Checking In With Survivor Christine Toner 

 

 

Breast cancer survivor Christine Toner was 51 when her physician called to confirm her breast cancer diagnosis on the day of her 25th wedding anniversary. The news was devastating, but she had little time to process it before hosting a celebration “literally encircled” by 40 family members and friends. That evening became a powerful reminder of the love and support that surrounded her.

Rather than allowing cancer to define her, Christine chose to focus on thriving. With support from her husband, her medical team at Emory University, therapists, a life coach, and other practitioners, she embraced science-based wellness practices. Her approach centered on six thriving principles: stillness, surrender, nourishment, radical self-care, community, and intentional beauty that she named I AM: My Strongest Self.  These practices helped her navigate fear and trauma while strengthening her creativity, spirituality, and sense of self.

Christine viewed her experience as a transformation rather than a story of brokenness. As a longtime creator and collaborator, she had founded STAY127, a collection of properties focused on holistic healing, and launched C2cancer-redefined, an initiative designed to help women navigate cancer through the lens of beauty, empowerment, and community.

Her connection to the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation had begun years before her own diagnosis through her friend Ellen Swercewski and her family’s involvement in breast cancer fundraising. She remained inspired by the organization’s commitment to funding breast cancer research.

By 2024, Christine’s mission was to empower women to recognize their intrinsic beauty and brilliance—to move beyond simply surviving cancer and learn to thrive through transformation.

Nearly three years later, TBBCF caught up with Christine to check in on her recovery.

“I’m doing amazing—mind, body, and spirit. I feel like I’m constantly growing and learning, and I love and embrace that. My life has not been easy by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve come to recognize that life is happening the way it’s supposed to,” she shared. “The difficult, traumatic parts and the joyful parts can coexist at the same time. I don’t think I had that understanding until the last seven years. That realization has made my life richer, fuller, and more intentional.”

Christine said that when she first spoke with TBBCF in November of 2023, she was “really striving and driving myself to make sense of what I had been through.”

“I felt a need to put something out into the world about what I had learned and was continuing to learn. I also wanted to leave a stamp—to feel that I existed,” she said, referring to STAY127 and C2cancer-redefined.

“At that time, I created properties where I wanted to bring wellness into the spaces and create a way for women, particularly women with a cancer diagnosis, to navigate their experiences. Everything I had seen wasn't aligning with what I needed, so I thought, “I'll create something. But as I worked toward those businesses, I found myself falling into old patterns: overfunctioning, perfectionism, and constantly moving and doing. My husband eventually asked me, ‘What are you working so hard for? What are you doing? You're going to get sick again.’”

“That stopped me,” she said. “He reminded me that I wasn't broken and didn't need to be fixed. I didn't have to do all this work. I was in a continuum; there was nothing broken that needed fixing.”

And, over the past few years, she and her family have faced numerous challenges, from job loss to being victims of a home invasion/attempted assault.

“All of these experiences have moved me toward one word: savor, instead of striving,” she said.

For example, I now go to Atlanta once a year for my medical appointments. I make a point of turning that trip into something celebratory. This year my husband came with me, and we made it into something special rather than simply a medical trip. Even when I went by myself in previous years, I would meet up with old friends and create an incredible experience around it.

It's a way of savoring time that isn't necessarily promised. I'm 58, and I've been given all these experiences. You realize that your time isn't guaranteed.”

Then Christine had a revelation.

“I also recognized that I have a part of me that always wants to give back. I grew up with that spirit, and I saw it in my own mother,” she said. “The community call I started in 2023 is still going, and we're heading into the fourth season. I realized the calls were actually more important to me than the properties.”

She explained more about the C2 Community Call

The C2 Community Call is a simple weekly phone call that evolved into a welcoming space for women navigating challenges, seeking growth, or simply looking for connection. Participation was intentionally easy: women could listen while doing everyday activities, remain silent, or contribute when they felt ready. For some, simply showing up and listening was enough.

Each week focused on one of C2’s six thriving principles of stillness, surrender, nourishment, radical self-care, community, or intentional beauty. A quote and question introduced the topic, followed by a personal story and open discussion. The goal was not to complain, give advice, or solve problems, but to create space for participants to feel seen and heard through shared experiences.

For Christine, the calls became an important part of her own continual healing and a reminder to remain present and connected. She recognized that she, too, had experienced times when she could not find the words and needed only to listen.

Over time, the calls grew beyond their original purpose, becoming a supportive community where women could show up exactly as they were.

Christine said that she’s “been given some pretty big lessons to understand that. I'm healing with a bit more clarity, but I know there will be pivots. I'm learning to live in the wonder of that rather than the fear. Some days I believe that, and other times, quite frankly, it’s still a struggle.” 

She said the idea of “this too shall pass” has become meaningful to her.

“I don't want to live as a victim. I need to feel the anger and sadness. I can ask, ‘What the heck? I thought I was eating right and doing all the right things,’” she said. “I can feel all of that anger and fear. It's not about being Pollyanna. It's about recognizing that I don't have to stay in that soup of yuck.

Christine summed it all up:

“The journey is about learning. The wonder can be devastating, but the wonder can also be joyful. It can be both, sometimes at the same time.”