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It was announced on Abigail Johnston’s social media accounts that she had passed away:
‘It is with heavy hearts, we announce that Abigail Johnston passed away from metastatic breast cancer on Thursday, October 29, 2026 surrounded by her family.’
Abigail Schroeder Johnston lived in Orlando, Florida and had been an attorney since 2002 until the retirement. In 2017, while tandem breastfeeding her boys (then 1 and 3), Abigail was diagnosed with de novo Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) and soon thereafter discovered that she had a genetic mutation that predisposed her to developing cancer at ATM.
Since her diagnosis, Abigail had focused her efforts on patient advocacy and supporting those people in the MBC Community through her experience and training, virtually and in person.
In her words:
‘I give back to the metastatic breast cancer community as a patient advocate, working to make sure that the voices of people living with Stage IV disease are heard – not as statistics or diagnoses, but as whole people with lives still unfolding, separate and distinct from early stage cancers.’
In 2025, she was diagnosed with a second primary cancer, melanoma.
‘It was another reminder that none of us gets to choose the story we are handed. We can, however, choose what we do with it.’
She served as the Director of Mentorship, Legal Clinics and financial services at Project Life, a founding member of the PIK3CA Pathbreakers, and volunteers with a variety of organizations including the MBC Alliance, FORCE, METAvivor, and many others.[1][2]
Hundreds have commented on the news. Below, you can read some of the comments:
‘Abigail’s loss leaves an immeasurable void in the MBC community, where her powerful voice, tireless advocacy, generosity, and compassion touched countless lives.
For more than 8 years, I was fortunate to call her one of my dearest friends, confidantes, and collaborators. I will miss her wisdom, fierce determination, unwavering support, and most of all, her friendship. Our community has lost an extraordinary advocate, and I’ve lost someone who meant the world to me.’
– Janice Cowden on LinkedIn
‘Rest in power my friend. I am better for having known you.
To all of Abigail’s family: May her memory be a blessing. She was a powerhouse in our MBC community, respected, loved, a friend and mentor to so many. Thank you for sharing her with us.’
– Kelly Shanahan on Facebook
‘I as well as of all of you honor and celebrate the extraordinary life of a woman who defined courage, intellect, and unconditional love. She was a brilliant legal mind, a fierce protector of the vulnerable, and a beacon of hope for everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.
Long before her own battle began, she dedicated her life to others. In her private practice, she was a tireless champion for families and children, using her sharp legal mind to give a voice to those who needed it most. When faced with the devastating diagnosis of Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer, she had to make the agonizing decision to close her practice. Yet, she never stopped advocating. She simply shifted her powerful focus.
First, she focused inward, fighting fiercely for her own survival so she could maximize every single moment with the family she loved beyond measure. But true to her nature, her exceptional intelligence and warrior spirit could not be contained. Seeing the overwhelming craziness, bureaucracy, and endless red tape of the medical and insurance systems, she became an indispensable guide and advocate for other cancer patients. She used her deep understanding of the law to cut through the noise, fighting the systemic battles that exhausted patients could not fight for themselves.
She brought an immense, undeniable wave of awareness to Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer. She demanded that society look closer, care more, and fund the research needed to find a cure. She was a permanent advocate for the forgotten, a light in the dark for fellow patients, and the ultimate protector of her family. Her legacy of fierce love, brilliant advocacy, and unmatched resilience will live on forever in the hearts of those she saved, loved, and inspired.
This is unmistakably Abigail Schroeder Johnston, this is exactly what I came to know and learn of her and from her over the the years since we first met, as our children blossomed as toddlers together at the Montessori school we both adored.
She too mentored me when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I am forever grateful!
Dear Elliott, Malcolm and Liam, and all her family and friends, my heart breaks for you. I am holding you in my thoughts and prayers.’
– Dana Berisha on Facebook
See Abigails blog at nohalfmeasures.blog
Other articles from Abigail Johnston on OncoDaily.