About

Hi! I’m Isnaya, aka Izzy, the founder of Pink Social Club. My journey began in 2021 when I was 39 and started experiencing pain in my left breast. After an alarming amount of Googling (which turned out to be a mistake), I convinced myself that the pain was probably benign, as it’s often not linked to breast cancer. Despite my reassurances, after a couple of months, my mom insisted I call my OBGYN.

I was quickly scheduled for my first mammogram, followed by a surprise sonogram. Just as I was recovering from the discomfort of the sonogram, the technician casually said, “The doctor will come in to speak with you,” which is never a good sign. Due to COVID restrictions, I found myself alone in a dimly lit room, staring at the monitor. When the doctor entered, she explained that they had found large clusters of DCIS. I initially thought, “Phew! She didn’t say ‘cancer"… or so I thought. Then I blurted out, “Um, what’s DCIS?” That’s when the floor fell out from under me. “It’s the early stages of cancer,” she said. I rushed to my car, tears streaming down my face, and made two of the hardest phone calls of my life. I first called my husband, Will, struggling to get the words out. Then I called my sister, who remained composed but I knew she was staying strong for me. She took on the difficult task of informing my mom.

After a painful biopsy, the waiting began, which was perhaps the hardest part of this journey. The uncertainty amplified my worst fears. I remember crying uncontrollably in the shower, thinking about my two beautiful boys. I felt relief knowing that Slate, at 7, would remember me, but Jax was only 3. A couple of gut-wrenching days later, I learned I had Stage 0. Just when I thought I’d dodged a bullet, we discovered the DCIS was extensive throughout my left breast. My oncologist recommended a mastectomy, and I made the bold choice to remove both breasts; I wasn’t willing to gamble with cancer again.

The plan was straightforward: double mastectomy, hormone therapy, and then it would be over. But cancer had other plans. Midway through my 8-hour surgery, Will received the call that they had found positive lymph nodes. Suddenly, Stage 0 turned into Stage 2, and my simple “one-and-done” surgery escalated into 16 rounds of chemotherapy, 16 rounds of radiation, and an emotional roller coaster that changed me forever.

Cancer took away my “normal” but gave me a new perspective. I chose to embrace this new version of myself, scars and all. In doing so, I discovered something beautiful: a sisterhood of women who shared laughter, tears, and fears that no one else could understand. That’s what inspired Pink Social Club. It’s not just for women touched by breast cancer; it’s a lifestyle brand for anyone who has found beauty in their hardest of times.