Why Breast Cancer Survivor Bridget Bahl Is Advocating for Early Detection

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, one in eight women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer in their lifetimes. Aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among U.S. women. This October, SI Swimsuit is committed to providing resources for breast cancer patients while sharing the stories of warriors who have been impacted by the disease.

Two years ago, The Bar founder and content creator Bridget Bahl and her husband, Dr. Michael Chiodo, were undergoing IVF to start a family. It was then that Bahl discovered a lump during a breast self-exam and was diagnosed with Stage 2, HER2-positive breast cancer.

After revealing her diagnosis to the world on Sept. 22, 2024, Bahl underwent a lumpectomy, radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, before finally being declared cancer-free this spring. The 42-year-old influencer has documented her journey with her 1.8 million Instagram followers every step of the way, and continues to do so, sharing both the highs and lows of her recovery.

After finishing her last active cancer treatment in May, Bahl is incredibly grateful, yet she now finds herself navigating survivorship—something she says has left her feeling like a newborn baby.

“I just feel so grateful and lucky to get to experience life this way,” she tells SI Swimsuit. “To have gone through what I’ve gone through and get to just try everything and start everything again ... I definitely feel a lot of pressure to make my second chance at life count, but deep down, what I’ve gone through will change me forever, but I think hopefully in a good way. I feel like it shook me to my core and changed every single thing about me and how I experience every single thing. So I get to live that way and see everything that way, and it’s a really huge blessing.”

While Bahl says she continues to feel better and better with each passing month, survivorship comes with its own fears and anxiety. In order to combat the ups and downs, she tries to give herself grace while simultaneously grieving life as she knew it prior to her breast cancer journey. She is also more passionate than ever about her advocacy work.

Bahl’s continued advocacy work as a survivor

Since being diagnosed, this October has been the first in which Bahl has felt well enough to actively participate in Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On Thursday, Oct. 1, she lit the Empire State Building pink alongside Elizabeth Hurley, Miranda McKeon and Katie Thurston, and just a few days later, Bahl’s clothing brand, The Bar, held a pop-up in New York City to raise awareness for breast self-exams, a topic that is near and dear to Bahl’s heart.

“It was so beautiful,” Bahl recalls of the community event. “So many people came, and they were telling me their story. It was a little heavier than I thought it would be, but I feel really honored when people tell me their story, and I feel like, ‘Wow, they trust me with that.’ It’s really such an honor.”

In addition to advocacy through in-person events, Bahl continues to use her platform to remind her followers to perform breast self-exams. She regularly shares content encouraging fellow women to “check [your] girls,” as early detection can save lives. According to the Cancer Research Institute, early detection can improve outcomes, with the survival rate for a Stage 1 breast cancer diagnosis greater than 99%.

Earlier this month, Bahl shared some truly devastating news with her followers: Her beloved mother, Linda, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. While Bahl tells us that her mom is currently doing well and will likely not require chemotherapy for her Stage 1 diagnosis, she will likely undergo surgery and radiation as part of her treatment.

“I don’t think there’s any case in breast cancer that finding it sooner is a bad thing,” Bahl says, expressing how grateful she is that her mother’s cancer was caught early on. “ ... Chemotherapy was so incredibly hard for me, and I can’t imagine my mom, who’s 76, having to go through that. [Self-exams] can save people anytime, so it’s really, really important.”

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How The Bar is promoting Breast Cancer Awareness

Bahl’s latest collections for The Bar all benefit a great cause. While the brand’s sold-out collaboration with Daily Drills donated 100% of net proceeds to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, The Bar’s brand-new “Your Girls’ Girls Collection” will donate 20% of net proceeds to the BCRF. The first “Your Girls’ Girls Collection” drop, featuring crewneck sweatshirts and capris, went live on Wednesday, Oct. 7, while Part 2 of the collection dropped last week.

“[The collection] is just the simple idea of reminding your girls to check their girls. It’s us telling our community to check their [breasts], and then hopefully they tell someone in their community to check their girls, and so on and so forth, so everyone’s doing their self-exams and going to their appointments,” Bahl explains.

While Part 2 of the “Your Girls’ Girls Collection” features a crewneck, split-neck hoodie, mock neck sweatshirt, leggings, sweatpants and more, Bahl says her favorite piece is the Boobie PJ Top ($98) and matching Bottoms ($98). With a small rose adorned on each side of the chest of the light pink button-up top, she explains that she wants the double-breasted style of garment to become The Bar’s signature calling card.

With 2027 on the horizon, Bahl has several projects under wraps with The Bar, including two secret collaborations. She’s also looking forward to starting a family with her husband via surrogacy and embracing a simple life with Chiodo, free of the fear and anxiety that plagued her days as she fought breast cancer. These days, Bahl is looking forward to the simple pleasures, like getting back into reformer Pilates and just hanging out with her husband.

“Sounds like a nice life to me,” she says.

Bahl’s continued advocacy work as a survivor

How The Bar is promoting Breast Cancer Awareness

Breast Cancer Awarness Month resources from SI Swimsuit