From Fashion Week to Cancer-Free: A Model's Journey with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Highlights Barriers to Timely Care
Key Insights
Alison McCullough, a 39-year-old model, discovered a lump before New York Fashion Week but faced diagnostic delays due to age-based mammogram restrictions and limited access in Alaska.
She was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer (search) with BRCA-2 (search) mutation, an aggressive subtype accounting for 10–15% of all breast cancers with fewer targeted treatment options.
After facing further treatment delays in Alaska, McCullough relocated to City of Hope (search) in Phoenix, where she received chemotherapy within days and later achieved cancer-free status following a double mastectomy.
Alison McCullough was in peak physical condition, preparing to walk the runway at New York Fashion Week in September 2025, when she discovered a lump under her arm while shaving. At 39, she knew her body well enough to recognize that the finding warranted immediate investigation. What followed was a months-long ordeal that exposed significant gaps in breast cancer screening access for younger women and the challenges of receiving timely oncology care in rural America.
McCullough's first barrier came when a mobile mammogram provider turned her away because she had not yet reached age 40, the threshold at which the American Cancer Society recommends women begin regular mammography screening. She was forced to obtain a referral from her primary care provider, but the wait for an appointment stretched on. "I had to jump through the hoops," McCullough said. "It's quite a long process when you feel like time is of the essence."
Nearly two months after discovering the lump, McCullough received a diagnosis that proved more dire with each new piece of information: invasive breast cancer, BRCA-2 (search) gene mutation, and triple-negative receptor status. "I went from 'Yes, you have breast cancer' to 'It's an invasive cancer, and you have the BRCA-2 gene, and your cancer is triple negative, which means it's harder to treat,'" she recalled. "In my mind, I thought ... they'd cut it out and I'd be on my way. But then I found out, no, you need chemotherapy, you're going to lose all your hair, and it just escalated."
Understanding Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer (search) (TNBC) accounts for between 10% and 15% of all breast cancer cases, according to Dr. Erica Mayer, director of breast cancer clinical research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The designation means the tumor lacks estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and HER2 receptors — the three most common therapeutic targets in breast cancer. Without these receptors, patients cannot benefit from hormone therapies or HER2-directed agents, leaving chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, immunotherapy, and antibody-drug conjugates as the primary treatment modalities.
Despite these limitations, outcomes have improved. "Our patients are doing better today than they ever have before, with a much greater chance of being cured of their disease," Mayer said.
Relocating for Timely Treatment
After her diagnosis, McCullough encountered yet another delay: the infusion center in Alaska where she was scheduled to receive chemotherapy could not accommodate her for over a month. Fearing that any additional waiting could prove fatal, she and her husband broadened their search and contacted City of Hope (search), a cancer research and treatment organization with facilities across four states.
The response was swift. McCullough called the Phoenix, Arizona, office on a Friday and heard back within hours. "They said, 'If you can get here by next week, Wednesday, we will have our whole team meet with you and come up with a plan and get you right in,'" she said. Two days later, the couple was on a flight to Arizona.
City of Hope (search)'s oncology team concurred with the treatment plan developed by her Alaska oncologist, but the difference was in execution. All appointments were consolidated at a single facility, and treatment began within "a couple of days" rather than weeks. The six-month chemotherapy regimen involved two forms of chemotherapy, with the first three months producing relatively few side effects and the latter three slowing her down considerably.
"I had a hard time grasping what it was like to be immunocompromised. But I hung in there," McCullough said. "Before, I had been preparing for Fashion Week, but there was something bigger that I was about to have to fight for. It was a good thing, going into my cancer journey, that I was as strong as I was."
Achieving Cancer-Free Status
McCullough completed chemotherapy in March and described finishing the regimen as "a big win, because not everybody makes it to the end." To reduce recurrence risk, her doctors recommended a double mastectomy, which she underwent in late April. She was cautioned that she might still require radiation or long-term oral chemotherapy, but in May her oncologist delivered unexpected news: McCullough was cancer-free.
"It was the best news," she said. The milestone enabled her to begin reconstructive surgery, and by early June she returned to Alaska in time to celebrate her son's 12th birthday.
McCullough now prioritizes family time during her recovery and plans to resume training — and eventually return to modeling. "I do see glimmers of fashion shows and pageantry again in my future," she said. "Those things help keep me accountable physically, but also provide a path to share my story with the next person that needs hope."