2014 Celebrating Women Luncheon Co-Chairs Lisa Longino and Daffan Nettle announced this morning that the keynote speaker for the Baylor Health Care System Foundation fundraiser will be “Good Morning America”’s Amy Robach.
The Kick-Off Coffee at Brenda Cockrell‘s home also revealed that honorary chairs will be the Peggy and W. H. Smith family, Tom Thumb will serve as presenting sponsor and Maggie Kipp will serve as underwriting chair.
For those who watch GMA, then you know that the 41-year-old journalist recently made headlines when she had her first mammogram on October 1 on live TV. Weeks later she learned she indeed had breast cancer. Like many she never thought it would happen to her. But thanks to that mammogram, her cancer was discovered early enough that she underwent a bilateral mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.
According to Amy, “While everyone who gets cancer is clearly unlucky, I got lucky by catching it early. The doctors told me bluntly, ‘That mammogram just saved your life.’ I can only hope my story will do the same and inspire every woman who hears it to get a mammogram, to take a self-exam. No excuses. It is the difference between life and death.”
This morning a video was shown that despite facing surgery and chemo therapy, the loss of hair was the straw that broke the emotional camel’s back for Amy. So she decided to take charge of the situation instead of letting the cancer control her. Instead of losing her hair as she went through the chemo, she had her shoulder-length hair cut into a very cute bob.
On Friday, October 24, Amy will be at the Hilton Anatole to tell about her life one year after a mammogram saved her life.