Brooke Korine Miller with surgeon Dr. Lisa Newman. DANIEL RAHAL

Brooke Korine Miller looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize herself. She had never expected to have breast cancer at 25. The model, actress and, by her own admission, “a little bit of a hypochondriac” says it was her vigilance that led to finding the small lump. While she was fortunate enough to have the resources to save most of her hair and buy new skincare products and makeup “to feel a little bit pretty,” not every woman does. That’s why she founded Pretty With Purpose, which helps women pay for cold capping, microblading, skincare and other treatments that can help them feel like themselves again. “The idea,” she said, “is to give women some of that strength and confidence back and remind them that they’re not standing alone.”

She launched the nonprofit over Labor Day weekend at her stunning East Hampton home. Upon arrival, her husband, venture capitalist Harley Miller, welcomed guests into a living room with a soaring, vaulted honey-toned wood ceiling, a large gray stone fireplace and a wall of windows. Brooke would later describe their home as “kind of like a ski lodge, but it also works in the summer.” The compound was once a recovery house; Leonardo DiCaprio was rumored to have stayed there.

On the stone patio, framed by wild grasses, black-eyed Susans and clipped hedges, guests sipped Aperol Spritzes and nibbled on a cheese plate with figs and olives. A long table beneath a white umbrella was set with floral china and arrangements of pink roses and carnations. Brooke greeted loved ones, friends and fellow survivors in a flowing pink floral halter dress, whose designer she couldn’t name without checking the tag—House of CB. Across the lawn, under a pergola, Artemis Archive offered Reiki and sound-bowl healing, while by the pool, Renata França taught guests how to perform lymphatic drainage massage on themselves.

Artemis Archive offered Reiki and sound-bowl healing. DANIEL RAHAL

The highlight of the luncheon was a conversation between Brooke and her breast surgeon, the world-renowned Dr. Lisa Newman, whom Brooke credits with “getting the cancer out of my body.” Dr. Newman told Observer she was “thrilled and stunned” that Brooke had started her own nonprofit to support breast health awareness, particularly among young women. “Brooke is a role model for how you can do it successfully and stay productive, stay active and stay gorgeous.”

(Dr. Newman has seen the impact of breast cancer in both her professional and private lives. “Just a few years ago, my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. Within 36 hours, we lost her. So it’s a very, very personal thing for me.”)

When guests gathered for the discussion, Brooke introduced Dr. Newman, who she’d met the day after her diagnosis. “Mind you, it was Mother’s Day,” Brooke told the group. “She could have been doing a million things, but she made time to see me, and I’ll never forget how much that meeting reassured me during one of the scariest moments of my life.”

During her talk, Dr. Lisa Newman stressed the importance of early detection. DANIEL RAHAL

Dr. Newman, who drove out from New York City for the luncheon and would make the return drive immediately afterward because she was on call, emphasized that most women diagnosed with breast cancer will do well thanks to advancements in treatments, allowing them to “continue to live fabulous, productive, beautiful lives.” She also pointed out that we’re all at risk (men included, and there’s an increasing incidence of breast cancer among younger women) and stressed the importance of early detection. She added that staying fit and active can lower the likelihood of developing breast cancer. “The rule of thumb is that the diet that’s good for the heart is also good for breast health,” she said, recommending low-fat foods and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

She then paused and said she didn’t want to “stand between you guys and a fabulous meal.” A flurry of hands immediately went up with questions.

Lunch from Il Buco followed. Plate in hand by the buffet, Val Talve, who met Brooke the year they were both diagnosed with cancer, recalled sitting with her at the hospital. “We talked about losing our eyelashes, eyebrows, our hair, comparing pictures of our hair,” she told Observer. “I’m just really proud of her, because I know how hard it is to show up for others after showing up for yourself and creating something incredible for other women who don’t have the money for wellness, healing and beauty.”

Brooke’s husband, Harley, who has been by her side throughout and watched Pretty With Purpose come to fruition, told Observer that seeing the organization come together was “incredible.” He referred to himself as her “sparring partner in the background” and her “silent partner.”

Brooke Korine Miller hugs Dr. Lisa Newman after her cancer surgery. Courtesy Brooke Korine Miller

When asked about research showing that marriages are more likely to end when women become seriously ill than when men do, Harley called the statistics “pretty reprehensible.” The newlywed continued, “For me, it wasn’t even a question. I leaned in so much harder. There wasn’t a day when I didn’t think she was the most beautiful. It’s interesting because it was such a slow progression downward. So I was eased into that. And even on her darkest days, I was like, ‘You’re so beautiful to me.’ And then post-chemo, when she was recovering, every day it was like, ‘You were literally even more beautiful to me than you were yesterday.’ So it was a wild roller coaster.”

As the afternoon wound down, guests left with gift bags that included skincare products from Codage, Paris, a foldable, chargeable pink pocket mirror with lights, a pink baseball cap with the Pretty With Purpose logo and a discount code for Sonata, a doctor-led personalized health concierge focused on prevention (and the event’s sponsor).

After a quick outfit change—into a loose black T-shirt and black jeans—Brooke curled up on a white couch, her knees tucked underneath her. She had been up since 6 a.m., cutting flowers and making bouquets with her mother and friends. She said that she was proud of herself for pulling the afternoon together. “It’s scary to go for it.”

Pretty With Purpose helps women with cancer pay for cold capping, microblading, skincare and other treatments that can help them feel like themselves again. DANIEL RAHAL

She sees Pretty With Purpose becoming a community, a place where women can go for advice, support and to know that things can be okay. She plans to see what women need and respond to it. “That’s where my heart is,” she added. If a woman comes to PWP looking for something specific, like a facial or lymphatic drainage massage, she wants it on the record that she “will make that happen.”

When she was first diagnosed, Brooke said she wasn’t afraid of dying but of losing her life—her sense of self, her relationships and her then-boyfriend, Harley. “It’s crazy to think back that he might not want to be with me because I had cancer,” she said. “But those things go through your head, and I want women to know it’s normal and nothing to be ashamed of. It’s also okay to mourn the life you once had and totally embody the new person you are. And it’s hard.”

“Every woman who beats breast cancer will talk to you on the phone, like it’s a community,” she reflected. “They say it’s the worst club with the best members.”