health education, individualized risk assessment, and advanced screening so that others—especially those with dense breasts or a family history of breast cancer—do not have to face the same barriers.
Thank you again for welcoming me into this powerful movement. I am honored to stand alongside Cancer Culture in raising awareness, amplifying the voices of those affected by cancer, and supporting lifesaving cancer research.
Niya Kight
At 31 years old, Niya Kight was diagnosed with Stage II, ER/PR+ Invasive Ductal Carcinoma in November 2019 after discovering a lump while nursing. At the time, she was 12 weeks pregnant. Beginning treatment during her second trimester, she underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy before welcoming her daughter in May 2020. Following recovery, she completed her treatment with additional chemotherapy and radiation. Facing breast cancer while navigating pregnancy and motherhood revealed her strength, perseverance, and the power of embracing life beyond adversity. Today, she shares her story to inspire hope, courage, and resilience in others.
Ricki Fairly
Ricki Fairley is an award-winning marketing veteran, breast cancer advocate, and Co-Founder and CEO of TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance, where she works to reduce breast cancer mortality among Black women and advance equitable research and care.
Ricki founded #BlackDataMatters and the When We Tri(al) movement, which has connected more than 32,000 Black women with a custom clinical trial portal designed to increase representation in breast cancer research. She also created the For The Love of My Gurls campaign, reaching more than one million young Black women with breast health education, and TOUCH Care, the first Black woman survivor-led 24/7 clinical trial nurse navigation program.
Ricki is a Principal Investigator for the Cancer Grand Challenge Project SAMBAI, leading its Patient Advocacy team, and founder of Navigating Trials, which works to improve Black patient representation in clinical research.
She serves on the Boards of Trustees of the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation and Black In Cancer and leads the American Cancer Society National Breast Cancer Roundtable Clinical Trials Priority Team.
A graduate of Dartmouth College, Ricki holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She is the proud mother of two daughters and grandmother of four.
Roxana
Roxana Guerra is a single mother, breast cancer advocate, and nearly ten-year thriver living with metastatic breast cancer. Diagnosed with stage IIIC invasive lobular breast cancer at age 41 in 2015, she was restaged to stage IV the following year and has since been living with no evidence of active disease.
Roxana has dedicated her advocacy to supporting Spanish-speaking breast cancer patients, particularly throughout the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. Through Nueva Vida, she provides emotional support, peer mentorship, and resources to patients navigating metastatic breast cancer in both Spanish and English.
She is a 2021 alumna of Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s Hear My Voice program and completed the inaugural Latino Cancer Advocate Training in 2024. She has also reviewed breast cancer research through GRASP and served on several breast cancer committees.
Today, Roxana works as a breast cancer coach with TCI and serves as a Group Support Assistant for Nueva Vida’s metastatic breast cancer community. Her lived experience continues to fuel her commitment to ensuring Spanish-speak
Dana Saunders
Athena Jones is a skilled writer, moderator and public speaker. She began her career at Bloomberg News in Chile and Argentina. She covered the 2008 campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for NBC News and the National Journal and worked as an NBC White House producer from 2009 to 2011. Athena joined CNN as a correspondent in 2011. She served as a White House correspondent during the first Trump administration and as a national correspondent in New York until August 2024.
Athena is a breast cancer survivor and is co-directing a feature documentary (Sisters’ Keepers) on Black women, breast cancer and health equity. She graduated cum laude from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in Government and has a master’s degree from Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism.
Travis Douglas
In December 2023, Travis received a life-changing diagnosis of breast cancer. After undergoing a single mastectomy, chemotherapy, and ongoing hormone therapy, he chose not to let his diagnosis define him. Instead, he allowed it to strengthen his faith, deepen his purpose, and fuel his passion for encouraging others facing adversity
Vina Wiliams
Vina Morris is a two-time breast cancer survivor, technology executive, and community leader. She is the Founder and President of AfroPink, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing breast cancer disparities through education, early detection, survivorship support, and research engagement. She also serves as President of the Metro New York Chapter of the National Black MBA Association, where she champions leadership, professional development, and community impact. Through her advocacy and lived experience, Vina is committed to expanding access to care, increasing representation in research, and creating spaces where survivors feel seen, supported, and celebrated. She believes survivorship is about more than overcoming cancer. It is about embracing life with courage, confidence, compassion, and hope while inspiring others to do the same.
Whitney O'Connor
Whitney O’Connor is a two-time young breast cancer survivor, flattie, licensed professional counselor, and founder of The Boobie Queen Company. Diagnosed in her early 30s and living with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a rare hereditary cancer predisposition, Whitney knows the complexity of life after cancer is not always easy to explain. She is especially passionate about the mental health side of breast cancer and helping young survivors feel less alone, more supported, and more honest about what healing, identity, and survivorship can really look like.
Wren Morrobel
My name is Wren Morrobel, and I am a 37 year old triple negative metastatic breast cancer thriver living in Charlotte, North Carolina. I am the founder, content creator, and host of the Living Our Breast Lives Podcast and Instagram platform, where I share my personal surrogacy journey, thriver stories, advocacy, and hope within the breast cancer community. For the past seven years, I have been living with metastatic breast cancer, and the last 6.5 years, I have remained No Evidence of Disease while continuing to receive monthly immunotherapy infusions. I was first diagnosed with early stage TNBC at age 29, and just one year later, experienced a metastatic recurrence to both my lungs and skin. Today, I am proud to use my voice and platform to raise awareness, provide hope for others, and represent the metastatic breast cancer community.