Katie Thurston is the Breast Cancer and Women's Health Advocate We've Been Needing

While we've certainly all heard that breast cancer cases are rising among younger women, it can be really easy to fall into that trap of feeling like breast cancer in young women is still so rare, it can't possibly happen to you. But earlier this year, at just 34 years old, Katie Thurston was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. And in detailing her journey, she’s become a new kind of advocate for early detection and awareness.

The reality is, it can be hard to conceptualize the risk of breast cancer at a young age when all you see are stats and headlines. But when you see a real woman in your age range going through it? That puts things into perspective in a whole new way. 

Thurston has become something of a public face for the disease, especially as it affects younger women...but she's all become the friend who is going through it and sharing her experience in the most authentic, human-to-human way. 

On Instagram, Thurston has created the "boobie broadcast", which is essentially a group chat in which she details what it actually looks like to live with breast cancer. She opens up about treatment options, appointment frequency, symptoms, and the emotional impact of all of it.

She's giving us a look behind the curtain. And while we so wish she didn't have to endure this, she is undoubtedly going to help other women gather the courage to get screened, to pay attention to changes in their breasts, to seek out answers, and to make sense of their treatment options.

Even for women under 40 — and, contrary to what many people think, even those without a family history of the disease — the risk of breast cancer is real. That's why voices like Thurston's are so important. When you see a woman who feels like the embodiment of someone who is "too young" and "too healthy" and "too relatable" to be diagnosed with breast cancer, you start to see it as an issue that could affect you too. And that gets you to take your risk seriously, and to take charge of your own health. That's life-saving…and Thurston’s role in this? It’s heroic.

Ask Clara: Why is breast cancer rising among young women?