Cheryl Runnells was a 20-year cancer survivor. At the age of 50, she was diagnosed with a cancer which resulted in a colon resection, navelectomy, and trachelectomy (removal of the cervix). For Cheryl, her breast cancer diagnosis in September 2017 was not only a surprise, but also an intrusion. Throughout her life, Cheryl had experienced many heartbreaks - from the loss of her father at an early age, to the death of her husband, and then tragically, the passing of her two best friends (one, to breast cancer). Cheryl was no stranger to loss, but as a mother and business woman, Cheryl’s will to live gave her the strength she needed. In January 2018, Cheryl had a bilateral mastectomy. As strong as Cheryl was, after her surgery she found herself in moments of pain and weakness. “After I had my surgery, I showered for a month in a bra,” recalled Cheryl. “I had a bra that I just kept on… because I didn’t want to see [my breasts]. I didn’t want to face it.” Like many women, Cheryl felt disfigured and uncomfortable with her post-surgical body. Eventually, “I got to a point where I realized, ‘This is stupid!’ I can’t keep doing that.” Though she is still coping with her new body, she now puts on her bra like everyone else, gets dressed, and goes to work – finding optimism wherever she can. “I assume that everything is going to work out, as long as I work hard enough to see that it does.”