Breast Cancer Awareness Month Hit Me Close to home

This year it's a bit more personal

The stickers my surgical oncologist gave me today.

A Routine Mammogram That Changed My Month

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, I wanted to share something personal that I’ve been processing privately for a few weeks.

During a routine mammogram — one I almost postponed because I was traveling — doctors discovered cancer in my left breast.

I’m still in the discovery and planning stage, meeting with specialists and undergoing genetic counseling, but I feel incredibly fortunate.

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Gratitude for the Good Hands I’m In

I have access to excellent medical care, good insurance, and an extraordinary team of doctors who give me confidence that I will be fine.

I also have a strong support network of family and friends who have shown up for me in the most beautiful ways.

I am one of the lucky ones — and I don’t take that lightly.

My diagnosis was caught early because of a routine mammogram. It’s the kind of test so many of us put off or forget, but it can truly save lives.

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at almost exactly my age, and her mother — my grandmother — was as well.

I’ve always known this was part of my family story, but I’m still stunned by the timing and generational symmetry of it. Today, I’m meeting with a genetic specialist to learn if there’s an inherited factor and what that means for my future care.

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Prevention Matters — Please Don’t Put It Off

I also have several friends facing their own cancer battles right now — including one dear friend (Luke) courageously navigating Stage 4 colon cancer who wishes he had gotten a colonoscopy sooner.

These experiences, mine included, are sobering reminders that preventive care matters.

If you’ve been putting off a mammogram, colonoscopy, or any recommended screening, please make that appointment. Encourage someone you love to do the same.

I’m sharing this not for sympathy, but to help normalize talking about these things — and to keep learning out loud.

Despite my family history and years of advocacy work, it’s amazing how much I still don’t know about these diseases.

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The Anxiety Beneath the Gratitude

While I feel personally at peace and supported, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious.

My anxiety is through the roof — not about my health, but about the work I love and the people I serve through GAIN Power.

I’m in great hands medically, but I’m deeply worried about our country, our democracy, our movement, and our people.

So many are struggling right now. Federal workers aren’t getting paychecks. Families are about to lose access to SNAP benefits. Hundreds of campaign and advocacy professionals will find themselves out of work next week, regardless of election outcomes.

People are disappearing at the hands of masked forces acting under the guise of “security.”

This is what keeps me up at night.

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The Work That Keeps Me Grounded

I’m grateful to work on projects that build and support the talent that powers democracy.

The work itself is my anchor — connecting, supporting, and celebrating the people who dedicate their lives to creating a freer, fairer world.

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💗 My Shameless Plug (and a Few Ways to Help)

If you feel moved to send love, prayers, or support — please consider turning that energy into something tangible:

• Support GAIN Power and or Global GAIN — the organizations I’ve poured my heart into. We’re raising resources to sustain the people and programs that strengthen democracy here and around the world - and support health and wellness, especially for women, especially through CoKiyovu. I’m working on a women’s healing retreat center in Rwanda, which is also home to Women GAIN. Your support would mean the world to me.

• Or, if you’re called to help closer to home, donate to your local food pantry.
  They’re going to be overwhelmed when Trump cuts off SNAP benefits in his cynical effort to create more pain for Democrats who are trying to protect health care subsidies — policies that keep millions of families from bankruptcy.

  There are many amazing ways to make a positive impact in this world to support women in need. One thing I know about my community is its extraordinary generosity. That spirit is needed now more than ever.

Honestly, I’ll be sidelined more than I’d like in the months ahead, and as the primary fundraiser for our work, that worries me.

If you’ve ever wanted to contribute, this is a meaningful moment to do it.

Your support won’t just lift me up — it will help sustain the incredible people who make democracy, advocacy, and justice possible.

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Holding On to Gratitude, Health, and Purpose

I’ll share more when I have more information, but for now, I’m focused on gratitude, health, and purpose.

Please take care of yourselves and one another.

Schedule that screening. Check in on your friends.

And remember that life — even when it throws you a curveball — is still so precious, so interconnected, and so worth showing up for. 💗