Katie Thurston Made a Surprise Announcement at the Breast Cancer Research Foundation Luncheon

In a sea of pink-swathed tables, the mood at the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s (BCRF) annual Symposium and Awards Luncheon was upbeat. The lunch was held today at the New York Hilton in Midtown Manhattan. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it was the perfect time to recognize the world’s most promising research focused on preventing and finding a cure for breast cancer.

William Lauder, chairman of the board of directors of Estée Lauder, kicked things off by speaking about his mother, Evelyn, who started BCRF in 1993. He took a moment to acknowledge how far the foundation has come since its founding. “Today, BCRF is a research powerhouse, supporting a record number of 280 brilliant scientists, including three Nobel Prize winners,” he said. He noted that since its inception, BCRF has had a hand in every major breast cancer breakthrough, and deaths have decreased by 44 percent.

Former Bachelorette star Katie Thurston took the stage with her husband, Jeff Arcuri. “My name is Katie, I’m 35 years old, and I have stage IV breast cancer,” she said by way of introduction. Thurston became visibly choked up onstage while she talked about how, instead of wedding planning, she had to pause her life to figure out treatment when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2025. She and Arcuri invited attendees to text donation pledges to a number displayed onstage on screens, where people could watch pledges roll in. “Today I want to donate $610 to represent every day since I’ve been diagnosed,” Thurston said. She then announced that she currently has no evidence of disease, which was met with resounding applause.

BCRF president and CEO Donna McKay presented the Sandra Taub Humanitarian Award to philanthropists Karen and Rob Hale, who committed $50 million to BCRF—the largest private gift ever given to breast cancer research. Other speakers included BCRF founding scientific director Larry Norton, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, who presented an award to Kornelia Polyak, MD, and Karen Hale and Kinga Lampert, who jointly presented research grants to over 200 grant recipients.

BCRF is the largest private funder of breast cancer research and has supported over 260 scientists who have had a hand in major breakthroughs in the field. It’s raised over $1 billion for the cause. Prior to the luncheon, BCRF hosted a symposium titled “How Studying Early-Onset Breast Cancer Is Helping Women of All Ages,” moderated by Norton and Dr. Judy E. Garber of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School.