Olivia Boger supports families impacted by breast cancer with Runway for Recovery in mother's honor
BOSTON - Runway for Recovery founder Olivia Boger prepares for this year's fashion show in a bright, airy Newburyport office that hums with positivity. Photos on the wall capture the smiles of models who have walked—proudly—in past shows. The watercolor portrait of Olivia's mother, Candy Achtmeyer, is a reminder of the organization's importance to thousands of families.
"Candy Achtmeyer was very pulled together. Very loving. Very classic. Anytime you were in her presence, you felt her entire attention," she said.
Olivia was just 8 years old when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. But neither she nor her three siblings learned of her mother's illness for a decade. They found out that Candy was sick just days before she died. Olivia said it was her mother's way of protecting them, determined not to let cancer rob the family of the happiness they shared when they were together.
"She made our childhoods about the fun of being a kid and the magic of it," Olivia said fondly. Candy was beloved in Concord where the family lived. After she passed, Olivia remembered the kindness people showed them everywhere they went. Olivia knew that, at some point, she would pay tribute to her mother's life and legacy in a formal way. But how? A fundraising walk or run didn't feel like something her mother would have enjoyed. She did enjoy volunteering. Olivia knew that Candy would want to help other families navigating the challenges that come with a breast cancer diagnosis.
Roughly five years after Candy died, Olivia hit on the answer—a fashion show. "She loved style. I think that she loved dancing. I think she loved high-energy events. She certainly did not want a sad event." At the time, Olivia was teaching ninth grade English and coaching field hockey at Middlesex Academy. Her students volunteered to help with the event. Boutique owners in Concord offered to dress the models. Olivia began looking for professional models when, two months before the show, she had a revelation. The models should be women whose lives were touched by breast cancer.
That first year, ten models walked the runway. Seventy-five people bought tickets. Olivia assumed she would produce the event just once; a one-time fundraising tribute. But within seven seconds of the first model's appearance on the runway, the upbeat music and the crowd's applause, she knew that Runway for Recovery was here to stay.
Seventeen years later, the fundraising fashion show is so successful that the organization provides dozens of annual $10-30,000 grants to families whose guardian has been diagnosed with metastatic Stage 4 breast cancer or who has died from the disease. Unlike non-profit organizations that raise money for cancer research and clinical care, R4R helps to ease the financial burdens families face when a guardian is unable to work. "Some of the first things that go away," Olivia explained, "are the things that are most helpful for children." Music lessons, sports fees and tutoring all fall into that category. So do essentials like groceries, gas and rent. "Our hope is that if we can relieve some of the financial burden that the guardian, the parents are worried about, they can spend time as a family just working on being a family. And the kids can maintain quote-unquote normalcy." The goal is to make it easier for families to enjoy the moments they have with less stress. In addition, the organization provides emotional support for all members of the family indefinitely. Olivia believes that it's what Candy would have wanted.
What's more, the event itself has built a community of support among families who reconnect at the fashion show. Flipping through a book of photographs from the event's first decade, Olivia points out models who—despite their diagnosis—return to the runway with the vigor and joy. The dynamic backstage creates its own energy. Everyone takes care of each other. A boy who walked in the show after his mother's death found himself surrounded him with love. "He basically got adopted by 50 other moms in one backstage moment because everyone understood," Olivia remembered. Through visual aids, audience members know whether a model onstage is a survivor, a previvor (someone who tests positive for a breast cancer gene but is not diagnosed with the disease), or the loved one of someone who has passed. On October 26, 2023 more than 800 people will pack the Westin Hotel in the Seaport to cheer for 107 R4R models. Olivia knows that her mother would be proud. "It's inspiring and hopeful to see people come back to the stage."
One of the models returning to the stage this year is Alexis Klimchenko. She was breastfeeding in 2021 when she noticed a lump. A doctor assured her that it was nothing to worry about. He suspected it was likely a blocked milk gland. But months later, when she was breastfeeding less, she returned the doctor with justifiable concerns. Her primary care provider sent her for a mammogram and an ultrasound. She was shocked when the results came back. Alexis had Stage 4 breast cancer that had spread to her liver. More than anything, she worried for her daughters Anastacia and Athena. "It's all that I could think about. How is this going to affect them?" Alexis started treatment and continued working—scaling back to four days a week for the first four months and then to two workdays when the cumulative effect of the chemotherapy left her more exhausted. That created its own stressors.
"When you take time off from work, you're not getting paid. The bills are still sitting there. And you don't want your children to be impacted. You want them to still go to their school, to their sports. All of those things. All while putting the right meals on the table. How could I ever not work?" The thought of losing her income weighed heavily. But when the Klimchenkos received funding from Runway For Recovery, that weight was lifted. "It just makes it less stressful so you can take the time off work. You don't have to be thinking, 'I have to work. We have this, we have that.' It's just a huge relief!"
Alexis is back to working full-time and receiving infusions to treat the cancer every three weeks. She said she feels great. She will step onto the R4R runway with Anastacia, Athena and her husband Sasha. Last year, Sasha applauded from the front row, beaming with pride. Alexis said Runway for Recovery has helped them in ways that she never could have imagined. "Benefitting from an organization like this and having it available to families is amazing. It's truly amazing work that Olivia has done."
Olivia, who had no non-profit experience when she launched Runway for Recovery, knows that her mother would love the event that's grown from her legacy. Through tears, Olivia smiles thinking about it, knowing that Candy would be proud. "She would love the focus on the kids the most."
