LOS ANGELES, California, October 2026. Everyone knows the pink ribbon, but few understand the reality of what follows. Breast cancer survivor, author, professor, and award-winning communications strategist Rebecca Binny is changing that narrative with her first solo book, They Took Away My Boobs, Not My Brain. Following a successful pre-launch during Emmy week, the book is set for its full release on October 27, 2026, with 100% of the proceeds directly benefiting the Cancer Support Community South Bay.

Her argument is simple: breast cancer has a PR problem.

The public knows the language about strength, courage, fighting, and survival. What it doesn’t hear enough about is what happens to a person’s body, relationships, work, finances, identity, sex life, and sense of normal after breast cancer enters the picture.

“Breast cancer does not need less awareness. It needs a more honest kind of awareness,” said Rebecca Binny, author of They Took Away My Boobs, Not My Brain. “The pink ribbons matter. The fundraising matters. But if we only show the polished version of survivorship, we leave people completely unprepared for some of the hardest parts.”

Binny writes openly about diagnosis, mastectomy, reconstruction, body image, sexuality, motherhood, marriage, fear, humor, and the strange experience of being told you survived while still trying to figure out what survival actually means.

She wrote the book she says she wished someone had handed her when she was diagnosed.

In They Took Away My Boobs, Not My Brain, Binny writes: “I did not need another person telling me to be strong. I needed someone to tell me the truth. I wanted to know what this might actually feel like, what could happen to my body, what it could do to my relationships, and whether it was normal to be scared, angry, funny, grateful, and completely fed up all at the same time.”

They Took Away My Boobs, Not My Brain also looks at self-advocacy and medical decision-making. Binny writes about asking questions, seeking additional opinions, understanding treatment options, and learning how to be an informed patient without pretending that internet research can replace medical expertise.
The book also makes room for subjects that are often pushed to the edges of mainstream breast cancer messaging, including sexuality after mastectomy, reconstruction setbacks, professional identity, financial strain, and the effect of illness on friendships and family. It also devotes attention to male breast cancer, a subject that receives little visibility in awareness campaigns built almost entirely around women's experiences.
The larger campaign around the book, Breast Cancer Has a PR Problem, will use October to open a wider conversation about what the pink ribbon story leaves out. The campaign will include interviews, podcast appearances, social content, book excerpts, and discussions about diagnosis, the body, life around cancer, and what happens after treatment ends. Among the highlights, Binny will join The Chronicles of Kenny and the Linda B. Pinchoff Foundation’s Bring a Voice podcast, with episodes releasing in the near future.
"Awareness should lead somewhere," Binny writes. "It should lead to better research, better support, better conversations, and a better understanding of what people actually live with."
They Took Away My Boobs, Not My Brain is now available for presale, with full release on October 27, 2026 during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Quick Facts
Title: They Took Away My Boobs, Not My Brain
Author: Rebecca Binny, PhD
Release: October 27, 2026 (Breast Cancer Awareness Month)
Presale: Now Open
Beneficiary: Cancer Support Community South Bay
Where to buy: https://rebeccabinny.com/order/

About Rebecca Binny
Rebecca Binny, PhD, is an author, communications strategist, educator, philanthropist, and breast cancer survivor. She is the founder of the Rebecca Binny Foundation and Hot Fry Media and teaches public relations and leadership at the university level. Her work centers on communications, women, leadership, advocacy, and creating greater visibility for people whose experiences are often left out of traditional narratives.
They Took Away My Boobs, Not My Brain is her first solo book.
About Cancer Support Community South Bay
A cancer diagnosis can bring feelings of hopelessness and social isolation. The mission of Cancer Support Community South Bay is to uplift and strengthen people impacted by cancer by providing support, fostering compassionate communities, and breaking down barriers to care. Since 1987, Cancer Support Community South Bay has served more than 28,000 families impacted by cancer through free support groups, healthy lifestyle classes, educational workshops, and counseling.