FOUNDERS STORY
Founder & President, Dynami Foundation
14-Year Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer Survivor | Oncology Professional | Advocate | Philanthropist
FLORA MIGYANKA
Flora Migyanka is a nationally recognized breast cancer advocate, nonprofit founder, oncology professional, and 14-year survivor of invasive lobular breast cancer (ILC)—a disease that affects hundreds of thousands of women yet remains one of the most underfunded and underrecognized subtypes of breast cancer in the world.
Diagnosed in 2012 at age 40 while raising two young children, Flora faced her diagnosis with clarity and purpose. As a patient at the University of Michigan Breast Oncology Center, she underwent a bilateral mastectomy, reconstruction, and more than a decade of tamoxifen. Like so many women diagnosed with ILC, she quickly discovered a troubling reality: despite being the second most common subtype of breast cancer, lobular disease received less than 1% of dedicated breast cancer research funding. Rather than accept that silence, she decided to help change it.
In 2016, Flora partnered with her first cousin, Madeline Triffon—the first woman Master Sommelier in the United States—to launch Uncork for a Cure, a fundraising initiative that grew from a small community dinner into one of Michigan's premier culinary and wine events. What began as a conversation over a glass of champagne evolved into a movement. That movement became the Dynami Foundation.
Early Advocacy and Building a National Movement
As Flora's advocacy continued to grow, so did her commitment to elevating invasive lobular breast cancer on a national level.
In 2017, she became a founding patient advocate with the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA), working alongside founder Leigh Pate and other early advocates to bring greater visibility, education, and scientific focus to this often-overlooked disease.
Following Leigh's passing, Flora established the Leigh Pate Memorial Lectureship Series to honor her legacy and continue fostering meaningful dialogue among researchers, clinicians, advocates, and patients dedicated to advancing invasive lobular breast cancer research.
Over the years, Flora has built trusted relationships with many of the world's leading lobular breast cancer investigators while helping connect philanthropy, advocacy, academia, and industry around a shared mission: accelerating progress for patients.
Named after the Greek word for strength—a reflection of Flora's heritage and the women she serves—Dynami is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing invasive lobular breast cancer research, supporting women through treatment, and accelerating scientific collaboration. Under Flora's leadership, the Foundation has invested
MORE THAN
3 MILLION
in research and patient support initiatives, funding scientific partnerships, educational programs, patient assistance efforts, and innovative lobular breast cancer research at leading cancer centers across the country.
Helping Launch the Lobular American Research Consortium (LARC)
In 2026, Flora reached one of the most significant milestones of her advocacy journey by helping catalyze the launch of the Lobular American Research Consortium (LARC) — the first coordinated national scientific consortium dedicated exclusively to invasive lobular breast cancer in the United States.
Structured as an independent, investigator-led collaboration, LARC brings together many of the nation's leading physicians, scientists, and academic cancer centers to accelerate research in invasive lobular breast cancer.
Through the Dynami Foundation, Flora helped provide $250,000 in catalytic seed funding and the organizational infrastructure needed to help launch the consortium while fostering collaboration among researchers across institutions.
The launch of LARC represents years of relationship-building, philanthropy, advocacy, and a shared commitment among patients, researchers, physicians, industry leaders, and supporters to move lobular breast cancer research forward faster than ever before
Advancing the Next Generation of Research
Dynami's commitment to scientific innovation continues beyond research grants alone.
In 2026, the Foundation established its first Conquer Cancer Young Investigator Award, supporting an early-career physician-scientist dedicated to advancing invasive lobular breast cancer research through the Conquer Cancer Foundation, the philanthropic foundation of ASCO.
By investing in emerging scientific leaders, Dynami is helping build the next generation of discoveries that will ultimately improve outcomes for patients diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer.
Flora's contributions extend beyond advocacy and philanthropy. In 2026, she served as a co-author on the peer-reviewed publication, Geographic Differences in Patient Experience After a Diagnosis of Lobular Breast Cancer, published in Annals of Surgical Oncology. Based on the experiences of more than 900 patients across North America and Europe, the study highlighted critical challenges in diagnosis, treatment, recurrence concerns, and survivorship for women living with invasive lobular breast cancer.
Professionally, Flora has spent more than 25 years in oncology and biotechnology, partnering with physicians, researchers, cancer centers, and healthcare organizations to help advance innovative therapies for patients facing serious diseases.
Her unique perspective as both a long-term survivor and oncology professional allows her to bridge science, medicine, philanthropy, industry, and the lived patient experience—bringing together people and organizations that might not otherwise collaborate.
Looking Ahead
Today, Flora continues to lead the national growth of the Dynami Foundation while working alongside researchers, clinicians, industry leaders, patient advocates, and philanthropic partners to accelerate progress in invasive lobular breast cancer.
Whether funding innovative research, supporting women during treatment, convening scientific leaders, or helping launch national collaborations such as LARC, her mission remains unchanged:
To ensure that every person diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer has access to better research, better treatments, and greater hope than the generation before them.