I never imagined I’d be diagnosed with breast cancer, especially at my current age. But when it happened, I quickly realized how isolating it could feel. The people I knew who had breast cancer were significantly older, and the support groups I was referred to didn’t feel like the right fit. I sat in a room with people decades older than me, with very different life experiences — married, retired, grandparents — and I felt like an outsider.
As a millennial living in the city, I didn’t see my life reflected in the traditional breast cancer narrative. I didn’t connect with the “save the ta-tas” slogans or pink-washed battle cries. And I definitely didn’t feel like my identity as a woman was tied to my breasts or my appearance. What I did care about was understanding my new normal — how to live, love, and thrive after a life-altering diagnosis — without having to become someone I wasn’t.
That’s when I found BAYS (Bay Area Young Survivors), and everything changed.
BAYS was the first place where I felt truly seen. It was a community of people like me — younger, in the middle of our lives and careers, figuring out what survivorship looks like without having to perform it. Here, I met others who shared my diagnosis, my care team, my side effects, and even my dark humor. We swapped tips for managing treatment, showed up for each other during the hard days, and reminded each other that we didn’t have to fit the “pink ribbon” mold to be valid.
This year, I’m walking in the Inaugural BAYS 5K on April 5, 2025, in Campbell, CA to fundraise for BAYS — because I know firsthand how critical it is to have a support system that gets it. When you donate, you’re not just funding research — you’re making sure someone like me doesn’t feel alone during the hardest chapter of their life. You’re giving them a community, a safe space, and a lifeline.
I’m calling this my Ng-Credible Odyssey — a journey I never expected to take, but one that’s been made lighter thanks to BAYS and the people who’ve walked alongside me.
👉 Here’s how you can help:
💖 Donate — Every contribution helps fund resources for the immediate and long-term health needs of this local community. Donations are tax-deductible, and net proceeds will go directly toward ensuring BAYS can continue providing critical support to young survivors like me.
👟 Join Me — If you’re able, I’d love for you to join me at the event as a runner, walker, or volunteer. It’s a chance to show up in support of a community that means so much to me — and I’d love to see you there.
Your support — whether through a donation, participation, or simply sharing this message — means the world. Together, we can make sure no one has to face breast cancer alone.
Thank you for being part of my community.
