By Nancy Kane
With high fashion and celebrity front rows on everyone’s minds, Cancer Culture, a nonprofit movement led by and for people living with breast cancer, brought resistance to the runway. Done in conjunction with partner Ana Ono, a patient-founded and designed intimates brand, the show was held this past Sunday during New York Fashion Week with an all-patient model runway that was not just a show, but a fight for survival.
Inside the dramatic, cathedral-like Angel Orensanz Foundation on the Lower East Side, the energy was electric. Cancer Culture’s sixth appearance at NYFW shattered expectations with “Body of Resistance,” a fierce, emotional and unapologetic runway show featuring 25 models who have been directly affected by breast cancer. Some are living with metastatic breast cancer (MBC), others are in remission and a few were “previvors,” those who’ve taken preemptive measures due to genetic risk. Together, they transformed the runway into a declaration of defiance.
The models walked with strength and vulnerability, their bodies telling stories that the fashion world rarely showcases: mastectomy scars, flat chests, port lines, tattoos over trauma. As each woman took the stage, the audience didn’t just watch—they wept, they cheered, they stood.
“The courage and resilience of our patient models were nothing short of awe-inspiring,” said Beth Fairchild, co-founder of Cancer Culture and an MBC survivor. “This community has been overlooked for too long. We’re here to change that — loudly.”
Fairchild co-founded the movement alongside fellow survivor Rachel Burns, with a mission to give voice and visibility to those living with breast cancer—especially Stage 4 patients, who are often sidelined in the mainstream conversation.
This year’s event raised over $150,000, with 100 percent of proceeds going directly to MBCure, a nonprofit funding high-impact, curative-intent research for metastatic breast cancer.
In a world where breast cancer is often painted in soft pinks and wrapped in slogans of “hope” and “strength,” Cancer Culture is offering something bolder: truth. According to current estimates, over 317,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year alone, and more than 42,000 will die.
“The Stage 4 community deserves far more recognition and support,” Burns said. “We’re fighting for our lives, and we’re fighting for each other.”
For many in the audience, “Body of Resistance” was a wake-up call. In a world that often edits out imperfection, Cancer Culture is holding up a mirror to the truth — and daring everyone to look.
To donate, visit: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/nyfw-body-of-resistance-show-fund raising-campaign-for-mbc-research