The 2025 Susan G. Komen Boston 3-Day® was Heather B.’s first breast cancer event, and it was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Over the course of three days, she pushed herself physically and mentally, formed new friendships and discovered just how strong she had become.
But just a few years earlier, Heather’s life looked very different.
She was 39, living at home on lockdown with two young children during the coronavirus pandemic, when she received a phone call that changed everything: “Heather, you have breast cancer.”
There’s no way to prepare for that kind of news. Heather was terrified, but through that fear, she made a promise to herself.
“I was going to be the bravest scared mom ever,” she said.
Connecting to Others During Treatment
Heather went through 16 rounds of chemotherapy, 28 sessions of radiation therapy, a double mastectomy and a full hysterectomy. She wanted to be as proactive as possible in her treatment. Just six months earlier, her children had lost their grandmother to cancer.
“I was determined they would not lose their mom, too,” she said.
The pandemic made an already overwhelming journey even harder. Heather’s care team required her to come alone for her medical appointments and treatments. No visitors. No hand to hold. No comfort of familiar faces. At times, she felt isolated, so she turned to online communities for connection.
“I found others going through the same thing—and those relationships quickly became my lifeline,” she said.
Finding Purpose
Somewhere in the middle of all the chaos that comes with a life-altering diagnosis, Heather found something unexpected: purpose. By supporting others diagnosed with breast cancer, sharing what she learned through her diagnosis and “simply listening,” she found healing in unexpected ways.
In June, Heather celebrated five years as a survivor. She said people often question why she remains involved with the breast cancer community since she has already “beaten” cancer. Heather said it’s simply because, “the journey doesn’t end when treatment does.” It carries lifelong impacts including physical and emotional side effects, scars, surgeries, anxiety, hormonal changes, fear and fatigue.
“So, until there’s a cure, I’ll keep showing up— for myself, for my kids and for everyone sitting in a chemo chair feeling scared and uncertain, just like I did,” Heather added.
For Heather, showing up began at her first 3-Day walk in Boston, and will continue at the 2027 Tampa Bay 3-Day, where she has plans to walk with her sister. For this “brave” mom, the strength that once carried her through breast cancer now carries her forward to offer hope to others.
