The Breast Cancer Dialogues: Transformation & Finding New Purpose
- On this episode of SurvivorNet’s Breast Cancer Dialogues series: the remarkable transformation that can happen when you beat your disease.
- For Viviana Figueroa, Joshalyn Mills, Marygrace Graves, and Suzanne Hyde, breast cancer marked not just a diagnosis, but a powerful rebirth—each woman says she emerged with renewed strength, clarity, and purpose.
- Rediscovering yourself after treatment takes work. Some survivors say watching this episode created some renewed inspiration to keep going.
For four remarkable women, breast cancer was the beginning of a new chapter filled with strength, clarity, and gratitude. Their stories help showcase the powerful stories of breast cancer survivors in our Breast Cancer Dialogues series.
“It was a reminder that no storm lasts forever,” says Viviana Figueroa, a marathon runner who once wondered if she’d ever run again. During treatment, even walking a block was a struggle. Today, she’s back on the course, savoring finish lines with a deeper sense of triumph than ever before.
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For Joshalyn Mills, diagnosed just a week before her wedding, faith and family became her lifeline. She vividly remembers wondering if she would make it to take photos of her son at his prom. Years later, she not only stood alongside him on his big day, but she snapped the pictures herself. “I made it. I was there. And it felt really good to take those pictures,” Mills said.
Creative professional Marygrace Graves found that cancer sharpened her appreciation for time. “Even in the darkness, I still had glimmers of joy,” she says. Now, she, trying improv classes, pursuing passions, and embracing new opportunities without hesitation.
For Brooklyn yoga teacher and masseuse, Suzanne Hyde, the hardest part was learning to accept care instead of giving it. That shift left her humbled but also more connected to her calling. “I know what it feels like now — and it makes me even more committed to being a healer.”
Life After A Breast Cancer Diagnosis
WATCH: How Breast Cancer Survivors Are Living Their Dreams
These women prove that survivorship isn’t just about making it through treatment — it’s about rediscovering life in full color: running shoes laced, cameras ready, laughter shared, and dreams pursued with renewed purpose.
As Dr. Elisa Port, a surgeon who specializes in the care and treatment of patients with breast cancer at Mount Sinai Health System, reminds her patients, “Living a long, healthy life after diagnosis is not just possible — it’s something we get to celebrate.”
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