Breast Cancer BaddieCon’s second summit was a stunningly sisterly gathering, and BOSSIP bore witness to the powerful fusion of healing, hope, and heartfelt connection.
The moment medical professionals, survivors, advocates, and thrivers like Guerdy Abraira stepped inside the Stone Mountain, GA, event’s opening night, the atmosphere confirmed something special was afoot.
This year’s Breast Cancer BaddieCon: Survivorship Reimagined, powered by For the Breast of Us, was a four-day experience rooted in healing and empowerment at Evergreen Lakeside Resort.
Amid an all-pink setting, laughter bounced from corner to corner as women embraced each other with hugs, stopped for selfies, gathered around photo opportunities, and exchanged conversations that felt more like reunions than introductions.
Music filled the space while attendees danced, smiled, reflected, and settled into moments of fellowship. Black and brown women were visible everywhere, creating a space where representation was not an afterthought but part of the foundation.
The experience itself appeared carefully built around a journey.
Opening night centered on Looking Back To Move Forward, beginning with a Baddie Welcome Lounge designed as a “soft landing” for attendees before moving into sessions like This Is Our Mirror Moment and Main Character Energy: Owning Your Narrative.
Even the language surrounding the programming reflected something bigger than surviving. While the event carried moments of celebration, organizers made it clear that joy did not mean pretending difficult realities do not exist.
“We’re up sometimes at 11 p.m. at night with our demanding full time jobs because this is The Lord’s work,” shared Marissa Thomas, Co Founder and CEO of For the Breast of Us.
Thomas also acknowledged the complexity that often exists behind survivorship stories.
“The real stories are not just cookie cutter. Breast cancer is ugly and ALOT so I’m not gonna act happy go lucky about this.”
Finding Community In Shared Experiences
Friday’s programming shifted into Holding Space For Our Whole Story, leaning into difficult conversations and healing work.
Sessions including The System Ain’t Built For Us, Can We Talk: The Conversations We Love To Avoid, and From Survivor to Advocate: Using Your Story to Shake Systems acknowledged realities many women in the room already knew personally.
One of the most powerful moments of the evening, however, did not come from a formal presentation. Instead, it came from a simple question directed toward attendees.
“How many of y’all felt alone until you found your community?”
Across the room, the majority of hands rose. For a brief moment, the answer appeared to say everything without words.
That need for connection was visible in women like Belle, who traveled to Atlanta searching for something beyond support.
“I need to find my community,” Belle told BOSSIP’s very own Lauryn Bass. “Like I got my family, I got my friends, they supported, but I need my sisters, like, that have been through what I’ve been through.”
Belle shared that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 after discovering a lump herself at age 38. After undergoing surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, and continuing hormone therapy, she said being in the room represented something deeper than another event.
“More than anything, a community,” she said.
While she described her family and friends as supportive, she explained that there is something different about connecting with people who understand the journey firsthand.
“I can’t ask for a better support group. However, it’s nothing like having somebody that’s been through what you’ve been through and get to really build a bond with them.”
Survivorship Beyond Strength
Current Baddie Ambassador and Community Connections Coordinator April Finley said that feeling of connection is exactly what For the Breast of Us hopes to create.
“You know, Marissa said it best. Welcome home,” Finley said. “I feel really comfortable. I’m excited to see so many ladies that we’ve connected with over the years through social media.”
Finley explained that many women attending the conference were diagnosed before age 40, which can create additional challenges.
“This is a space just for us, just for us to heal, to vibe, to learn, to grow, make a new friend, and just let our hair down and do what we need to do and get what we need to get from this weekend.”
She added that the work is also deeply personal.
She shared that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016 at age 35 and initially felt isolated because she was the first woman in her family diagnosed under age 40 without children.
Eventually, she connected online with a young woman named Ebony Price, who had also been diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer.
“She was my earth angel that helped me get through my year of treatment and surgeries,” Finley said.
Though the two never had the opportunity to meet in person before Price later transitioned after a metastatic diagnosis, Finley said she carries a survivor necklace given to her by Price’s family.
“I want to be for other women who she was for me.”
Healing Through Intention
Throughout the evening, reminders of reflection and healing appeared in both big and small ways.
Attendees received swag bags that included journals designed for daily reflection prompts. Postcards invited guests to write messages to their future selves or words they hoped to share with others one day. Activations, resources, and exhibitors lined the experience, creating opportunities for women to gather information while also finding support.
Saturday’s focus on Reimagining What Thriving Looks Like encouraged attendees to think beyond treatment and into life after cancer through conversations including The Art of Confidence, Life with MBC, and Squad Goals: Building Support Circles That Pour Into You.
The event also balanced heavier conversations with moments of joy and normalcy through dance cardio sessions, wellness walks, R&B Bingo, and a pajama jam.
By Sunday, the experience moved toward Turning Reflection Into Action with Joy Keepers, Vision Mapping, and Postcards to Your Future Self.
Beyond the festivities and fellowship, the summit underscored a more powerful truth about survivorship and sisterhood.
Inside a room filled with hugs, laughter, and women finding pieces of themselves in one another, survivorship felt less like simply making it through and more like learning how to build a life that feels like your own again. And that is where the true healing begins.
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