Our favorite hobbies usually serve as an escape from the demands of every day life, but for 20-year-old actor Miranda McKeon, her two biggest passions—writing and acting—became lifelines during her battle with stage three breast cancer. Diagnosed in June 2021, McKeon had appeared in Netflix’s Anne with an E before learning about her disease. With no family history and her young age, the case was one in a million.
This started her long journey to remission, undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, and a double mastectomy. Faced with unimaginable circumstances, McKeon started her blog One In a Million to help cope.
“I created my blog two weeks after I was diagnosed,” she tells Glamour. “I had so much pent-up emotion and burgeoning expression that I just wanted to be able to communicate to others, because sometimes I felt like I couldn’t exactly express myself to the fullest and most true of my ability, with my family or my friends or my audience. It quickly became a form of self-expression for me and felt like a dire outlet of communication to tell my story.”
She’s also sharing her experience to connect with others battling breast cancer: McKeon will be joining Metavivor, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of advanced breast cancer, for its #LightUpMBC event on October 13th at 9 P.M. EST. More than 200 iconic landmarks across the country will be lit in green, teal, and pink for Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day to spotlight the importance of critical funding for metastatic breast cancer research. The virtual live show will also feature appearances from Lionel Richie, LeA Robinson, and Mathew Knowles. (Learn more about #LightUpMBC here—and click here to tune in live.)
“I think the best thing about working with Metavivor really has been just having the opportunity to be a part of spreading awareness and raising money for metastatic breast cancer,” she adds. “The breast cancer community runs really strong and really tight. There’s nothing as bonding as going through a traumatic or life-threatening illness. It’s emotional, it’s empowering, it’s comforting.
Ahead of the event, we spoke to Miranda McKeon to talk her favorite things, including her go-to notebook for journaling, fall-style must-haves, and the beauty products in her cosmetic bag.
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
My fall style
I’ve been loving blazers recently. Especially for people living in warmer climates—I’m based out of California right now—they’re an awesome fall transition piece because they’re just super easy to dress up or dress down. I have a few from Rails that I’ve been loving. Blazers are my staple of the season.
The last great book I read
I haven’t read for pleasure since the school year started, but this summer I read Untamed by Glennon Doyle and it’s a phenomenal book. It’s part memoir, part self-help, and it just centers around themes—kind of like Glamour—female empowerment, and really de-conditioning ourselves as women who have been raised in a man’s world. And I found it so eye-opening and empowering. I just couldn’t get enough. I read it very quickly. I loved it.
The last thing I bought
The last nice thing I bought for myself was my Apple headphones. I use them every day because I have three roommates, so when I need to get work done or I listen to podcasts on them on the way to class, so I love those. But I think the actual last thing I bought was a SunLife smoothie bowl this morning. I’m addicted.
My favorite podcast
Oh, I have so many. I love How I Built This with Guy Raz. I also love the Emma Chamberlain podcast, of course.
My favorite thing in my closet
I have this handmade quilted coat by this woman named Katie Possage. She’s so talented. And my friends and I joke that I call it my manifesting cloak because it’s so colorful and special and unique. I genuinely feel like it holds magical powers and it feels like the most special, unique item in my closet and I cherish it the most. It’s great for fall, great for winter. It’s a statement piece, for sure. They’re custom-made. When I have any important manifesting-type journaling going on, I will put on my coat, because I really feel like it brings me good juju.
