Becoming the Advocate that I Needed

October 14, 2025

I’m someone who has always been comfortable behind the scenes. In my career, I design corporate learning programs – I’m not the one leading the classroom. I like to be in the background, building the curriculum – creating change and quietly shaping experiences for others.

When I got breast cancer at 27, things changed. Suddenly, I couldn’t hide. Not from the diagnosis. Not from the mirror. Not from the fear.

I had to push for the diagnosis. I had a lump but was told it was probably nothing. I insisted on testing. When I got the news, my fiancé David – now my husband – and I were just completely shocked and devastated. I’d been living in this grey area of uncertainty prior to the diagnosis, and suddenly everything became very black and white. I searched desperately for someone like me – someone in their 20s, newly diagnosed, terrified and dealing with this cancer that has the stigma of being an old woman’s cancer. I kept scrolling on social media, hoping to find her, hoping to relate to someone. But I couldn’t. I felt so isolated, like I was the only one going through this.

When I finished chemo, I decided to become the advocate that I’d searched for so fervently. I wanted to create a community for other young people who are facing or have faced the same thing. I surprised myself by coming out from behind the scenes and putting myself in the spotlight. I opened TikTok. I turned the camera on. And I started filming.

On my TikTok account (@natorrico), I share what life after treatment is like – and what healing and thriving can look like. Creating this content is very healing. It’s very soft. I show my day-to-day life: relaxing nature walks with David and our miniature dachshund, Ozzie; tending to my houseplants; making nourishing, nutritious food; brewing the perfect cup of coffee; watching the sun pour in the window. There’s a lot of intentional self-care and romanticizing my routine. When I was going through my treatment, I wished that there was something like this, someone like me out there. I hope I can give comfort to someone else feeling anxious and wondering what their life will look like once they get through cancer. I want to show what’s possible, what’s next. There’s a lack of this type of space in the post-cancer experience. My goal this year is to become a breast cancer advocate – not just for myself, but for other women as well.

Breast cancer is so intense. It changed my identity – and deeply affected my confidence. I felt like my womanhood was being taken away. I wondered whether I’d still be able to have kids some day. And I would look at myself in the mirror and think, “Who am I?” I had always been Blonde Natalia, Natalia Who’s Always Running and Exercising – that’s who I am, or who I was – but I couldn’t be that person anymore. Things needed to change. I had to rewrite the narrative.

Look Good Feel Better supported me on this journey. The organization showed me the power of advocacy and community. It helped give me the courage to put myself in the spotlight – visible, vocal, and vulnerable – so that I, too, can support others.

Post-cancer Natalia is a very different person from pre-cancer Natalia. I know who I am now and what I want. After gathering up the courage to advocate for myself and speak up, I’ve really found my voice. I’m more independent, more confident, and better able to prioritize what’s truly important to me. I’m letting my natural red hair grow back – no more blonde. Getting cancer in one’s 20s is certainly not something I’d wish on anyone. It was a devastating experience for me. But there are good things that can come out of these situations, and I’m really embracing those good things now. I’ve come out of it learning just how strong and resilient I am, and I couldn’t be prouder of myself.

Natalia’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natorrico