Rebecca McNeal (Ostman) was 32 years old when she was diagnosed with Stage 2A ductal carcinoma in January of 2012. She lives in Chesapeake with her life partner of two years, Tiffany Foster; their four children, Savannah, 17, Rebeckah, 14, Joshua, 11, and Noah, 7; and several felines, Jasmine, Bones, Billy, Nip, Tuck, and Miss Kitty. She works at Old Dominion University as a vessel captain/engineer. She runs her department’s research vessel and performs all of the maintenance on it.
Rebecca has been selected as one of the calendar models for A Calendar to Live By 2016. In her unique and humorous tone, Rebecca describes how her breast cancer was discovered, her involvement with Beyond Boobs!, and why Soleil Moon Frye and Sara Gilbert, in her opinion, are better than a Baywatch beefcake.
I felt a lump and my primary care physician sent me to by OBGYN, Erin Kann, who rocks. She got me to Jenny Reed, who cut that sucker out with a quickness. The pea-sized lump had grown to egg-size in two weeks.
How did you find out about Beyond Boobs!?
Sara Jones, a Boober!, former calendar model, and long-time friend who has since passed away, got me to reach out to the group, and Boober! Charlene Cattoi explained to me why I needed them and welcomed me into the fold.
What is your favorite healthy food/dish?
Homemade organic pizza, salad, hormone-free chicken on the grill, and homemade Thai food.
Who are your biggest supporters?
Tiffany, Savannah, my mom, and my sisters.
Who was your teenage celebrity heartthrob? How did you show your undying love?
My embarrassing boy crush from before I knew I was gay was Jeremy Jackson, who played Hobie on Baywatch. I still have three of the posters that adorned my wall in my “life treasures box” and I still rock his Always CD that I had imported from Germany, LOL. My unyielding love for Punky Brewster and Darlene from Roseanne should have tipped me off, though. Eventually, Darlene posters replaced Jeremy, LOL.
One word to describe yourself:
Polarizing.
What does being selected as a calendar model mean to you?
It means representing Beyond Boobs! in yet another way. It means representing my age/orientation/cancer type/lifestyle/reason for diagnosis in a place that reaches a wide audience, hopefully to educate other women like me that they ARE at risk. It is the first reason to buy a new dress since high school prom. And it is a way to celebrate my health and future with those I love.
What was the most impactful moment of your calendar model photo shoot?
Teaching the awesome videographer how to use one of my “accessories.” My photo shoot made me feel like one of my ancestors and I hope it echoes them and my heritage beautifully.