In Memoriam: Abigail Johnston’s Life of Advocacy, Compassion & Conviction

The MBC Alliance celebrates the life and work of patient advocate member Abigail Johnston, who passed away on October 29, 2026 at age 47. Abigail, who lived with metastatic breast cancer for nearly 10 years, made a powerful impact for the MBC community through her intelligence, determination, and extraordinary commitment to improving the lives of others.

Throughout her life, Abigail was deeply committed to speaking up for people facing difficult circumstances. After earning a degree in English, a foundation that would shine through in her writing and public speaking, she pursued a law degree and opened her own practice in her home state of Florida. Her work included serving as a Guardian ad Litem for foster children, advocating for their needs and protecting their rights. Determined to represent them as effectively as possible, she returned to school to earn a Master of Arts in Education, strengthening her ability to advocate for them in special education meetings.

In 2017, Abigail was diagnosed with de novo Stage IV metastatic breast cancer at age 38, while tandem breastfeeding her two young sons. Her treatment would include addressing metastases in her bones and undergoing a hysterectomy, along with navigating the many challenges of living with an incurable disease.

Faced with this new reality, Abigail did what those who knew her might have expected: she began asking questions, gathering information, and figuring out how she could make a difference. She immersed herself in the science of MBC, learning about clinical trials, research funding, and the complex systems that shape patient care.

After completing Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s Hear My Voice advocacy training in 2019, she became increasingly involved in research, policy advocacy, patient education, and peer support. Her goal was not only to navigate her own diagnosis, but to help ensure that people diagnosed after her would have better information, more treatment options, and greater support.

Abigail joined the MBC Alliance as an individual advocate member in 2023 and quickly became an engaged and valued contributor. As a member of the Alliance’s Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis Initiative: the Marina Kaplan Project, she met regularly with researchers to learn about their work and bring patient perspectives into clinical development efforts.

In 2025, she joined the Alliance’s Executive Group, supporting both the Membership Committee and Policy Steering Committee. She helped examine how the coalition could best leverage the knowledge and expertise of its members and advance meaningful change for the MBC community.

Abigail’s final in-person advocacy event was the Alliance’s Unity Summit in September 2026, where as a featured speaker, she reminded fellow members of the urgency of our shared work.

Earlier in the year, she contributed to the Alliance’s This Is My MBC story gallery, challenging the misconception that clinical trials are only a last resort. She shared her own experience with participating in multiple clinical trials that provided access to cutting-edge treatments. These trials gave Abigail precious additional time with her family, friends, and the MBC community.

Her contributions to the Alliance were just part of an extraordinary commitment to supporting people living with metastatic breast cancer.

After learning that she carried an inherited ATM genetic mutation associated with increased cancer risk, Abigail became deeply involved with FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered. As an engaged volunteer, she helped lead support groups for people with hereditary cancer mutations, provided one-on-one guidance as a Peer Navigator, and contributed to policy and research advocacy.

Abigail also served as Director of Mentorship, Legal Clinics and Financial Services at Project Life, a virtual wellness house created by and for the MBC community. In addition to training peer mentors and matching them with mentees, she led monthly online clinics where members could seek guidance on the difficult legal and financial questions facing people living with an incurable disease.

Abigail contributed her time and voice to numerous other organizations as a research and policy patient advocate, a peer mentor, a speaker and author, and as a fundraiser. These efforts included facilitating discussions between patient advocates and researchers for GRASP Cancer; supporting METAvivor’s annual Stage IV Stampede in Washington, D.C.; helping to found the PIK3CA Pathbreakers; and establishing her own nonprofit to provide legal services.

Across these many roles, Abigail became known for her high regard for precision and clarity, her willingness to ask the difficult questions, and her determination to never accept the easy answers. She believed patients deserved honest information, even when the truth was uncomfortable. She rejected platitudes that minimized the realities of living with a terminal diagnosis, and was never afraid to challenge the status quo when she believed something needed to change.

But Abigail was just as generous as she was determined. She took pride in being someone others could call when they needed help, whether that meant legal guidance, advice about navigating MBC, or simply the benefit of something she had learned through her own experience. She built deep friendships with fellow advocates, as they worked side by side to improve the lives of people living with Stage IV breast cancer.

The name of her personal blog, No Half Measures, captured much of what made Abigail remarkable. When something mattered to her, she gave it her full attention and energy. Through her extensive writing, she shared candid reflections on living with MBC, explored difficult questions, and gave voice to feelings and experiences that are too often left unspoken. Her words continue to reach readers, with new posts being published even after her passing.

Beyond her many commitments to advocacy, Abigail was a devoted wife to Elliot Johnston, the love of her life; and a proud and loving mother to their two sons. Her family was a source of immense joy and meaning throughout her life.

We are deeply grateful for the knowledge, passion, and generosity Abigail brought to the MBC Alliance and the broader metastatic breast cancer community. As we mourn her loss, we are determined to honor Abigail by continuing the work she believed in: showing up again and again, even in the most difficult circumstances, to ask the hard questions and work to make things better for those who come after.