A North Olmsted woman undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of breast cancer has been named a 2026 Dream Vacation Grant recipient, earning a fully customized trip to Rome and the Amalfi Coast. Kara Frair, 37, was diagnosed in February 2026 with Grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma, and the news comes as she marks the fourth time in her life she has faced cancer.
Frair, who has lived in North Olmsted for eight years, was born in Syracuse, New York, and survived childhood cancer three times before her current diagnosis, according to Cleveland.com. She was named a grant recipient by the Lisa Marzullo Fly Again Foundation, which awarded her the trip built around her own family's Italian heritage. Frair said she hopes to learn how to make homemade pasta and carbonara during numerous cooking classes planned for the itinerary, per the same report.
An Aggressive Diagnosis, A Family Already Tested
Grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma is considered the most aggressive grade of the disease, marked by fast-growing, poorly differentiated cells that carry a higher risk of spreading and recurrence and typically require systemic chemotherapy, according to Mayo Clinic. Invasive ductal carcinoma itself is the most common form of breast cancer, accounting for roughly 80% of all invasive diagnoses nationwide, per the American Cancer Society.
The North Olmsted mother has a husband and a 9-year-old son, and her family has already weathered its own medical ordeal — her child was born at 25 weeks and spent 214 days in the NICU, according to the report. Frair said she finds something that makes her smile every day, and that she wants to keep living fully despite her diagnosis, the outlet reported. She said the upcoming trip gives her hope and a reason to keep going.
A Foundation Born From Loss
The Lisa Marzullo Fly Again Foundation was founded in memory of Lisa Marzullo, who died at 31 from triple-negative breast cancer. The Bronxville, New York-based nonprofit was co-founded by her husband David Marzullo and her friend Charlotte Maumus after Marzullo's recurring question to her doctors — “When can I fly again?” — became the inspiration for its mission, according to CBS News. Marzullo was an avid traveler whose optimism during treatment inspired loved ones to help other young patients find joy beyond medical care.
The organization now serves young adults facing breast cancer, awarding customized dream vacation grants valued up to $15,000 that pair each recipient with a travel companion of their choice, according to the Fly Again Foundation. Staff work with travel agents to build personalized itineraries around each recipient's specific requests. The foundation says its goal is to bring hope, healing and joy through transformative travel experiences.
This year's grant cycle marks the fifth year of the program and a milestone of 10 dream vacations awarded to young adult breast cancer patients since its founding. Last year, the foundation granted a trip to Bridget O'Neill Rosado, a 33-year-old New Jersey educator and mother who was fighting advanced breast cancer and chose to travel to the Philippines after undergoing chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation, according to CBS News.
A Broader Pattern Among Younger Patients
Frair's case fits into a documented shift in who breast cancer is affecting. Breast cancer incidence among U.S. women under 50 rose 1.4% per year between 2012 and 2021, roughly double the annual increase seen in women 50 and older, according to the American Cancer Society. Researchers suggest modern lifestyle factors, reproductive timing, and environmental exposures may all play a role in that rise.
More than 250,000 U.S. adults alive today were diagnosed with breast cancer before age 40, a group in which routine mammograms are often less effective because of denser breast tissue — leading nearly 80% of young women to detect their own abnormalities, according to the Young Survival Coalition. Cancer diagnosed before 40 also tends to be biologically more aggressive and carries higher recurrence risk. The American Cancer Society projects roughly 321,910 new invasive breast cancer cases among U.S. women in 2026, though it also notes overall female breast cancer death rates have fallen 44% since 1989 thanks to earlier detection and improved treatment.
For now, Frair's focus is on Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and the pasta-making classes ahead. She expressed her gratitude to the Fly Again Foundation for the trip, which she said gives her something to hold onto as she continues treatment in North Olmsted, a Cleveland-area suburb of roughly 31,300 residents about 15 miles west of downtown Cleveland.
