The American Cancer Society’s Women Leading the Way to Wellness Luncheon focuses on the prevention and early detection of cancer and how women’s health plays a critical role in this area. This is a priority at the American Cancer Society as we forge the way to not only find a cure for cancer but find a way to prevent it. Decreasing cancer occurrences is as important to us as finding a medical cure; though we continue to work tirelessly on both fronts to end cancer for everyone.
Julie Stein is a New Canaan resident and breast cancer survivor. Diagnosed at age 47 with DCIS breast cancer, Julie underwent a double mastectomy with reconstruction. After her diagnosis, Julie founded Project Pink New Canaan, a fundraiser which turns downtown New Canaan pink each October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and has raised over $30,000 for Breast Cancer research since its inception. Julie also currently sits on the board of the Breast Cancer Alliance.
Brittany was diagnosed with cancer while pregnant with her daughter, Mara — something she never imagined facing. That moment changed everything for her. It made Brittany realize how important it was to take the reins on the parts of her health she could actually control. She began focusing on nourishment, movement, and mindset — ways to feel grounded during uncertainty.
Last year, at three years old, Mara was diagnosed with leukemia. It is every mother’s worst fear, and once again, Britt’s only choice was to return to what she knew: leaning into wellness and focusing on what she could control. She couldn’t change the diagnosis, but she could choose how she showed up through it. Today, Brittany is passionate about helping others do the same: take charge of their health, nurture their bodies, and create an environment that supports healing and longevity.
Zakiya Dalila Harris’s debut novel The Other Black Girl was an instant New York Times bestseller and was later developed into an acclaimed television series on Hulu. Her other writing can be found in Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Guernica, The Rumpus, and The New York Times. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband.
Wally Lamb is the award-winning author of seven New York Times bestselling novels: She’s Come Undone, I Know This Much is True, The Hour I First Believed, Wishin’ & Hopin’, We Are Water, I’ll Take You There, and, most recently, The River is Waiting. Lamb also edited Couldn’t Keep It to Myself, I’ll Fly Away, and You Don’t Know Me, three volumes of essays from students in his writing workshop at York Correctional Institution, a women’s prison in Connecticut, where he was a volunteer facilitator for 20 years. Three of Lamb’s novels were featured as Oprah’s Book Club selections. Lamb and his wife, Christine, live in New York City and in northeastern Connecticut. They are the parents of three sons and have five grandchildren.
Alisyn Camerota is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, author, and former anchor at CNN based in New York. With over 30 years in journalism, she has covered major national and international events, including the George Floyd protests, the 2020 election, and the Covid-19 pandemic. Camerota co-anchored CNN’s “New Day” for over six years, delivering critical interviews such as those with Parkland shooting survivors and NRA representatives. She is also a leading advocate in the #MeToo movement, having anchored specials on sexual harassment.
A graduate of American University, Camerota is also the author of the acclaimed novel Amanda Wakes Up and the recently released Combat Love. Combat Love is her story of growing up longing for stability and attachment as the foundation of her family crumbled. Set on the Jersey Shore in the free-range 1980s, Camerota finds the belonging she craves courtesy of a local punk rock band named Shrapnel and their diehard fans. Combat Love chronicles her near-misses and misadventures at clubs like CBGB and Max’s Kansas City, coupled with the sex, drugs, and punk rock of 1980s New Jersey.
Now, as she deals with the grief of her husband, she continues to find new inspiring paths to cater to her voice on new platforms like Substack.
Dorothy Lyman (Actor, Playwright) is a two-time Emmy© Award-winner for her work as Opal Gardner on “All My Children” and is widely known for her co-starring role on “Mama’s Family,” alongside Vicki Lawrence and Carol Burnett. In addition to her numerous film and television appearances, Ms. Lyman also directed 75 episodes of the Fran Drescher sitcom “The Nanny.” She is the mother of 3 and grandmother of 3 and lives in Washington Depot, Connecticut and New York City.
For more than 10 decades, the American Cancer Society has been dedicated to pursuing better outcomes for every cancer, every life. Today, more people are surviving cancer than ever before, but there is still work to be done. Join us, support us, and help us end cancer as we know it, for everyone.
towards cancer research
winning scientists received research funding
through all patient support initiatives in 2024
