Survivor Series

Survivor Jane Regan: Still on the journey, but grateful and happy where I am by ELLYN SANTIAGO   Survivor Jane Regan Jane Regan loves the outdoors, gardening, yoga, and reading. The 63-year-old married mother of two adult children and grandmother of one lives in Niantic. She’s an Old Lyme school district eighth-grade teacher.  Living a […]

Survivor Hannah Slocum, now 28, was just 24 when diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer    Hannah enjoying life at one of her favorite places; Disney! In January 2022, just seven months after her mother was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer the previous June, Hannah Slocum also faced a breast cancer diagnosis — an aggressive

Kerry Potts, now cancer-free, battled the disease during the early days of the pandemic     Kerry Potts   It’s been more than five years since Kerry Potts, now 54, was diagnosed in January 2020 with HER2-positive and estrogen and progesterone-positive, triple-positive, stage 1 breast cancer after a routine ultrasound. Only weeks later, everyone’s lives

She’s walked in honor of others before—but now, she walks for herself, too  Janis and her husband, Frank At 71 years old, Janis D’Andrea has always lived a life filled with purpose—whether it’s her career as a health care professional, cheering from the sidelines at one of her five grandchildren’s many sporting events, or volunteering

Survivor Christine Anastos knew it was time to prioritize her own healing   Christine Anastos A breast cancer survivor, Christine Anastos’ mission now is to help other women with her “groundbreaking, heart-centered social impact company, Connect & Thrive, Public Benefit Corporation (CAT), dedicated to uplifting cancer previvors, patients, thrivers, and caregivers.” An upbeat, generous, dedicated

Survivor Kim Buckley: What do I need to do to see my baby grow up? By ELLYN SANTIAGO Kim at her third half-marathon where she raised money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand to help fight children’s cancer. East Lyme High School English teacher Kim Buckley, now 55, was just 31 when she was diagnosed with breast

‘Anchored in a storm, refusing to give up’ By ELLYN SANTIAGO   Debbie and her brother, Larry   In 2022, at age 46, Debbie McGrath began her cancer “journey.” Unfathomably, she was diagnosed with three cancers. Suffering from a bad eye infection, which sent her to her primary care doctor, it was suggested she have

Survivor Amber Steady: I fought that monster and survived By ELLYN SANTIAGO Mommy & Me photoshoot BEFORE treatment began Amber Steady had no idea that while nursing her newborn, she had breast cancer. And when she did find out, the cancer diagnosis arrived not through a compassionate phone call, but through MyChart.  She was just

Her Bucket List Has Several Unchecked Items, So She’s Sticking Around By ELLYN SANTIAGO For Laura Westner, the “thought of my cancer coming back does rent some space in my head.” But as a breast cancer survivor, she’s “trying not to let it consume me.” Rachel, Laura and adult kids Molly and Owen. One of

‘There’s no way!’ Erin answered the call from her OBGYN, and her heart sank By ELLYN SANTIAGO Erin Spurgas could not fathom it.  “In my mind, there was no way that three of us who graduated together from Montville High School in 1994 — lifelong friends — could all be diagnosed with pre-menopausal breast cancer,”