Young Breasties offers young people battling breast cancer guidance and community

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — We still have around seven months to go before October, but it’s never too soon to raise awareness about breast cancer and the need to support survivors young and old.

Several days in April are set aside to recognize adolescent and young adult cancer, and the unique challenges present for people between the ages of 15 and 39 battling the disease.

“There’s the fear,” said Amy Benoit, a cancer survivor herself.

“Statistically, being younger…now’s there’s more opportunity for potential recurrence.”

After attending a previous support group in Atlanta, Georgia, Benoit volunteered to organize and serve as Rhode Island’s state leader for the newly founded support group Young Breasties, which offers guidance and community to young people battling the disease.

“Having a group of people who get it, who have been through it, who understand how you’re feeling, what you’re going through, it’s huge,” she said.

Since their start in November 2024, Benoit and her peers have been advocating for better testing, more personal patient support, and improved patient portals — and they plan to do so year-round.

They also collaborate with the recently-founded Susan Bedard Foundation, hosting its inaugural Pink and Powerful fundraiser May 2, benefitting the Gloria Gemma Foundation.