Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/179241
relate brave, bold, beautiful breaSt cancer SurvivorS on the Cover michele prieve wilkinson makes a beautifully bold statement about being breastfree after cancer. photographed by todd maughan. WHAT dO WOMen with breast cancer do? All kinds of things. But if you're Michele Prieve Wilkinson or Dawn Whyte, you take action. If you ask me, it took a whole lot of bravery to pose for our cover this month. But Wilkinson—our model—doesn't see it that way. An inspiring athlete, Wilkinson has never let her breast cancer disrupt that aspect of her life. Today, she runs, swims and bikes every race in honor of a woman fighting breast cancer, drawing strength from the woman's struggles—which she knows all too well—to compete and raise funds for the cause. After her bilateral mastectomy, Wilkinson decided against reconstructive implants. That may seem, to some, like an odd choice for a vibrant 41-year-old woman. But that illustrates exactly why Wilkinson made that choice, and what she saw in the BRAVA cover: an opportunity to make a bold and personal statement. "I wanted to show people strength—and reality. Just because I had cancer and don't have breasts anymore doesn't mean I can't be beautiful…I don't feel like less of a woman." When Dawn Whyte was diagnosed, she and her family just boldly said, "Eff it." Not just once, but visibly, and all over the place—on their sailboat, the web, and a line of clothing. Inspired by an angry phrase her husband uttered in his Boston accent, Whyte spawned a positive family motto—and Effcansah, a nonprofit. Her Effcansah + + women style substance For more information on or to donate to Whyte's Effcansah efforts, visit effcansah.com, where you also can link to Wilkinson's "Beyond the Boobs: My Journey to Ironman Wisconsin" blog. >mind your business High style at the office >beyond books Central Library's reinvention +FALL FÊTes Harvest parties and tailgates october 2013 $3.95 bravamagazine.com Brave Choices Breast cancer, BRCA testing and difficult decisions 12 brava magazine | october 2013 sells shirts and hats to raise money for her Madison physician, Dr. Mark Burkard, to directly help fund his research to block the sometimes debilitating side effects of cancer treatments. Whyte's Effcansah raised more than $5,500 for Burkard's research last year. Whyte, also an athlete, kept going— working and training—through her lumpectomy, total hysterectomy and treatments. That's how Effcansah introduced her to Wilkinson—at the Capitol View Triathlon—who wanted to get her hands on a shirt with that provocative statement. Now fast friends, this year Wilkinson sported an Effcansah T-shirt personalized to say Team IronMichele—and so did 80 of her supporters. Wilkinson and Whyte drive home the same point: Each woman's answer to her breast cancer—what to do with and about it—is as individual as her treatment plan, and it's always brave. And, even with the advances of genetic testing, the answers can be uncertain. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as part one of a two-part series on women's cancers, "Deciding Factors," p. 52, asks three Madison-area women to share their stories of breast cancer, testing for the mutated BRCA cancer genes, and the often difficult decisions presented to them. Like Wilkinson and Whyte, their stories are full of inspiration. My hat's off to all of these gals for baring their souls and bodies to show us what bravery is all about. And in their honor we say it, too: Effcansah. Kate Bast Editor-in-Chief