our story

Our story began five years ago when a group of five individuals each impacted by breast or gynecologic cancer were struggling to find support. Individually, we had each grown disappointed by the existing support spaces. They weren't welcoming and they often divided us based on our diagnoses, ages, stages, and backgrounds. 
Why would a survivor want to connect with a previvor? Well it turns out that Allie, diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at age 28, was preparing for her double mastectomy and stumbled upon Paige's Instagram post sharing recovery tips following her preventative mastectomy at age 24. Around the same time, Trish was navigating her own breast cancer diagnosis and what it means to advocate for yourself and find support as a Black woman. And Bri was trying to make sense of her own breast cancer risk after losing her mom at a young age and inconclusive genetic testing. It’s safe to say that our lives were forever changed when social media brought us all together — despite the differences in our diagnoses and experiences. 
Meeting one another gave us the vision of creating an inclusive space for all that celebrates our intersections. The space that we wish we each had when diagnosed — a space that welcomes survivors, previvors, stage 4 thrivers, and caregivers. 
When the first retreat brought together 25 people across all diagnoses, we returned to hundreds of messages asking about the next one. We realized that we could do so much more for the community as an official 501(c)3 nonprofit — and so, The Breasties was born. Since 2018, we've been well-aware of the many unmet needs of the community and each year our work expands. The community will always be our North Star.