Michelle Beck

Cherry blossoms are a symbol of rebirth, renewal, and the fleeting nature of life – a symbol that breast cancer survivor and advocate Michelle Beck has used to regain and spread hope throughout her journey with breast cancer. With cherry blossom décor adorned throughout her home and tattooed blossoms over her surgery scars, Michelle embodies the hopeful spirit of cherry blossoms throughout her advocacy work with the breast cancer community.

Diagnosed first at the age of 41, Michelle endured a difficult process of having two lumpectomies in 2012. Initially, her first tumor was missed because it was so small. It was only after her second lumpectomy at a different hospital, with upgraded imaging technology, that they were able to detect and remove the tumor. In 2017, she was diagnosed for the second time and opted for a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction and a total hysterectomy. She described her agonizing experience with cancer treatment medications, noting the side effects that were worse than surgeries and stating that “survivorship was harder than treatment.” Having to personally advocate for her own health with a family history of metastatic breast cancer, she has become a community advocate for annual mammograms and early breast cancer screenings.

Michelle joined the non-profit cancer advocacy group, Breast Friends of Oregon, to connect with women with shared survivorship and treatment experiences – a cancer support group that she worked with for over five years. From 2021 to 2023, she hosted their weekly podcast called Breast Friends Cancer Support Network to provide inspiration, education, and hope by speaking with medical professionals, survivors, thrivers, and caregivers.

Michelle has shared her breast cancer story publicly which, as she notes, serves to provide “light into a space that can be very dark.” Today, she hosts a podcast called We Rise By Lifting Each Other where she interviews individuals and organizations who put good out into the world by helping others and giving back. She also authored a recently published book titled I Never Liked Pink: Lessons Cancer Taught Me, detailing the highs and lows of her cancer journey and offering inspiration to others.

Michelle will be extending her advocacy work by attending the Right Scan Right Time Fly-In on Capitol Hill on July 24^th. Through this fly-in, Michelle will help to promote the benefits of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to help screen and treat breast cancer. She is excited to share with lawmakers how cutting-edge medical innovations and imaging tools were integral to her diagnosis and treatment experience, for both times she had tumors detected early stage, allowing for treatment options.

Medical imaging tools, integrated with AI detection technologies used in breast cancer screenings, are revolutionizing preventative care, and all people, especially those with a family history or high risk for breast cancer, should be able to access these innovations.