Gigi’s Story
Gayle had a quiet way of making people feel safe and seen. She carried a warmth that stayed with you, and anyone who met her felt it.
Gayle was diagnosed with breast cancer at fifty-two, during a time when she had never looked better or felt stronger. The news was earth-shattering. Yet even as our world shifted, she refused to let cancer eclipse the life we were living or the memories still to be made.
For nine months Gayle underwent chemotherapy, meeting every challenge with remarkable strength and grace. She often said she would take ten days of pain for one extra day with her family. Nothing, not fear or exhaustion, could keep her from the people she loved. After treatment, we were told she was in remission, but just six months later the cancer returned and spread quickly.
The last year and a half became a cycle of hope and heartbreak. Gayle passed away on March 8th 2025, five months after her fifty-fifth birthday. Losing such a light reminded us that time is impossibly precious and tomorrow isn’t promised.
Throughout her journey, Gayle spoke about what it would mean to be on the other side of her fight, how she hoped to spend her time supporting others walking the same path. She didn’t get the chance to build that vision herself. But in her final hours, Gayle gave us the name Gigi’s Ball, and we promised her we would raise at least one million dollars in her honour. The smile she gave us, knowing she was helping others even as her own time was running short, said everything about who she was.
Gigi’s Ball is Gayle’s love, her strength, and her heart living on.
PYNK is a lifeline for young women diagnosed with breast cancer at a time when they are building families, careers, and plans for the future. The program sees each woman as a whole person, not just a diagnosis, and offers care that meets both the medical and emotional reality of being young and facing cancer.
It delivers specialized medical care, fertility and genetic counselling, psychosocial support, and coordinated navigation throughout treatment and recovery. At Mount Sinai Hospital, this includes expert cancer care, mental health guidance, and a compassionate social worker who helps make complex care feel manageable.
PYNK also creates community, connecting young women to peers who understand their fears, their hopes, and their fight. With donor support, the program can continue delivering personalized care and vital research that give these women strength, connection, and the confidence to move forward with their lives.
