Two Woods Cross sisters who survived breast cancer have built a nonprofit to help other patients fight the disease. Five members of their family have been diagnosed with cancer.

Rebekah Lowe found a lump in her breast in August 2013. She was 34. Doctors diagnosed her with Stage 3, triple-positive breast cancer, as Fox 13 first reported.

"[The doctor] flat out said, I'm 99% sure it's cancer … and then I started crying because then it really hit," Lowe told Fox 13.

As Lowe began losing her hair, her sister Kathryn Irvine buzzed Lowe's head for her, then immediately shaved her own in solidarity.

Cancer kept striking the family. Their sister Heather was diagnosed with Stage 0 breast cancer at 49 about two years after Lowe's diagnosis. Their sister Karen was diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer in May 2016 at 49 and died about a year later. Their brother Patrick was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2018 at 50.

Then Irvine noticed changes in her own body while pregnant with her sixth child. She was diagnosed with Stage 2, triple-negative breast cancer at 38.

Both Lowe and Irvine tested negative for the BRCA gene mutation. Dr. Teresa Reading, a breast surgeon with Intermountain Health, told Fox 13 that a negative result does not rule out increased family risk. Reading said environmental factors or an unidentified gene mutation could play a role and urged families with multiple young diagnoses to pursue genetic counseling and testing.

Lowe and Irvine channeled their experience into the SparkLee Sisters, a nonprofit named after their maiden name. The organization hosts an annual charity ball that raises money for cancer patients through groups including Needs Beyond Medicine, which provides financial grants to cover essential living expenses during treatment.

The seventh annual SparkLee Sisters Charity Ball features ballroom dance instruction, a live DJ, desserts, a silent auction and giveaway prizes. Doors open at 6 p.m. The event is for adults 18 and older, and advance tickets are recommended.

Irvine told Fox 13 she wants women beginning their own cancer fight to see what life looks like years later. She and Lowe are now more than a decade past their diagnoses.

Upcoming community events

  • SparkLee Sisters Charity Ball 2026: Seventh annual fundraiser with dancing, desserts and a silent auction. Adults 18 and older. Advance tickets available at Eventbrite.