Alaska Model Flies to Arizona for Breast Cancer Care After Delays

Alison McCullough discovered a lump under her arm while shaving in Alaska. At 39 she was preparing to model at New York Fashion Week in September 2025 and sought a mammogram, but a mobile provider turned her away because she was not yet 40. She waited nearly two months for a referral and diagnosis of invasive, BRCA-2 positive, triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative cases make up 10 to 15 percent of breast cancers, according to Dr. Erica Mayer of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. McCullough said the news escalated quickly from an initial diagnosis to confirmation that the tumor lacked the receptors needed for most targeted therapies.

After diagnosis, the local infusion center could not schedule chemotherapy for more than a month. McCullough and her husband contacted City of Hope in Phoenix on a Friday. The center offered an appointment the following Wednesday.

The couple flew to Arizona two days later, and McCullough began a six-month regimen of two chemotherapy agents within days of arrival. She completed chemotherapy in March and underwent a double mastectomy in late April. In May her oncologist told her she was cancer-free.

McCullough returned to Alaska in early June in time to celebrate her son's 12th birthday. McCullough said the coordinated care at one facility removed the need to travel between appointments in snow and ice. She plans to resume gym workouts and runway work while sharing her experience with others facing similar diagnoses.