Kelly Rovetto spent more than a decade working in oncology, supporting patients and seeing firsthand the complexities of cancer care. But her perspective changed completely when she became a patient herself.
After being diagnosed with Stage 2 triple positive invasive ductal breast cancer, Kelly found herself navigating the very world she had spent years working within, only now from the other side.
In this episode of BRCA & Beyond, Kelly joins Marisa to talk about her experience from diagnosis and chemotherapy to surgery, breast reconstruction, survivorship, and everything that comes with navigating life during and after cancer treatment.
She opens up about the impact cancer had on her identity and femininity, hair loss and cold capping, the emotional reality of treatment, and what it was like to suddenly see cancer care through the eyes of a patient. Kelly also shares something many women struggle to admit: caring about your hair, lashes, appearance, or sense of femininity during cancer isn’t simply vanity. When so much of your body and your life feels outside of your control, those pieces of yourself can matter deeply.
Kelly’s experience also exposed gaps in support outside of the clinical setting. Finding trusted information, relevant resources, products and services, and practical support often meant searching on your own at a time when you were already physically and emotionally exhausted.
That lived experience became the foundation for Re-Femme, a centralized digital platform created to support women throughout their cancer journey.
At the heart of Re-Femme is the Cancer-Care Registry, connecting women with survivor-led education, trusted resources, community, products and services, and practical support beyond the clinic walls. Re-Femme was created for women across the cancer journey, including those at high risk, newly diagnosed, undergoing chemotherapy, radiation or surgery, living with metastatic cancer, and navigating survivorship.
Kelly and Marisa also talk about what happens when treatment ends, how cancer can completely change the way you see the person behind the diagnosis, and how lived experience can reveal needs that clinical care alone may not be designed to meet.
This is a conversation about breast cancer, cancer support, femininity, survivorship, purpose, and ultimately, building what you wish had been there when you needed it.
Connect with Kelly and Re-Femme:
Website: https://joinrefemme.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/re.femme_/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/re-femme/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580564396852
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@re.femme
🎙️ BRCA & Beyond | A Hereditary Cancer Podcast
Follow and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts for conversations about BRCA1, BRCA2, hereditary cancer risk, breast cancer, cancer prevention, previvorship, survivorship, risk-reducing surgery, and the emotional realities that come with all of it.
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