Exclusive: Michelle Reiss, Shiry Zofnat Yosef and Maggie Lange Created Lifestyle Platform Jadey for Women Navigating Cancer in Their 20s, 30s and 40s: 'We Needed Something That Didn't Exist'

“Cancer is complicated — navigating it doesn’t have to be,” reads one of the first lines on Jadey’s website, which aims to be “a respite from the overwhelming information out there” and instead serve as a practical, candid resource that inspires and encourages.

Jadey was brought to life after Michelle Reiss, who was diagnosed with and underwent treatment for Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2024, Shiry Zofnat Yosef, whose younger brother Ron was diagnosed with colon cancer, and Maggie Lange, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2023, when she was three months pregnant with her son, all went through hardships.

The trio wanted to build Jadey because "we needed something that didn't exist," they exclusively tell Morning Honey. "Nobody prepares you for a cancer diagnosis, and there was no clear place to turn when it happened. Jadey is the resource we wish we had — reliable, honest, and reassuring for the moments when you feel most vulnerable."

Two days after Reiss was diagnosed, she searched online for "chemo headwear," but the results were "depressing and disheartening."

"Nothing looked like something I would ever wear in real life. It made me feel so much worse, and provided no comfort or uplift at a moment when I desperately needed it most," she shares. "I mentioned it to Shiry, and a few days later, she sent me a clickable collage of scarves and hats she had pulled together that felt stylish and very 'me.' It was a small gesture, but it made a big difference. As I navigated my diagnosis and treatment, I struggled to find a resource that answered my everyday questions and that spoke to me as a person, not a patient. I wasn’t looking for scary medical sites filled with survival statistics (there are plenty of those). I needed practical advice and guidance like where to find beautiful head wraps during chemo hair loss, how to talk to a toddler about what was happening and which skincare products were actually safe to use during my treatment."

She adds, "Mostly, I wanted a resource that would reassure me that I didn't need to sacrifice my sense of self because of my diagnosis. And when I couldn't find one, I decided it was time to create it."

From there, an idea came to life, and Reiss and Yosef started working on Jadey, "a new lifestyle platform for women navigating cancer, and the people who love them," they share. "The face of cancer is getting younger, showing up in our 20s, 30s, and 40s, right when we’re building careers, relationships, and families. There are no resources that speak to how to hold onto your sense of self through it all. While medicine keeps advancing, the living with cancer part hasn’t caught up."

"That’s where Jadey comes in. We are a modern, practical resource that brings together vetted expert guidance, candid stories and curated product recommendations that don’t scream 'patient.' We wanted something personal and trustworthy, but also beautifully designed and aligned with how women live today," Reiss and Yosef, who are the co-founders of Jadey, add. "We cover it all: navigating work, managing side effects, choosing treatment-safe beauty products, and unfiltered conversations about body image, fertility, relationships, intimacy and s--. We also offer a gift registry that takes the guesswork out of supporting a loved one. It gives people the chance to share what they’ll find most helpful during treatment — whether that’s practical essentials, everyday support, or small comforts that bring joy. It can be hard to know how to show up after a diagnosis. What do you do? What do you send? We all want to help, but often don’t know where to start. Jadey’s registry reduces that friction, making it easy to give gifts that are both meaningful and useful."

Lange, who is the editorial director of Jadey, wants the site to cover a wide range of topics.

"We cover the questions people Google at 2 a.m., whisper about in waiting rooms, text to friends who’ve been through it, or are too scared to ask their doctors. Everything on Jadey comes directly from conversations with women who’ve been through cancer, the people who support them, and the medical professionals who care for them," she says. "We’re constantly talking to doctors, fertility specialists, nurses, social workers, therapists and other experts. We’re always listening to people who have lived through cancer firsthand. Many of our topics come directly from those conversations, as well as from our own experiences. We focus on both what to expect (from managing side effects to preparing for appointments, to what to pack for an overnight stay in the hospital) and the things people rarely talk about (like navigating challenging family dynamics, parenting through a diagnosis, and dealing with work stress). We like to think of Jadey as the dependable friend who’s been through it before, who has the practical advice, the perfect product recommendations, and honesty about all the ‘real’ stuff."

When Reiss was diagnosed with the disease, she couldn't believe "nothing like this existed."

"My daughter was two at the time, and I remembered how, during pregnancy, there were endless guides for every step — what to expect, what to buy, how to care for a newborn, how to parent a toddler. There was almost too much information. But when I was diagnosed, at a moment when I needed that same reassuring guidance, I couldn't find anything," she explains.

For Yosef, she learned how tough it was while taking care of her brother. "I felt stretched in every possible way. So much of this journey is personal, and so much of it you only learn by swimming through the hardest parts. The most helpful things were the real resources, practical information, and product recommendations shared by people I knew. No fluff. I didn’t have time for it. Just tell me what I need to know and what I need to do. That’s why Jadey exists — to offer exactly that," she notes.

Lange adds, "I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer while three months pregnant with my son, who is now almost two. The collision of pregnancy and cancer felt impossible, and I felt like I must be the only person in the world navigating both. That wasn’t true, and if I had found Jadey, I would have felt far less alone."

So far, the response to the website has been "incredibly positive."

"Readers are finding connection, comfort and real help in the articles, which is exactly what we hoped for. Some of the most meaningful feedback has come from people who have had a cancer experience in their past and told us they wish something like Jadey existed when they were going through it," Reiss says. "What also has been wonderful is all of the connections Jadey is creating. We’ve heard from nurses and doctors who are sharing Jadey with their patients and colleagues. And since launching, we’ve been introduced to so many organizations and individuals doing important work in this space. Those connections have already sparked new conversations about how we can bring even more resources to our community."

Ultimately, the entrepreneurs "want to equip people with truly useful advice and what-to-expect guides — including support for the hardest conversations and the toughest days in the hospital. And through conversations with others who are going through this or have been through it, we want readers to know they’re allowed to feel exactly how they feel. So many of us have felt that way before," she says. "Our hope is that readers feel seen. Through real stories and real voices, we show that whatever they’re feeling is valid, and that there’s a community of people who’ve been there and found a way forward. And just as importantly, we hope to share the products and small comforts that can help you feel a bit more like yourself, and make it easier to feel supported and cared for."

She adds: "And for the moments when you don’t know where to put your thoughts, we created Between Us. A totally anonymous space to share something sweet, something furious, or something you’ve never said out loud."

Lange notes it's "incredibly important" that everything on Jadey is "medically accurate, vetted and easy to understand. Any article with a little green check mark has been reviewed by our Medical Advisory Board — a team of doctors, nurses and medical professionals who dedicate their time to ensuring the accuracy and clarity of what we publish. On our Medical Advisory Board we have a radiation oncologist, an OBGYN and Reproductive Endocrinologist, a dermatologist, an oncology RN, and a licensed social worker, all of whom work closely with women in treatment."

"When we create a guide or an article, we speak with multiple experts, or people who’ve had this experience, before we write. Our goal is to take medical information that can feel overwhelming and translate it into something clear and actually useful for daily life. Jadey is a resource rooted in science, real experience, and the expertise of people who do this work every day. We’re so grateful for the doctors and medical professionals who have already given their time, and we’re continuing to expand the experts we collaborate with as we grow," she explains.

Since other A-listers have gone through similar cancer battles, Lange would love to interview Olivia Munn (and her mom!), Kate Middleton and Suleika Jaouad for their site.

"We’d love to include more writers or artists whose work considers the way cancer intersects with other parts of their life: their relationships, their creative work, their non-creative work, their emotional landscape, their advocacy work," she says.

Yosef wants Jadey's intention to come "from a place of confusion and desperation over how something like this didn’t already exist."

"I do hope we inspire great companies and organizations to partner with us, to help streamline the real and useful information this community needs, and to encourage brands to create products that are truly useful, clean, and beautiful. And I hope that the person who lands on Jadey for the first time — confused, frustrated, scared — feels even a little bit lighter knowing that in this corner of the internet, their experience doesn’t have to feel so isolating or harsh," she continues. "We want Jadey to feel real. And we hope it becomes a source of strength and reassurance; a reminder that you can face cancer with confidence, and that you don’t have to lose who you are in the process."

The ladies also want to destigmatize having cancer in this time.

"Even having a website about cancer that’s beautifully designed, modern in tone, and grounded in real lifestyle topics feels like a meaningful step forward," the co-founders share. "There’s something about 'a website for women with cancer' that makes people want to say, 'Aww, how sad,' and your mind imagines a sick, frail woman wrapped in a shabby bathrobe, retreating from her life. But so much of having cancer as a younger woman looks nothing like that. Of course, there are moments of real pain and suffering, but we’re also out here working, parenting, dating, and living full lives. By bringing these conversations into the public space — in a way that feels current and human — we hope we can make talking about cancer part of the everyday dialogue rather than something hidden away."

Despite the tough reality of dealing with this disease, the trio feels grateful to lean on each other and now create this new endeavor together.

"I feel so lucky to talk to so many generous, insightful women who have lived through cancer or intense caregiving. Every day, I get to have some of the most moving, meaningful conversations of my life," Lange says.

Reiss adds, "For me, working alongside the incredible team that has helped turn Jadey from an idea in my chemo-fogged head into the beautiful resource it is today has been the greatest joy. The material is deeply personal and emotional, and yes, it can feel heavy at times. But so much of our work is about taking a really hard topic and approaching it with sensitivity and compassion. It may not be 'fun' in the traditional sense, but it’s meaningful, and that’s what makes it so rewarding."

Additionally, it's been amazing to see others connecting through Jadey, especially since it can be lonely when others don't know what you're going through. "Some people love to talk, some prefer to text, and some don’t want to engage at all — which is why having different types of support matters. With Jadey, we offer one form of that through researched, trustworthy articles and guides, and we also spotlight other organizations that provide different types of help. Often the hardest part is simply knowing what resources exist and figuring out which one feels right for you. Not everyone wants a long conversation. Sometimes you just want to send a quick question. Sometimes you want guidance without having to open up. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. My hope is that Jadey gives people options — depending on the day and what they need. There are so many resources available; people just struggle to find them. We hope to change that," Yosef says.

Reiss was "lucky and also unlucky" that her next-door neighbor had gone through b------ cancer two years before she was diagnosed, making it easier to lean on someone who had been through a similar journey.

"She became my 'cancer coach.' We walked together multiple times a week during my treatment, she checked in with me constantly, and was always available when I needed to vent or ask questions," she says. "Once I shared the news with friends, I was connected to so many incredible women who had been, or were going, through treatment. Even though our diagnoses were different, there’s a bond you share when you or someone you love has faced cancer. You understand each other and show up in ways others simply can’t, because you’ve lived some version of the same reality. For me, finding and connecting with people who have been through something similar has been one of the most important parts of building a support system."

As for what the future holds, the ladies have a lot in the works.

"There’s so much we’re excited to build. We have new articles, interviews, and product guides coming out in the coming weeks, and we’re launching partnerships with women’s health and wellness brands who want to better support young women facing cancer. We get a lot of questions about community events. It’s an area we hope to grow into, especially with partners already doing thoughtful, impactful work," Reiss says. "Our goal is for Jadey to meet people wherever they are in their experience, not just at diagnosis."

Over time, Reiss hopes "Jadey becomes a true go-to resource — one that feels reliable, warm and honest, like a friend you can lean on when you need it most. And I hope that in a few years, when someone is diagnosed with cancer, or cancer enters their life, they already know to come to Jadey for the information and support they need. Facing a diagnosis is hard enough; we shouldn’t have to start from scratch every time."

For more on Jadey, click here.