We Fight Like a Girl Fundraiser Celebrates 11th Anniversary

How Struggles Have Shaped Sisterhood

On October 3rd, the eleventh annual We Fight Like a Girl fundraiser will return in collaboration with Hudson’s Mill to the Garner Arts Center, uniting hundreds of people affected by breast cancer in support of the Young Survivor Coalition (YSC). What began as a living room fundraiser to help one woman after a life changing surgery has grown into a movement of sisterhood, advocacy, and hope.

The women at the heart of the event, Carla Curran, Cristina Maggi, Samantha Alfonso, and Michelle Nishanian, are all Rockland natives who attended North Rockland central schools. Curran and Maggi are sisters, Alfonso has known Curran since kindergarten, and Nishanian has been woven into their lives for decades. What began as friendship decades ago has since become more like family.

For Carla Curran, the journey has been deeply personal. With a strong history of breast cancer in her family, doctors encouraged her and her sisters to undergo Breast Cancer Gene Analysis, or BRCA testing. This test detects mutations in genes that, if identified, are a strong indication of breast cancer down the line. Both Curran and her mother tested positive. With this knowledge and with her strong family history, Curran made the decision at only 27 to undergo a preventative double mastectomy, becoming what’s known as a “previvor.” This term, which is a combination of the words “preventative” and “survivor”, identifies a person who has not been diagnosed with cancer, but has a genetic predisposition to the disease.

Following Curran’s surgery, she remembers feelings of isolation and loneliness with her new identity of “previvor”. Curran joked about how when she had her surgery, the only person she knew who had a preventative double mastectomy was Angelina Jolie “and obviously, I have no connection with her!,” laughed Curran. She had her support system of her family and friends, but no one who she felt understood these complex feelings she was dealing with as a young previvor. That was when Curran found the nonprofit The Young Survival Coalition.    

The Young Survival Coalition is a nonprofit that focuses on women under 40 diagnosed with breast cancer. The nonprofit’s mission is to address the unique challenges younger women face surrounding fertility, relationships, and careers, while also providing vital peer support. For Curran, finding this online community of young women provided her with the comfort, hope, and information she was searching for. The support Curran gained from this online forum was the inspiration for the first We Fight Like a Girl fundraiser. What began as a modest gathering has since grown to an event that draws over 300 attendees yearly. Three years ago, the We Fight Like a Girl fundraiser was recognized by YSC at its Manhattan headquarters for their advocacy. “It’s not even a fundraiser anymore, it’s a network, a family,” Samantha Alfonso said.

The group’s work has expanded beyond fundraising. Curran has become a voice for awareness about Breast Implant Illness (BII), a condition she developed years after her mastectomy. “I got a horrible rash from my neck to my abdomen. I looked like a burn victim,” she recalled. After countless tests and dismissals from doctors, Curran finally found a specialist in Long Island, Dr. Feingold, who confirmed that Curran was suffering from BII and urged immediate implant removal.

Her experience began a conversation on the often unknown dangers of breast implant surgery. “We don’t do enough to provide the correct information up-front, especially when women are in such a vulnerable position after a mastectomy,” said Curran. She now shares her journey publicly to help other women find answers faster than she did.

Alfonso echoed the need for education. “Breast implants aren’t just silicone or saline. They contain dyes, plastics, even ink-like materials that the body can absorb over time. Women deserve to know exactly what they’re putting into their bodies.”

Despite these difficult conversations, We Fight Like a Girl fosters an uplifting event. Last year’s fundraiser featured dancing, raffles with prizes ranging from electronics to vacations, and a wall covered with pictures honoring women currently battling breast cancer, survivors, previvors, and those lost to the disease. “It’s about community and celebrating those going through the battle,” Cristina Maggi said. “There are always tears, but there’s also laughter, music, and joy.”

The four women emphasized that what truly sustains the event from year to year is the sisterhood it fosters. Attendees often become lifelong friends, sending holiday cards and staying connected on social media. “When they hug us, you can feel it: it’s relief, gratitude, like they’ve found family,” Alfonso said.

As the event enters its eleventh year, the impact felt is only continuing to deepen. What started as a decades long sisterhood has grown into a fellowship of survivors coming together for a tradition that is part fundraiser, part support system, and 100% a celebration of strength.

  BII, breast cancer, breast cancer survivor, Breast Implant Illness, fundraiser, garnerville, Hudson’s Mill, previvor, survivor, We Fight Like a Girl, Young Survivors Coalition, YSA