CSC Board member Melissa Alcorn and CSC Chief Executive Officer Patricia Ostiller at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
CSC Board members Dana Naples, Vicki Laidig, Melissa Alcorn, Ellen Driscoll, Natalie Smalley at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
CSC Program and Clinical Director Alison Wong and CSC Director of Operations & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Julie Stevens at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Lydia Valenta, Beth Milton, Susan Weise, Tara Westwater at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Megan Alcorn and Annette Aladera at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Sandy Kobeissi and Rita Gooch at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
CSC Board member Dana Naples and Dixie at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Jenny Sanchez at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Clarita Gustafson, Susan Hubert, Martha Leos at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
CSC Board members Natalie Smalley and Vicki Laidig at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Clarita Gustafson, Elizabeth Sanchez, Salpi Mankerian, Angel Throop, Ashley Muro, Deborah Muro at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Carson O’Connor and Micah Park at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Christina Segura at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Ellen Yeany and SC Board member Vicki Laidig at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Nancy Victor, Georgia Seid, Alisha Ranen at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Patti Traglio and Cindy Bengston at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Laura Loofbourrow and Stephanie Watkins at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Amanda Eglseder and Adriana Serrano at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
Ashley Muro, Eileen Benson, Deborah Muro at Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley's Barbie Bash at NOOR [Paul Takizawa/Pasadena Now]
With blinding pink everywhere you looked for their “Barbie Bash,” at Noor, Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley (CSCGSGV) celebrated themselves and their new Sierra Madre headquarters building Friday evening.
“This evening is a time that women and men can come together to honor those who are facing cancer,” said Executive Director Patricia Ostiller, “as well as those who have survived, and their families and friends.”
The Pasadena organization has been in existence for 33 years, and recently purchased their own headquarters, ending decades of having to lease space in various buildings.
The group also recently changed its name from Cancer Support Community Pasadena to Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley.
“We think our new name is more inclusive because we do serve the entire San Gabriel Valley with what we do,” Ostiller added.
“We have amazing hospitals in this area, of course,” she said. “In Glendale , and City of Hope, and Huntington, and that is a blessing, because what we do is we treat the mind, the anxiety and distress of patients going back into workplace, for example, and there is evidence and enough research to say that when you combine stellar medical in hospitals with psychosocial support from organizations in the community, we are definitely improving their quality of life.”
The event saluted the summer blockbuster movie, “Barbie,” and its message of female empowerment, as guests dressed in all manner of pink from prom queens to pilots and athletes.
The pink evening was emceed by writer/ trivia expert and Tik Tok personality Muffy Marracco, as CSCSGV board member Ellen Driscoll, dressed in a pink suit as “Barbie Divorce Lawyer,” helped the evening’s auction.
Said Driscoll, “I am grateful to be the auctioneer tonight, as it’s always one of my favorite events of the year.” Driscoll added, I think I can easily ask people to give generously, because I do. I find it incredibly rewarding to support CSCSGV and those we serve.”
Guests also watched a video about Kinley Bonafassi and her mother Becky, who, during Kinley’s ultimately fatal cancer journey, became advocates for a bald Barbie. The doll would honor patients who lost their hair during chemotherapy treatment. Following Kinley’s passing, Fashionista Barbie #150 was created by Mattel in 2020.
Since Kinley’s death, Becky continued to advocate on behalf of young cancer patients and helped get the Survivor, Treatment, Access and Research (Star) Act passed, the most comprehensive childhood childhood cancer bill ever passed by Congress.
The evening also raised tens of thousands of dollars to support the ongoing work of Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley.
More information about Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley is available at https://www.cancersupportsgv.org/.
