ABCD Mentor’s “More Than This” Fundraising Project Uses Floral Expression to Bring Breast Cancer Stories to Life

— By Megan Brown, ABCD Marketing & Communications Support

February 21, 2025

Kristel Keys Running, an ABCD Mentor, is behind a unique project she’s named “More Than This.” A collaboration with her high school Spanish teacher Denise – who, like Kristal, also had breast cancer – the two came up with the idea to pair people who have experienced or are experiencing breast cancer with a floral designer and photographer to create a story with flowers and body positivity.

The resulting photos, where you can see each person wearing their unique floral piece, are featured in a powerful book and calendar that can be purchased on the More Than This website. Kristel herself is featured, along with eight other ABCD Mentors – Deborah Cohen, Jaclyn Dillon, Jamie Gallagher, Doreen Gascoigne, Elizabeth Gramz, Karen Karyshyn, Linda Settler, and Jessica Storm – and several Participants. In addition to the photos, the book also includes stories written by each person, with several mentioning their roles as ABCD Mentors.

At its core, this project is about “redefining our relationship to our bodies” as the More Than This website states, and yet there are deeper layers to it. It strives to empower the people featured and anyone who has the chance to experience the book and calendar, but also gives back to those in need.

The funds raised from sales of the book and calendar are being used to provide financial assistance to people diagnosed with breast cancer. It’s Kristel’s hope to raise $100,000, making More Than This an artistic and collaborative project – where everyone involved donates their time, flowers, and photography talent – and a fundraiser with a purpose.

Go to the More Than This website and visit the Shop to purchase the calendar and book. A preview of the book is also available here.

Continue reading for an interview with Kristel:

Q: What inspired you to start More Than This?

A: Denise reached out to me and suggested it. The inspiration came from the movie Calendar Girls, and Denise is a florist so we thought floral wearables would be a cool way to tell the stories.

Both of us had breast cancer and wanted to do something to give back. Because there are already so many fundraisers for breast cancer research, we wanted to do something that directly impacts the women going through breast cancer and decided to raise money to directly support women who need it and don’t have other resources.

Q: How did the book and calendar come together?

A: We started with the idea of a calendar, then thought if we had more than 12 women who participated and to have something more ‘evergreen’ than a calendar, we came up with a coffee table book. Denise and I started meeting weekly to discuss. We developed the website, did outreach for models, florists, photographers, and flower farmers and then matched people in the regions. The photo sessions took place over the summer and fall and then we worked with a designer to put it all together.

Q: What do you hope people who’ve been impacted by breast cancer will feel when they see the book and calendar? And what do you hope the book and calendar may help people who haven’t been impacted by breast cancer better understand about the breast cancer experience? 

A: We hope that people impacted by breast cancer will feel a connection to the models and a sense of belonging and feeling like they are not alone. We also hope they feel a sense of strength and hope to see these women sharing details of their journey.

For people who haven’t been impacted by breast cancer, we hope they realize that breast cancer can affect anyone at any age and stage in life, and that there are many different types of cancer. People can and do have cancer that will recur or metastasize – and cancer doesn’t necessarily mean that someone is weak or sick. There are many strong women who are thriving post diagnosis.

Q: Is there anything else about More Than This you’d like people to know?

A: This project was a team effort and all the people who participated donated their time, flowers, and photos. Without everyone’s help, we wouldn’t have been able to do this. We hope to raise $100,000, so we can give back to those in need.