When Heather Salazar adopted baby Lexi, she never imagined the child’s dying mother would save her life. Alexis’ final words about breast cancer screenings led to Heather’s early diagnosis—and inspired her to create Pink Ribbon Good, which has now delivered over a million meals to cancer fighters nationwide. Here, they share their story.
Heather Salazar
There’s a powerful calling on my heart to help her, Heather Salazar realized after a family friend introduced her to Alexis, a 23-year-old single mother who had grown up in foster care in Cincinnati, Ohio, and faced countless hardships. Now, Alexis was in the final stages of a heartbreaking fight with stage 4 breast cancer and struggling to find a home for her 9-month-old daughter, Lexi.
Without hesitation, Heather and her husband Steve opened their hearts and home to Alexis and Lexi. They cared for the young mother in her final months and welcomed baby Lexi into their family.
Just before Alexis passed, she told Heather something that would forever change her life: “Young women need to get breast exams, too.” Despite the whirlwind of now raising four children under age 8, Alexis’ words kept replaying in Heather’s mind—so she began doing frequent self-breast exams.
Just 18 months later, Heather found a lump that stunned her beyond belief. At age 31, she was diagnosed with the very same aggressive form of breast cancer that had taken Alexis’ life.
Heather Salazar
A fight for life
Fortunately, Heather’s cancer was caught early, and after undergoing a bilateral mastectomy, three months of intensive chemotherapy and a yearlong clinical drug trial, she was blessedly declared cancer-free.
“Not only did Alexis give me Lexi, the greatest gift of my life, but she truly saved me,” Heather told Steve. “If it hadn’t been for her, I would have been dead long before I ever had my first mammogram.”
As Heather fought for her own life, Alexis was constantly on her mind. The contrast between their journeys was heartbreaking—and eye-opening.
While Heather had quality health insurance and a strong support network, Alexis had faced her treatment entirely alone. The image of Alexis riding the bus home after a brutal chemo session haunted Heather—it was a painful reminder of the disparities so many women face. There are far too many women battling this beast without support, Heather thought. Everyone deserves a village behind them during their darkest hour. Something has to be done.
Heather dreamed of starting a nonprofit to offer practical help to families—like healthy meals, rides to treatment and house-cleaning essentials. She applied for a grant, though she didn’t expect much, having no experience in the nonprofit world.
But her story struck a chord with a billionaire in Texas. Soon after, Heather was awarded a grant to bring her vision to life.
PRG offers a helping hand for breast cancer fighters
With help from her generous donor, Heather officially launched Pink Ribbon Good in 2012. She started by serving four women battling breast cancer in Cincinnati, delivering meals between her kids’ sports practices.
What began as a small grassroots effort has grown into a powerful organization over the past 13 years—delivering more than a million meals, providing practical support to families in eight regions across the country from San Francisco to Buffalo and connecting women through a comprehensive peer support network.
Heather was stunned by how many women told her that without Pink Ribbon Good (PRG), they simply wouldn’t have been able to receive treatment—they lacked family support, transportation or the financial resources to make it possible.
Heather Salazar
“When I first had this idea, I never could have imagined the need was so great,” Heather says. Now, she is proud of the impact PRG is making, but her goal is to ultimately bring its practical support services nationwide.
“Data show that those who receive PRG services have better treatment compliance and are more likely to stick with their treatment plans,” Heather says. “Research also confirms that better adherence often leads to better outcomes.”
While Heather’s heart aches for the women who are still taken far too soon, she knows the only way to honor those we’ve lost is to keep going and to love hard. Her ultimate dream? A cure for cancer that puts PRG out of business.
“One in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. And every 36 minutes, someone learns that they have gynecological cancer. Based on my own experience, I know firsthand that those in the fight for their life need every advantage they can get,” says Heather. “We take care of their to-do list so that these brave women can focus on the fight. My journey isn’t just about surviving cancer, but transforming the experience positively for others. PRG is proof that tragic life events can be the catalyst for something good.”
