Cancer Survivor Model Spreads Her Determination on the Care Packs & Cocktails Runway

Five years ago at age 35, Lynsey Davis was on top of the world. She had just had her second child and was enjoying being on maternity leave from a job she loved at Chesapeake. All was right with her world until she went to her doctor for her routine checkup before going back to work.

“I just had a ‘puffy neck’ and didn’t think anything about it. I believed I was healthy after just having a baby, but an ultrasound said something else: Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a form of Blood Cancer. My world stood still. To say I was shocked is a gross understatement.”

Fortunately, Lynsey’s next thought was that she would not give in to this disease. “I will beat this! I have to. I have a 4 year-old, a 10 week old, a wonderful husband and a job I love. This will not get me down!” Lynsey said she then made the choice to show her 10-week-old baby girl what it means to Fight Like a Girl!

Lynsey’s solid determination and will to win her fight helped her push through the next year of 3 rounds of chemo for a total of 18 treatments, while still working and caring for her family. The third round was a success and showed her bone marrow was now Cancer free. But that wasn’t the end of her treatment. She still had to have an autologous stem cell transplant, using her own stem cells to stay Cancer free. This intense procedure would require 30 days of hospitalization at Stephenson Cancer Center, away from her family. 

While she was hospitalized, Lynsey received a Care Pack from Tenaciously Teal. “It was such a sweet gesture and really made me feel special, supported and seen,” she said. After she was back to work full-time, Lynsey and her friends from work hosted a Care Pack Party at Tenaciously Teal to celebrate her successful recovery. 

But Linsey’s greatest victory over cancer celebration happened last year when she joyfully strutted down the runway at the annual Care Packs & Cocktails fundraising gala. “It made me feel alive, healthy and strong–like a champion. I wanted to bottle up that moment and carry it with me.” 

“When I met with the other models, we felt instantly connected by our stories. Our hearts already knew each other, bonded by a similar journey. It was definitely life-changing, and we still keep in touch with each other.”

Today, Lynsey wants to use her story to inspire others to fight for their lives and to be brave enough to walk up on that stage and show the world that they won their battle against cancer.

“That’s how we can all share the love and determination that empowers us and will empower others. Go to the event. Be inspired. And don’t ever give up!”