The Saint Agatha Foundation was founded by Laurie Mezzalingua during her 12-year battle with breast cancer. Fifteen years ago, Laurie’s mother, Kathleen Mezzalingua, made a solemn promise to her daughter: to continue the mission of the Saint Agatha Foundation and help Central New York breast cancer patients with unmet financial needs, allowing them to focus on fighting their disease.

On October 24th, at The Oncenter in Syracuse, we celebrated 15 years of fulfilling that promise during our 15th Anniversary Gala!

This special evening honored Laurie’s journey and those who stood by her side, including her exceptional doctors. We also heard inspiring stories from the patients we have supported. Together, we celebrated the achievements of the last 15 years, including helping over 12,000 patients across our region. Most importantly, we recommitted ourselves to fulfilling the original promise for many years to come.

Thank you to everyone who attended, sponsored the event, or contributed in any way to making this milestone evening a great success. A special thanks goes to our event chair, Lydia Johnson, and to Jim Towey, the evening’s master of ceremonies. Finally, we are deeply grateful to everyone who helps us fulfill Laurie’s promise to “help those who can’t afford their illness.”