Emily Bullard-Clough will walk through Woodland Park Zoo on Sept. 26 carrying a message most breast cancer campaigns leave out. The disease hits people of every gender.

Bullard-Clough, who identifies as non-binary, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2024. A lifelong equestrian, they kept riding horses through treatment.

They told KIRO 7, the walk's broadcast sponsor, that the medical side was only one part of navigating cancer. They described the experience as a "full-time job" on top of work, bills and daily life.

Bullard-Clough also had to become their own researcher, digging through dozens of scholarly articles to understand their care options.

That self-education revealed gaps in breast cancer care and resources for patients who are not women.

"I had no idea how much I was going to be educated and how much research I had to do for myself," Bullard-Clough told KIRO 7.

Recent research supports that concern. A study published in July 2026 in JAMA Network Open examined 112 transgender and gender-diverse breast cancer patients across 22 U.S. institutions.

The median age at diagnosis was 42.5 years.

More than half of those patients found their tumors through self-examination. Only 28% were detected by mammography. The Oncology Nursing Society reported that many transgender and gender-diverse patients are unaware that screening guidelines specific to them exist.

A separate study published in April 2026 in the journal Cancer found that gender identity minority individuals had 76% lower adherence to breast cancer screening compared to cisgender respondents, according to Clinical Trials Arena.

Bullard-Clough said they want health care professionals and facilities to become more open to learning about the different patients they serve.

Susan G. Komen, which organized the walk, helped connect them with support groups and others who understood their experience.

Danica Smith, Komen's development director, said the organization takes a holistic approach, funding research and providing patient support through its Patient Care Center.

The American Cancer Society estimates more than 321,000 women and 2,600 men will receive an invasive breast cancer diagnosis in the U.S. in 2026.

The society projects more than 42,000 women and 500 men will die from the disease.

The 2026 Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk takes place Saturday, Sept. 26, at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle's Phinney Ridge neighborhood.