Portia & Pete started with an unexpected diagnosis, a Gilmore Girls binge, and a dark sense of humor.
Our Story
In May 2023, our Co-Founder, Nikki, was diagnosed with Stage IV B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. A single mom, recently laid off, and suddenly navigating one of the hardest things a person can face.
Her motto became “One day at a time.” She didn't lose her humor. She leaned into it.
Nikki named her chemotherapy ports. The first one, Portia. Portia got a staph infection and, well, she had to go. Pete took her place. Short for "Repeat." It was a small thing. But humor has a way of making the unbearable a little more bearable.
During treatment, Nikki went looking for cards. Funny ones. Real ones. Cards she could give to her care team, her fellow fighters, and to the people who showed up for her. They all felt generic and mass produced.
After a chemo infusion, she and her sister-in-law, Megan, were binge watching Gilmore Girls together when the idea took shape. If the cards didn't exist, they'd make them. “We can do this.” became our motto.
Portia & Pete was born that day, named in Nikki's honor, and created for everyone walking a road like hers.
We’re here to help bring humor, honesty, and heart to the moments that often go unseen. Reminding anyone navigating cancer or illness that they are never alone.
Meet Nikki & Megan
Portia & Pete exists because one woman faced something enormous and refused to lose herself in it; and because another woman refused to let her walk through it alone.
Sisters
for Life
Megan McGlynn
Co-Founder & Designer
Co-Founder, Social Media & Shop ManagerNikki Cowley
Our Mission
To fill the space between "I don't know what to say" and showing up anyway, one honest, heartfelt card at a time.
Cards that get it
Cards for cancer patients. For caregivers. For the nurses and doctors who give everything. For the friend who wants to show up but doesn't know how.
Each card is made to speak to the moments that often go unseen: the exhaustion and grief, the small victories, the quiet gratitude, and yes, the laughter that somehow carries us through anyway.
These aren't cards full of empty encouragement. They're cards that actually say the thing.