Katie Thurston, a former star of “The Bachelorette,” is channeling her experience with breast cancer into advocacy, launching a new campaign during Breast Cancer Awareness Month to raise money for research and patient support.
In partnership with GoFundMe and the American Cancer Society, Thurston, 34, created the Breast Cancer Action Challenge, which encourages people to move beyond awareness and take measurable steps to support the cause.
“This month @gofundme and @americancancersociety are coming together with a challenge to turn awareness into action,” Thurston wrote in an Instagram post announcing the initiative. “For me, we are turning these dollars into dog walks! What action are you taking?”
According to her GoFundMe page, every dollar donated to the fundraiser will correspond to one minute she spends walking her dog. The proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society in support of metastatic breast cancer research. Thurston also highlighted other individuals participating in the challenge, including two women living with stage IV breast cancer, whose personal fundraisers are being supported by GoFundMe as part of the broader campaign.
“October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” she wrote, “and I want to highlight how GoFundMe works for everyone — from individuals facing treatment, to survivors celebrating milestones, to communities rallying together for research and support.”
Thurston first revealed her diagnosis earlier this year. In an interview with Columbia Doctors, she said she was diagnosed with early-onset, stage three triple-positive breast cancer in February 2025, after discovering a lump the previous summer.
At the time, she said, she did not suspect cancer. “As a physically active woman in her early 30s, with logical explanations for the lump and the pain, I didn’t have the slightest thought that it was breast cancer,” she told Columbia Doctors. She added that she initially believed the lump was another benign cyst, similar to one she had removed in her twenties.
Her diagnosis came as she was preparing to relocate from Los Angeles to New York City and planning to start a family. Thurston said she was surprised by the test results, noting that she had no family history of the disease.
“The Bachelorette” alum has since shared updates on her treatment and recovery with her more than 800,000 Instagram followers. Through those posts, she has sought to raise awareness of breast cancer in young women and to encourage early detection.
“Let’s honor survivors, support those currently battling, and remember those we’ve lost,” Thurston wrote on her fundraiser page. “Together, we can make an impact.”
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