Correction: The original version of this article contained an error. Shelly Farrior lost her younger sister to cancer.
Shelly Farrior’s younger sister lost her battle to cancer in November 2006. By the end of March 2009, Farrior had been diagnosed with brain cancer. A year and a month later, Farrior’s 26-year-old daughter Brenee was told she had stage two breast cancer.
Farrior has had every reason to give up her fight against cancer, but by participating in events such as the Strut for Prevention Fashion Show, she vigorously continues her battle against the illness that has become an inescapable part of her life.
Strut for Prevention Fashion Show is a charity event designed to raise money and awareness for cancer and to build a support system that gives people like Farrior and her family the strength to face their battles day after day.
This year, Laura Santana, a recent UCLA graduate and Farrior’s close friend, will be hosting the event. Santana attended the show in previous years to show support for Farrior, but inspired by her friend’s strength and solidarity, she decided it was time to become part of the action.
“This fashion show presents a solidarity for anyone who’s faced with cancer in some way,” Santana said. “It helps heighten their self-esteem.”
Farrior has participated in the show every year since it began in 2007. For her, the event is about much more than dressing up and telling her story.
“I don’t feel alone,” Farrior said. “I’m the only one as far as the models with brain cancer, but talking to them I feel a connection.”
Despite battling cancer alongside her daughter, Farrior said she finds it difficult to discuss many things with her.
“I don’t open up with her about all of the things that I go through. I protect her from what I’m going through.”
Farrior, alongside nine other models whose ages range from the late teens to mid 40s, will be at the show at 7 p.m. on Sept. 25 at the Trina Turk Clothing Store on Third Street.
The event is hosted by Package of Prevention, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating people about the importance of cancer prevention and early detection, according to its website.
Courtney Smith, the organization’s founder and president, began working on Package of Prevention after her mother passed away from breast cancer and leukemia in 2006. Smith’s mother had noticed a lump under her left arm in February 2003 when she was misdiagnosed with an infected ingrown hair, Smith said. It was not until April 2004, when Smith’s mother requested the lump be surgically removed, that she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“Watching her go through her fight made me want to do something so that other individuals wouldn’t have to go through the same thing,” Smith said. “My mom was misdiagnosed and if she had known that, maybe she’d still be here today.”
Strut for Prevention Fashion Show was inspired by Smith’s mother’s love for fashion, specifically her love for Trina Turk, a women’s high fashion line.
“I really wanted to do something that was empowering for individuals to express their story,” Smith said. “So I decided to call Trina Turk and ask them if we could use their clothes, and then they offered us their facility.” However, the event involves more than just a fierce strut down the runway.
According to both Santana and Smith, each woman will have the chance to share her story during the show. Throughout the night, appetizers and desserts from caterers who have also been directly affected by cancer will make their way through the crowd.
Tickets to the show cover the cost of food and entertainment and all proceeds go toward Package of Prevention. They can be purchased for presale at $40, or at the door for $45.
Later on, there will be an auction consisting of items provided by both private and corporate donors.
All proceeds from the auction will go toward Package of Prevention’s scholarship fund, which offers money to prospective college students whose parents or legal guardians have been victims of cancer.
Smith said that although the fashion show is the organization’s biggest event, Package of Prevention regularly holds seminars, speaks at different venues, provides online education and assistance regarding cancer, and distributes patient playbooks with specific screening information for anyone interested.
“We all have to make sure we’re proactive when it comes to our health,” Smith said.
Smith added that developing Package of Prevention helps her feel as if her mother’s fight never stopped.
“It can continue through me, and one of her biggest concerns was that she wanted to help other patients and their families,” Smith said.
Both Santana and Smith said they believe Strut for Prevention Fashion Show brings to light the strength these women possess, and their stories are more than enough reason to take every preventative measure possible.
“They are coping with it like warriors,” Santana said. “They are fighters.”