Boobless Mammal

It was June of 2019, and thirty-one-year-old interior designer Dana Ch. Levy had just gotten engaged—but then she received bad news. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. In Boobless Mammal, she shares the story of her journey.

In this memoir, she tells how she broke off her engagement, froze her eggs before starting chemotherapy, and began treatment. Levy chronicles a life in turmoil, dealing with a terrifying diagnosis. She embarks on a healing journey where she embraces her feelings with honesty. The experience gave her clarity, making her realize the story she had been telling herself—the romantic one—was the wrong one. Cancer served as a catalyst to open windows to emotions that had been closed for a long time.

Boobless Mammal revisits painful memories from her childhood and adolescence, turning the pain into life lessons. Despite the drama, Levy’s witty sense of humor and sarcasm prevails, bringing levity to each situation. From her Jewish home in Lima, Peru, where she currently lives, to the tropical weather of Miami and finally, the vibrant city of New York, the three become meaningful, yet contrasting settings.