Breast Cancer Survivor Ariel Meredith Nicks Urges Women to Educate Themselves on Treatment, Screening Methods

The SI Swimsuit model and mom of four is using her platform to encourage women to take charge of their health.

Ariel Meredith Nicks / Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

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. For more information, click here.

Ariel Meredith Nicks is a wife, proud mother of four, model and survivor.

While conducting a breast self-exam two-and-a-half years ago, she found a knot and immediately brought it to her doctor’s attention. On March 23, 2023, after getting a biopsy, Meredith Nicks was diagnosed with Stage 2B triple-negative breast cancer. She was 38 at the time and pregnant with her fourth child. Following a grueling treatment plan, which consisted of a lumpectomy, radiation and chemotherapy, Meredith Nicks was declared cancer-free on April 26, 2024.

Now approaching a year-and-a-half of living cancer free, Meredith Nicks is thriving. She’s revving up her modeling career again (Meredith Nicks first posed for the SI Swimsuit Issue in 2009, when she traveled to Mexico with Matt Jones, then returned to the fold in 2012 and each year thereafter through ’15), her four young children are flourishing and she’s proudly continuing her advocacy work.

Ariel Meredith Nicks was photographed by Ben Morris on Route 66. / Ben Morris/Sports Illustrated

Advocation and education

The day we chatted in mid-September, Meredith Nicks had just completed her annual breast cancer screening. Following her breast cancer journey, she advocated for herself to opt out of a traditional mammogram in favor of a breast ultrasound for her annual screening, which her medical team ultimately agreed to.*

“ There are just so many alternative ways to get screened and I really want to start advocating for that and I really would like for doctors as well to advocate for that,” Meredith Nicks says. “Especially [for] women who’ve been through the journey [of having breast cancer] and don’t like aggravating that breast tissue.”

Mammograms are the most widely-recognized tool for breast cancer screening, and it is recommended that women with an average risk for breast cancer begin annual screenings at age 40. However, there are other and supplemental methods for detecting breast cancer, like ultrasound screenings. While ultrasound screenings are typically used as a secondary tool to mammograms, they can be particularly effective in detecting breast cancer in women with dense breasts that often goes unnoticed on a mammogram.

As Meredith Nicks tells it, feelings of PTSD tend to creep in when her annual breast cancer screening appointment looms. Her family gives her strength in those moments of doubt. Her husband, former NFL wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, and their children accompanied Meredith Nicks to her recent screening as a show of support, which made all the difference.

“ No matter what, no matter how tough you are, it just lingers in the back of your mind: ‘What if?’” she says of a potential recurrence. “Fighting the fight, that’s like another little chapter you have to deal with. You have to stay busy, you have to keep active, you have to keep exercising, keep pushing and keep moving because that is going to bring the balance to just kind of give you that mental reset that’s needed.”

One thing that has helped Meredith Nicks cope is being informed and educated. Whether it’s exploring alternative screening methods or seeking out a second opinion, she urges women to take a moment to do their own research when it comes to their breast health.

“Ask  questions, do your research [and] get the second opinions, because it’s easy to kind of get intimidated, especially if the doctor’s like, ‘Hey, we want to take an aggressive approach.’ Sometimes you just want be like, ‘O.K., give me a second here. Let me do my own research. Let me just kind of feel it out for myself,’” she suggests. “That doesn’t mean that you’re not listening to your medical team, that just means, O.K., I’ve heard what you said, now let me think for myself and make an executive decision on what kind of treatment going forward would be best for me.”

Ariel Meredith Nicks was photographed by Stewart Shining in Apalachicola, Fla. / Stewart Shining/Sports Illustrated

Looking ahead to the next chapter

Though the journey has been anything but easy, Meredith Nicks is excited for what lies ahead. After losing her hair as a result of her chemo treatments, she is reveling in her “big and gorgeous” afro and is ready to step back into her modeling career. Rather than predicting what’s next, though, Meredith Nicks, who attended SI Swimsuit’s launch party red carpet in New York City in May, wants to see what unfolds naturally. She’s in talks with photographers to bring several projects to light and eventually plans to write a book about her breast cancer journey.

“I just want to take some great photos and get back in there doing what I love and that’s being in front of the camera,” she says. “ ...  It’s so good to be on this side of it ...  I am now ready to just step back into the spotlight.”

Ariel Meredith Nicks / Noam Galai/Getty Images

These days, Meredith Nicks is finding joy in the little things, like spending time with her family, traveling and taking aerial yoga classes. She says she’s just starting to find her way back to normalcy, but each day is a blessing. The day after our interview, she texted me to share that her ultrasound screening came back clear—yet another victory in her continued survivorship.

“ No matter if this is the beginning of the journey or the end of the journey, you gotta keep pushing,” Meredith Nicks says. “Because every day, it’ll be a new day. Something new, something different. You just gotta keep living for today.”

*Editor’s note: While breast ultrasound screening proved to be the best course of action for Meredith Nicks, SI Swimsuit does not promote one form of breast cancer screening over another. This information is being shared as a form of storytelling, not medical advice. Always speak to your doctor to determine the right treatment plan for you.

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