$580,000 Raised to Support Cancer Patients in Sonoma

Amy Reeve and her daughter Paislee shine at Catwalk for a Cure 2025, raising funds for programs that support cancer patients and their families. (photo credit Will Bucquoy)

Santa Rosa’s annual Catwalk for a Cure raised a record-breaking $580,000 this year, funding no-cost cancer support services for people across Sonoma County. The cause hit close to home for one local woman who knows firsthand the importance of these services.

At 47, Amy Reeve thought her battle with cancer was long behind her. The Santa Rosa native had survived thyroid cancer at just 20 years old and moved on with her life. But in October of 2023, on the very day of the Catwalk event, she received news she never expected. A routine mammogram scheduled for that morning revealed she had triple-negative breast cancer, a diagnosis that turned a day of celebration into one of shock and uncertainty.

Amy’s port placement procedure in 2023. A chemo port is a small, implantable device that allows healthcare providers to deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to a patient’s bloodstream without a needle stick. A port can remain in place for weeks, months or even years.

“We all have that bingo card, and mine had cancer twice,” said Reeve.

The diagnosis was devastating, but Reeve soon found herself connected to a network of support through Sutter Health. The services funded by Catwalk, such as counseling, nutrition guidance, patient and family education, connections to support groups, animal therapy, and integrative therapies including massage and acupuncture, became essential to Reeve’s recovery. These services are available to anyone living with or recovering from cancer in Sonoma County, regardless of where they receive medical care.

Reeve’s treatment was intense and grueling. Over the course of 18 months, she underwent chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery and radiation. Her cancer had already spread to a lymph node, requiring aggressive care. Like many women who have breast cancer, Reeve also lost her hair, but not her sense of humor. She says she would wear fun wigs to her infusion appointments, earning the nickname “Britney Spears” from one oncology nurse who, Reeve adds, made her feel seen and cared for every step of the way.

Unsung Heroes

Reeve’s clinical care team included Sutter Medical Group of the Redwoods oncologist Dr. Ying Cao and breast reconstruction surgeon Dr. Anne Peled, who serves as co-director of Sutter CPMC’s Breast Health Center in San Francisco. Both doctors provided not only expert medical treatment but also emotional support. Dr. Cao emphasized the importance of providing whole-person care, saying it helps patients maintain their quality of life while fighting their disease. Dr. Peled, who performed Reeve’s surgery, and is also a breast cancer survivor. She pioneered a technique to preserve sensations in the breast and the nipple after mastectomy, something Reeve deeply appreciated.

Throughout treatment, Reeve found ways to tap into Sutter’s cancer services like the cancer support groups, which provided friendship and perspective from other women battling the disease. This support helped her to keep a positive attitude, still celebrating and enjoying life as much as possible. While on her journey, she took small trips, got married and continued working remotely thanks to a flexible and understanding employer. She credits the community and support programs through Sutter’s Institute for Health & Healing for helping her through “some very dark moments”, with her daughter Paislee serving as her “why” throughout it all.

This past October, celebrated annually as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Reeve returned to Catwalk not as a volunteer, as in years past, but as a featured speaker. She strutted down the runway and stood on stage to share her story with the hundreds of attendees.

A woman in a pink dress speaks in front of a microphone

Amy Reeve speaks at Sutter’s 2025 Catwalk for a Cure event in Santa Rosa, Calif. (photo credit Will Bucquoy)

“I realized sharing my story could help someone else keep going,” she said. “These services are a lifeline. They gave me strength when I didn’t have it and needed it the most.”

Sukie Gill, the event organizer at Sutter Health, reflected on the power of community behind Catwalk and their incredible giving.

“Catwalk for a Cure is a reflection of what makes Sonoma County so special. It’s our neighbors coming together to lift one another up,” said Gill. “This event is about more than raising funds. It’s about creating a space where survivors, families and caregivers feel supported and empowered. Every service we fund is a direct result of the community’s generosity, and every story like Amy’s reminds us why that support matters.”

Sutter’s Catwalk for a Cure in Sonoma County has been going strong for 23 years, raising nearly $5.8 million since its launch.

The event features cancer survivors as models, “strutting their stuff on the catwalk,” celebrating their strength while raising awareness and funds for the cause. All proceeds support essential services for people with cancer from diagnosis through treatment and beyond, at no cost. Their family members can tap into the services too, and as Amy says, “it takes a village to support a cancer patient”.

Sutter Health offers integrative and holistic cancer support therapies to help restore balance to your body, mind and spirit. Learn more at https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/integrative-cancer-support.

Audience at a fundraising event for cancer