Hello and welcome!

My name is Paisley, and I’m so grateful you’ve found your way to this site because it means we have a chance to make a real difference together in the fight against breast cancer. As a breast cancer survivor, this cause is incredibly close to my heart. In December of 2019, at the age of 45, I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer, just days after losing my father (not long after my mother passed). It was a time that changed my life forever and the beginning of a journey I never expected.

The night I discovered my cancer, I was struggling with grief. I was watching late-night TV to distract myself while my husband and 2-year-old son were asleep. That’s when, after leaning on the arm of our couch, I felt a pain in my right breast. When I placed my hand on the aching area, I felt a lump. I’ll never forget that moment—I slumped down on the floor, looked up, and exclaimed, “Really!?” In that exact moment, I knew it could be cancer.

As soon as possible, I made an appointment for a mammogram (I was six months past the due date for my annual breast cancer screening). About a week later—though it felt like months—following the mammogram, ultrasound review, and core needle biopsy results, I was diagnosed with Stage 2B, grade 3, Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC is considered a more aggressive type of breast cancer, mainly because there are fewer targeted medicines that treat TNBC, compared to hormone positive breast cancers ). Who knew there were different types of breast cancer? Not me! Additionally, I learned that I carried the BRCA1 gene, which meant I had a genetic predisposition to other types of cancers. Over the next few years, I underwent chemotherapy, a double mastectomy (without reconstruction), radiation, a prophylactic hysterectomy, and more treatments—all during the height of a global pandemic.

At the times when the earlier photos were taken of me and my 2 year old (see above,) I didn't know what my future would look like. This year, I’m incredibly grateful to be celebrating both my 50th birthday and five years since my diagnosis.I’ve been blessed to watch my son grow from a toddler into a young boy. Timely research breakthroughs were a huge factor in making my survival happen. But there’s still so much work to be done. Too often, I hear from friends, friends of friends, or their family members who are facing a breast cancer diagnosis. The physical and emotional toll of the diagnosis, the illness, and the treatment can be immense. Survivors often deal with long-term side effects and continue to carry the weight of their experience after their treatment ends. And the heartbreaking truth is that we continue to lose people we love to breast cancer.

That is why, in this milestone year, I founded Beach Roses Foundation LLC. On May 17th, I’m hosting our inaugural Beach Roses Walk to raise critical funds for breast cancer research that focuses on prevention, better treatment options, and ultimately a cure, as well as initiatives that help survivors thrive. We must do more to ensure that no one else has to endure this journey, and that those who have faced it can move forward with the care and support needed to live longer, healthier lives.

Beach Roses Walk is a powerful call to action in the fight against breast cancer. Set against the backdrop of Hammonasset's blooming beach roses, the walk symbolizes strength, perseverance, and hope.

On May 17, 2025- I’m walking in honor of my paternal grandmother, who passed away from breast cancer before I was born; for my cousin, a courageous survivor; for my forever friends, both from childhood and adulthood, who have also faced this battle—some diagnosed in their early 30s; for the brave moms I’ve recently met who share a common journey; for my friend's mom who was just diagnosed this year; for the survivors I continue to meet—newly diagnosed, searching for hope; for a cherished warrior friend who now has metastatic breast cancer and continues to fight; And, for my "lil sis," Bree- Bree was diagnosed just after me. We met because we were being treated at the same cancer center. Bree and I talked all the time, until she lost her fight to Triple Negative (and inflammatory) Breast Cancer. Her loss is a reminder of why we must continue this fight.

Who will you walk for?

Thank you for your support!

With love and gratitude,

Paisley

Founder, Beach Roses Foundation LLC

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