Manship Alumna Whitney Breaux Turns Breast Cancer Journey Into Advocacy

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins each October, attention turns toward shedding light on a disease that affects millions across the world. For Manship School alumna Whitney Breaux (Poli Comm ’09, MBA ’11), that reality hit home in March 2020 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at just 32 years old amidst a global pandemic, a successful career, and life as a single mother. With no known family history of breast cancer and living an active and healthy lifestyle, the diagnosis came at a complete shock.

Determined to turn her experience into advocacy and change, Breaux channeled what she learned at the Manship School and her professional background as a global pharmaceutical marketing executive into a mission to raise breast cancer awareness.

“I felt an incumbent responsibility to take all of the things that I learned at the Manship School and my experience leading global healthcare teams to generate awareness that what was happening to me was not an outlier,” said Breaux.

Noting the statistic that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, she founded “The Day 18 Campaign.” The campaign name also draws from the rich history of LSU football, honoring the number 18 as a symbol of selflessness and dedication in LSU culture. The campaign focuses on three main pillars: performing monthly examinations, engaging in honest conversations with all relatives on family health history, and acting as a proactive health advocate for yourself.

“No one knows YOU better than yourself,” said Breaux.

The self-breast examination component also ties into the number 18, with Breaux advocating for performing an exam on the 18th of every month to establish a routine and to ensure early detection. “If I had been doing self-breast exams, I probably would have discovered my tumors much sooner than I did,” said Breaux.

Although the active campaigning for Day 18 is concluded, Breaux still remains a huge advocate for women's health and specifically breast cancer awareness as a member of the Woman’s Hospital Board of Directors. She recently modeled for hospital’s annual BUST Breast Cancer event where survivors take the stage to model one-of-a-kind bras created by local artists.

Breaux hopes to change the narrative around breast cancer diagnoses, shifting the focus from fear to proactive prevention and health habits. Utilizing her personal experience with professional insights with health care marketing, she continues to ensure that other women are educated and have a community to support them.

Looking back, Breaux views her journey as a full-circle moment: from a Manship School graduate to someone who can channel both her personal experiences and professional expertise into a meaningful campaign to support women’s health.