On January 2nd, 2026, Grace was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. It was the beginning of a life-altering nine months… and a rollercoaster none of us could have prepared for, or ever imagined was possible.

Fertility treatment. Six months of aggressive chemotherapy (nicknamed the ‘Red Devil’). A double mastectomy. Emergency rooms, blood transfusions, weekly appointments, scans, tests, good days, bad days, and everything in between.

And then, in August, just three days after her surgery, Grace received the news we had all been hoping for: the treatment had worked. There was no evidence of cancer remaining. Cancer free!

It’s difficult to put into words what that moment felt like, or even how you begin to process the nine months that came before it. So, for now, we’ll simply say this.. it’s time to get back on the wagon of life. And it’s time to celebrate!

We want to celebrate Grace.. her incredible fight, her resilience, her strength and the sheer fortitude she has shown throughout all of this. But we also want to celebrate the extraordinary community of people who carried us through it. Family and friends in Reno and California, Washington DC, New York, Arizona, England, Chicago, Alexandria, Swindon, the British Embassy community in Washington, the Falkland Islands and so many others near and far who showed up, checked in, travelled, cooked, called, visited, laughed and cried with us, and supported us in more ways than we could ever list.

There is another extraordinary part of Grace’s story. Grace and her sister, Olivia, both carry the BRCA1 gene.. and in December 2025, Olivia was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. Within a few weeks of discovering her DCIS, Olivia became the trailblazer of the Lowden Sisters and underwent a double mastectomy. At the time, Grace was planning to travel to Reno at the end of January to help her sister through her recovery. Instead, life turned everything upside down. Grace received her cancer diagnosis in early January and by the end of that same month, Olivia was in Washington supporting Grace and I through IVF. The timing, the reversal of roles, and the fact that two sisters were suddenly navigating this at almost exactly the same time is still difficult to comprehend. It has also brought home just how important awareness, testing, research and support surrounding BRCA and hereditary breast cancer really are.

So… on October 10th, we’re walking!

We’ll be taking part in the MORE THAN PINK Walk to celebrate Grace and this incredible milestone, but also to honor Olivia, and the women in the Lowden family who have faced breast cancer, those living with a BRCA gene, and every person and family whose lives have been changed by this disease.

And we’d love for you to be part of it.

If you’re in DC, come walk with us! More than anything, we want this to be a day surrounded by the friends and family who helped us get here… our village! After the walk, we’ll keep the celebration going with brunch at our home in Adams Morgan.

We will also be raising money to help fund breast cancer research and provide critical support to people and families facing it. So, if you’re able to, please consider making a donation to our fundraiser.

We’re walking for Grace. For Olivia. For our families. For everyone affected by breast cancer and the BRCA gene. And, after the year we’ve had, we’re walking to celebrate just how precious and special life truly is!

Please join us on October 10th—whether you walk, donate, come to brunch, or hopefully all three!

With gratitude,

DA