The Garden That Continues To Blooms: Ashleigh Kaplan's Life After Cancer Remission
Almost fifteen months ago, I prayed I would get to write this follow-up. Ashleigh Kaplan was navigating treatment for stage IV inflammatory breast cancer while building her event coordination business and raising a one-year-old with her husband, Brett. On February 6, 2026, she announced that she was in remission.
That announcement marked a milestone, but it also opened a new chapter. What does life after treatment look like? How does Ashleigh make room for everything she is, a mother, wife, entrepreneur, friend, and person, while navigating everything she has experienced?
In my original piece, I wrote about the garden Ashleigh was cultivating in the face of her diagnosis. Now, she continues to bloom as she discovers what her new normal can be.
Ashleigh Kaplan and her post cancer life
1. What has happened since we last spoke for the original article?
The last time we spoke about an article, I was still undergoing chemotherapy. My husband and I researched where I could get the help I needed. We decided the best place for me was MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. So my husband, daughter, dog, and I moved to Houston to finish my treatment for three months. My first major surgery was a single mastectomy of my left breast and lymph node removal. The doctors did a lymph node bypass surgery to help restore lymph node drainage and help prevent lymphedema.
After surgery, we waited for the pathology report. At first, the report showed clear margins, and the second pathology report showed that 99.9% of the cancer removed was gone after chemo. All that was left was tiny pockets of cancer, about the size of a pencil tip or a single grain of salt. After my surgery, I had sixty-six rounds of radiation: forty-four focused on my chest and twenty-two on my pelvis because there was a spot of cancer that spread from my breast to my sacrum bone. I found the surgery recovery harder mentally than physically—but getting those pathology results back really gave me the fuel I needed to finish treatment and move forward.
I wrapped up treatment in February. During the seven months I was a patient, I spent three months living away from home. We made the best of it, becoming members of the Houston Zoo and the Children’s Museum. I went to MD Anderson for radiation every day, sometimes twice a day (Monday through Friday with the first session at the crack of dawn and the second session administrated six hours later). I pushed myself to stay busy. I lived my life like it was dog years; although I napped a lot, I still had so much I wanted to accomplish.
I wasn’t yet able to get confirmation from my final PET scan because radiation made me light up like a Christmas tree, but my medical team told me I had reached remission that day“because radiation would have made the PET scan would light up like a Christmas tree. It was the day I got my life back, in a way.
I rang the bell and decided to put together an exciting, very last-minute trip.Through my brother’s childhood friend we had a connection with the NFL and were able to secure tickets, we secured Super Bowl tickets. This Super Bowl was a really big deal because it was my team versus my husband’s team. After ringing the bell, we headed to the airport to take my daughter home before flying to San Francisco with my dad, husband, and brother. It was a great way to celebrate.
2. What does October and breast cancer awareness month mean to you know?
October is very weird for me. I use dark humor as a coping mechanism for PTSD, and this month feels like a double-edged sword. Cancer isn’t just a month of a person’s life. A diagnosis flips your life upside down. In October, you’re surrounded by merchandise, and everything is magically color-coordinated for the disease I’ll be dealing with, in different ways, for the rest of my life.
Breast cancer awareness and treatment don’t end after 31 days. On November 1, it is still a part of my life. October gives people a chance to discuss breast cancer, but I want those conversations to go beyond wearing pink or sporting a pink ribbon. People should educate themselves about experiences like mine and what it means to live with metastatic breast cancer. Awareness should include understanding what people face throughout the year.
3. What are ways people can give back to the cause?
Many organizations participate in October’s breast cancer awareness push. For me, the IBC Network Foundation and the Bright Spot Network helped educate and support my family and me during my cancer treatment. Also Sharsharet is a fantastic organization.
4. What is something you want people affected by breast cancer or their loved ones to know?
There are many resources most people affected by breast cancer and their loved ones might never have heard of. People can get nervous to ask for help. Research organizations that can meet your needs and support those affected by the diagnosis.
I wouldn’t have survived without all the help from my community. Because I told people my story, people from different chapters of my life reached out to offer well wishes or check in. Your community is your strength.
5. What is the next chapter for you?
Healthwise, I am on endocrine therapy, and because I have stage IV cancer, I will always be on some form of treatment for the rest of my life. There will never be a point when a doctor would say I should stop any form of treatment to keep everything away. Right now, I pray for a cure or for the cancer never to return. I fly to MD Anderson once every three months (for routine pet scans & doctor visits), which is very expensive.
Personally, I had a eureka moment in Texas. I thought of the new business venture I wanted to pursue. I wanted it to be flexible with my health and fulfill a need in the market. It’s called Mini Melodies. Mini Melodies is a music class designed for little ones ages 0-6 years old that uses music parents love instead of nursery rhymes. It's something both adults and kids love without feeling too repetitive because no two classes are the same. While we started in Boca Raton, Florida, we continue to expand and grow. We achieved our first goal of doing 2 classes a month at my friend’s clubhouse, and now we are evolving to birthday parties and hiring multiple teachers in both Palm Beach and Broward counties.
