I was 13 when I first noticed something changing. My body was growing in ways I didn’t quite understand. And with it came a shadow. Not just the awkwardness of adolescence, but the kind of shadow that never really goes away: fear.

My grandmother fought breast cancer for 16 years. Sixteen long years of doctor’s appointments, treatments, hoping, waiting and suffering in silence. And then, she was gone, before her 60th birthday. In the back of my mind ever since I was 13, the looming question: Will this be my fate too?

But this year, I turned 40. And when you turn 40, you're allowed to have a mammogram.

And let me tell you, modern medicine is a gift. Early detection, health advocacy, the power to make choices about our own lives. These are things our grandmothers didn’t have, but we do. And they are worth celebrating.

This brings us to Hakuna Ma Tatas. It’s a team, yes, but more than that—it’s a mindset. A world where we don’t have to live in the shadow of breast cancer. A world where no one has to worry that their days are numbered by a diagnosis. A world where modern medicine, advocacy, and finding a cure mean one thing: we’re free to live boldly, bravely, and without fear.

That’s the world we’re creating with this fundraising effort. That’s the future we’re building together. And every step, every dollar raised, brings us closer to it. Let’s make sure no one ever has to lose someone they love—or lose themselves—to this disease again.

Join the team. Join the cause. And let’s make “Hakuna Ma Tatas” a reality for all.