Strength in the Storm
Stormy Gale of Egg Harbor, Wisconsin, was just 28 when she read the words that changed everything: triple-positive breast cancer. “I blacked out reading the results,” she recalls. “I refused to believe it. I thought they mixed up the results.” Now 30, Stormy reflects on a journey that tested her physically, emotionally, and spiritually—and revealed a strength she never knew she had.
Her treatment included 12 weeks of chemotherapy and a year of HER2-targeted therapy. She also underwent a double mastectomy and reconstruction. “Seeing my body after surgery was one of the hardest parts,” she says. “I struggled to look in the mirror. It didn’t feel like me.”
With two young children at home, Stormy kept her diagnosis private. “I pretended everything was okay. I didn’t want them to worry.” But behind the scenes, support came in unexpected ways. A coworker, who was a breast cancer survivor, sent Stormy a card with an encouraging message every week. Also, TikTok connected her with other young women facing breast cancer. “It was comforting to know I wasn’t alone.”
Stormy also chose to cold cap during chemo, a painful but empowering decision to try to save her hair. “It became a distraction from the treatment itself,” she says. “I was more worried about losing my hair than having cancer.”
Her diagnosis changed her perspective on life. “I’m less afraid of death now,” she shares. “I don’t pass up opportunities anymore. Life is too short.”
Confidence, once tied to appearance, now comes from within. “I’m more confident now because I’ve been through something hard. I don’t care what people think of me anymore.”
Stormy joined the boudoir-style portrait campaign to raise awareness, especially for young women. “Cancer doesn’t discriminate. I found my lump myself. I wasn’t old enough for a mammogram. If I hadn’t spoken up, it could’ve been worse.”
Her message to others is simple and powerful: “You are stronger than you think you are.”
Her mantra? “Just keep swimming.”
Stormy hopes her story and portrait show that breast cancer can affect anyone, at any age. “I want people to see a younger-than-normal person who walked those shoes. And I want them to know when treatment ends, the journey doesn’t. The fear of recurrence is real. But so is the strength to keep going.”