For breast cancer survivors Cherí Andrew and Amy Carabba-Salazar, serving on the Albie Aware Board is personal. The lessons they learned on their breast cancer journeys will translate into valuable help for others facing the disease.
Cherí Andrew
For Cherí, the most important takeaway from fighting breast cancer is to take charge of your treatment. “You have to be your own advocate,” she insists. “Do not naively trust what doctors say. Educate yourself and demand the treatment you need. It could save your life.”
Cherí was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer at the age of 34, the
same age as her grandmother when she was diagnosed. Five years later, Cherí’s older sister also developed the disease.
Breast cancer has been a constant in Cherí’s life and the journey has led to her passion for breast cancer advocacy. She always wears pink bracelets and proudly shares her story. “If what I learned from my difficult journey can be used to help ease the path for even one person, it was worth it. I was blessed with a wonderful support network of family, friends, and Albie Aware. With Albie Aware in your corner, you’re never alone in the fight.”
She has been involved with the Albie Aware’s Survivor of the Year and Albie Champions and helped raise more than $200,000 with her fellow Pink Ladies.
“I owe my life in part to Albie Aware. It’s an honor and privilege to pay forward the love and support I received from the Foundation. Together, we can save more lives!” Cherí says.
Amy Carabba-Salazar
Amy is proud to be a part of Albie Aware as a new board member. Despite a successful and varied professional life, she says her biggest accomplishments are, “being a breast cancer survivor and most recently, a new mom.”
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in November of 2017 and was so touched by the tremendous help
Albie Aware provided during her cancer treatment. “Albie Aware helped me during a difficult time, through nine rounds of chemo and over 25 rounds of radiation, she says. “I had multiple surgeries, including a bilateral mastectomy with reconstructive surgery. There is no better non-profit in Sacramento helping women and men battling the disease.”
Amy is a communications expert, former news anchor, and award-winning journalist with deep experience in marketing and promoting local businesses. Currently, she is the CEO & President of the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce in Napa Valley and heads up destination marketing for that area. She worked in broadcasting as a television news anchor in some of the country’s top markets for more than 12 years, including San Diego, Las Vegas, and Sacramento. As a journalist, she has also helped to market and promote local businesses and area non-profits.
“I’m excited to join such an amazing non-profit to help raise awareness for Albie Aware,” she said. “My goal is help others during such a difficult time, and I feel I can do that well because I’ve been through the same difficult ride and sometimes you need support from those who can relate.”
