“… and you, too, have come into the world to do this: to go easy, to be filled with light and to shine.”
— Mary Oliver
NPOAS is devastated to share that this past week, we have lost our beloved Vice President, Christy Avila, to metastatic breast cancer. Christy was the founder of our online support group, Fierce, FLAT, Forward, a vibrant leader in the flat community, and a vigorous advocate for aesthetic flat closure. She testified before Congress on the dangers of breast implants, launched and sustained International FLAT Day with passionate personal investment, authored a book on speaking to children about breast cancer, created a podcast about lived experiences with breast cancer, walked with hundreds of women during breast cancer awareness month, counseled hundreds — if not thousands — of women struggling with this malevolent disease and the scars it has left on their bodies and minds and, above all, literally gave her blood, sweat and tears to this wide community of women. Christy was an angel on earth: she was kind, warm, generous, compassionate, soft, funny, big-hearted, non-judgmental, creative, brilliant, and curious. Her passing has left a big hole in our hearts which we will never be able to fill.
Christy’s family and the NPOAS Board have together established the Christina Sarah Avila Memorial Fund under NPOAS. Christy’s family will help guide how the Memorial Fund’s donations are used to carry on the mission she was so passionate about. If you would like to contribute to the Memorial Fund, you can do so here.
