Some of Houston’s most influential movers and shakers packed the River Oaks Country Club for a lively chat by a charismatic, bestselling author and to support the American Society’s work at the inaugural Tickled Pink Luncheon.
The ACS’s premiere fundraising event honored some of Houston’s most prominent women and raised some $180,000 towards breast cancer research, education, and support services.
Keynote speaker Elin Hilderbrand revealed her often-hilarious journey of becoming a writer, relocating to serene New England, and ultimately being diagnosed with breast cancer — just as she released her book The Matchmaker.
That her main character in Matchmaker suffers from cancer drew a discernible gasp from the crowd, many of them cancer survivors as well. Hildebrand’s upbeat talk evoked outright chuckles in parts and sheer pin drop silence when she retold sharing her diagnosis to family. Her bold “I would take the cancer again” statement was met with thunderous applause.
Event co-chairs Leisa Holland-Nelson, Patti Murphy, Karen DeGeurin Remington, and Barbara Van Postman greeted the energetic group and mingled with the 2021 honorees, which included Kelli Cohen Fein, Adele Hartland, Cora Sue Mach, Kristina Somerville, and Elizabeth Stein.
Currently, ACS is currently investing $69 million in breast cancer-specific research through some 162 grants. “We’ve witnessed a 41-percent decline in the female breast cancer death rate, and as a recognized leader in breast cancer research, we have no intention of ever slowing down,” said Jenny Todd, ACS’s senior director of development, in a statement.
Notable attendees included: Hannah and Cal McNair, Joanna and Brad Marks, Mary Ann McKeithan, Audrey and David Gow, Casey Curry, Scott Evans, Sidney Faust, Ellie Francisco, Shelby Kibodeaux and Bruce Padilla, Tiffany Halik, Jennifer Roosth, and Joella Mach.
Roland Maldonado, Patti Murphy, and Jacquie Baly.
