Photo courtesy of Debra Michelle Photography
Nancy Bynon, left, and Kathryn Totorici, right, had been friends for years before they received breast cancer diagnoses within weeks of each other.
Cahaba Heights resident Kathryn Tortorici and her friend and co-author Nancy Bynon on Monday plan to celebrate winning the Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for the Best Inspirational Book of 2024, an award given out by the Independent Book Publishers Association.
The two women won the award for their book, “Two by Two, Conversations Between Friends Navigating Breast Cancer.”
Their celebration is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 21, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 2801 Sixth Ave. S. in Birmingham.
Tortorici and Bynon first became friends in 2006, and their relationship continued as they partnered together in 2008 to work on a cookbook for the Junior League of Birmingham. Their sons also played basketball together, and their children graduated from Mountain Brook High School between 2006 and 2011.
When they were both diagnosed with breast cancer within a few weeks of each other in 2019, they were brought even closer.
“I will never forget the day when Nancy told me she tested positive for breast cancer, only for me to tell her the same thing a few weeks later,” Tortorici said.
Tortorici was previously a teacher and attended church in Homewood and went on to spend several years in Atlanta before returning to the Birmingham area. She now lives in Cahaba Heights. Bynon has resided in Houston for the past 13 years, but she still has a home in the Birmingham area.
Although living in different states, the two remained close friends as they navigated their battles against cancer. As they embarked on the journey together, the friends realized that the information they had learned from their experiences could be beneficial to other people having to go through the same thing.
To share their knowledge, they decided to write a book, which was published in October 2023 and includes Tortorici and Bynon's personal stories, key takeaways, questions to ask your doctor, devotionals, healthy recipes, scripture, prayer and more.
"We call it kind of like you read that book, What to Expect When You're Expecting," said Bynon. "It's kind of like that with our book, I think, because what to expect if you have to go through chemo radiation."
The pair say the response has been overwhelmingly positive, with people constantly telling them how much the book has helped them navigate their own experiences with cancer. They have even been asked to do several book talks and appeared on podcasts.
Their publishers also nominated them for the Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for the Best Inspirational Book of 2024, which they won in April. They compared the experience to being at the Academy Awards or winning a Grammy, just pure shock and excitement over the accomplishment.
While the award is certainly an accomplishment of which to be proud, both women also finished their final rounds of cancer treatment this year and are in remission.
"It's like crossing the finish line," Tortorici said. "You know that you've started the race, you've started the journey. You're on a journey you really didn't want to take, but you had your best friend with you, and then it's time to cross the line and say, 'I'm finished. Well done.'"
As for what's next, the friends say they are looking forward to celebrating with their loved ones and supporters on Monday and say they are excited about what doors may open in the future.
