Tammy Myers was just 33 years old, with a two-year-old daughter and dreams of growing her family, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. What followed was a bilateral mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and more than 25 surgeries over the years.
Treatment saved Tammy’s life, but cancer changed far more than her health. It took away her ability to carry another pregnancy and altered the future she and her husband, Jordan, had imagined for their family.
It was also during those earliest days of cancer that Tammy began finding her voice. Long before sharing the deeply personal sides of cancer was commonplace online, she openly documented the realities of treatment, survivorship, and what cancer was changing in her life. Years later, when she and Jordan welcomed twins Eames and Ellison through gestational surrogacy—and Michigan law forced them to legally adopt their own biological children—that voice became the courage to fight for her family.
Tammy shared their story, testified before Michigan lawmakers, and worked alongside legislators and advocates to help change the state’s surrogacy laws. In 2024, Michigan signed the Michigan Family Protection Act into law. Since then, her advocacy has expanded into breast cancer research and policy, taking her from community events to national conferences and Capitol Hill. Her family’s story has even been recognized in the U.S. Congressional Record.
Of the many ways the American Cancer Society impacts the lives of people facing cancer, Tammy feels especially connected to research, community, and advocacy. As a long-term survivor, she knows how important continued research is to creating better treatments and better outcomes for the people diagnosed after her. She also deeply values the community ACS creates for survivors and families—the opportunity to connect, celebrate milestones, honor those we’ve lost, and remind one another that no one has to face cancer alone. Most recently, Tammy joined the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), bringing her experience working with lawmakers to advocacy for policies that improve cancer research, access to care, and the lives of survivors.
Eleven years later, cancer continues to shape Tammy’s life, including the path to her newest professional chapter as Senior Director of Creative and Production at BrandHaven, where she helps nonprofits and mission-driven organizations use storytelling to create meaningful impact.
For Tammy, it all comes back to what she has chosen to do with a story she never would have chosen for herself.
“Cancer took a lot from me. It changed my health, my body, the way we grew our family, and so much of the future I thought I was going to have,” Tammy said. “But somewhere in all of it, I found the courage to use my voice, and using that voice helped me find purpose. I can’t change what cancer has taken from me, but I can keep using what I’ve lived through to make things better for the people and families who come next. And ultimately, I hope for a future where fewer people ever have to experience just how much cancer can take.”
Photos courtesy of Tammy Myers.