Photo of me the day I found out I had breast cancer
October has always held a special place in my heart. Fall is my favorite season and I relish all the abundance that comes with it. October was also the month I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had my bilateral mastectomy. This month is filled with milestone anniversaries, and today, October 5th, is a big one.
Today, 6 years ago, I sat in the NYU Langone office of my breast surgeon, Dr. Freya Schnabel, and she definitively told me I had breast cancer. My friend, Meg, was next to me. Dr. Schnabel walked me through everything she knew from my biopsies: the stage, the aggressiveness, the location, and my options. She asked if I knew what I wanted to do. I did not cry. My voice did not shake. I told her I wanted a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction as soon as possible. She told me it was the right decision. And so it began.
The pre-surgical MRI revealed much more, showing my case was worse than we originally thought. Then surgery revealed I needed a second surgery days later because the pathology showed an even tougher road ahead. There would be chemo, radiation, more surgeries, and waves of intense medications that would persist for years with horrendous side effects that impacted my physical and mental health.
Today I look back at that stoic version of me who sat in that chair 6 years ago, knowing nothing about what was ahead, and I smile. She was so brave. So focused. So damn determined to live and heal and rise up stronger and healthier than ever. She decided right then and there, in that chair, that she was going to kick the ever-loving shit out of cancer.
And she did. We did.
So many people helped make that possible and I will never stop saying THANK YOU to all of you for all of it. Every single kind word and act that so many of you gave to me is permanently etched in my memory forever. I’m beyond grateful to you.
I’m grateful for every day, the bad days included, because living and living well is a privilege denied to so many. I never take any of this beautiful, messy, imperfect, joyful life for granted. I’m doing my best to make the most of it.
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
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