The story of one unlikely friendship

The story starts in 2021, when international supermodel Paulina Porizkova – a.k.a. Paulina – took to Instagram to share her grief following her ex-husband’s death and the fact that she was unexpectedly left out of his will. Heartbroken and in disbelief, Paulina turned to social media for community and friends, but she was met with a slew of internet trolls instead. Quickly dubbed the “crying lady of Instagram,” Paulina felt even more betrayal from her so-called supporters – until one follower commented with empathy.

Mistie Savage-McGuire is a self-proclaimed “nobody from Ohio.” The then 52-year-old was receving treatment for Stage 2b colorectal cancer when she came across Paulina’s posts and offered some kindness and encouragement in the coments.

• “[Paulina] was raw and honest, and some people were mean about it. It made me sad,” Mistie shared in a recent video interview. “I told her I could feel it.”

The supermodel replied back, thanking her for her understanding and striking up a conversation with her. Soon enough, their conversation moved to direct messages, and Paulina learned of Mistie’s disagnosis. She couldn’t believe that she had gone out of her way to show her kindness and empathy when dealing with such a stressor in her own life.

• “Everybody in my life was telling me you’ll get over it. You’ll be fine. You’ll snap out of it, you always have,” shared Paulina. “But Mistie was the one rare person who, while having her own serious issues, could actually empathize. And I just thought that was extraordinary.”

“We just clicked,” Mistie said. The rest is history.

Months went by and Paulina invited Mistie and her husband to come visit her New York home to finally meet in person; the couple drove the 500-mile trek from Ohio. Soon, the besties were visiting often, going to see shows in New York and visiting Paulina's country home upstate in between Mistie's treatments.

That is until a few months ago, when Mistie received the news that her treatment was no longer working. She made the impossible decision to stop all treatment and let nature take its course. When she told Paulina, the supermodel knew she had to do something memorable for her friend – and fast.

Soon enough, Mistie, Paulina, and their partners were lounging on the beach in Jamaica, soaking up all the sun, sand, and laughter they could get. While Mistie’s health has stabilized as of now, she knows she’s living on borrowed time – and is grateful for Paulina’s unexpected friendship through it all.

“This was probably the closest I will ever get to a dream,” Mistie, talking with the Washington Post, shared of the Jamaica trip. “...dream friendship, dream vacation, dream everything. My life is still beautiful, in spite of everything.”