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Amber Valletta Recalls Her Mother's Cancer Battle at Living Beauty Spring Luncheon
Amber Valletta Recalls Her Mother's Cancer Battle at Living Beauty Spring Luncheon originally appeared on L.A. Mag.
"Cancer changes everything," said Amber Valletta after Rachel Zoe introduced her at the Living Beauty Cancer Foundation luncheon and fundraiser in Beverly Hills on May 30. "Not just for the person diagnosed, but for everyone who loves her. I know this deeply because my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at just 40 years old. She survived."Valletta, who received the Ambassador of Light Award, went on: "That time in our lives was filled with fear, uncertainty and a kind of quiet bravery I'd never seen before. I watched her move through surgery and treatment while still being fully present for her family. She wasn't just a patient — she was a wife, a daughter, a friend and my mother. Even while recovering, she found a way to keep showing up for us all. That was my first glimpse into what true strength looks like."
"Then at 60, she was diagnosed again," Valletta continued. "That second time in her life brought a deeper kind of resilience. We all knew more — which meant, we feared more. But she faced it with even more grace and wisdom. She had already walked this road once, and now, she was walking it again, but with a powerful inner calm."Valletta looked out into the crowd. "During that time, she taught me something profound: That living with cancer doesn't mean living without beauty," she said. "It can mean discovering a deeper, more radiant kind of beauty: one rooted in resilience, in sisterhood and in spirit."
"That's what Living Beauty brings to life — the understanding that beauty isn't lost in illness, but revealed in connection, community and care," Valletta said. "For so many women, this foundation becomes a lifeline, a blessing, a sisterhood, a place where the soul can rest and the heart can be held. Living Beauty offers more than support; it offers a sacred space where women can exhale; where strength is shared; where healing happens in laughter, in stillness, in being seen and deeply known."She then addressed the cancer patients in the group: "To the women here today, your courage is breathtaking. Your grace is grounding, and you're not defined by your diagnosis, but by the love that you give, the light that you carry and the way you show us how to live more fully.""To my mother," Valletta said, "thank you, for your example, your heart, your unshakable strength. You showed me that beauty lives in how we love, how we give and how we rise."
In 2005, 20 years ago, Amie Satchu started the Living Beauty Cancer Foundation nonprofit to support her mother, who was newly diagnosed with cancer, and her two best friends, Diane and Mary. "It was that moment I realized I couldn't cure their cancer, but what I could do is make their world and their day a little easier as they faced all of the uncertainty and fear and trauma that accompanies the cancer diagnosis," Satchu said to the crowd. "So it was born out of a daughter's love for her mom and her two besties." Read more about how Satchu founded Living Beauty in our L.A. Woman became Satchu's first Living Beauties — and she went on to build a community. "Today, what started with three women became a movement, and 20 years later, Living Beauty is now a national organization that provides an emotional and physical sanctuary for over 2,500 women along their cancer journey," Satchu the foundation provides wellness support programs and helps cancer patients connect with each other. "In the past year alone, the number of women we've served has increased by over 56%," Satchu noted. "This fall, we will launch our fully-funded Living Beauty community platform, a virtual retreat space where women can connect, participate in live programs and access vital support 24 hours a day." They're also deepening their commitment to one of the most vulnerable groups they serve, single mothers navigating treatment.
The annual fundraiser greatly contributes to that, and this year's event at Satchu's home — attended by guests including Tracy Robbins, Christine Chiu and Jason Bolden — raised $745,000 to support the free wellness and healing experiences. Upon arrival, the well-heeled crowd enjoyed an immersive shopping experience with the MyTheresa Style Suite, as well as crafted cocktails from Don Julio, Ketel One and Tanqueray; Malibu Rocky Oaks Estate Vineyards Wines; and Caliwater drinks. Read more about last year's event. Following a dairy- and gluten-free lunch and inspiring speeches (including an account by Shayna Welsh, a two-time breast cancer and brain cancer survivor), guests left with wellness gift boxes curated by Cymbiotika, featuring supplements that promote a more holistic lifestyle.
"Let us keep creating spaces of connection," pledged Valletta in closing. "Let us keep honoring every woman's path. And may we always remember: healing doesn't just live in medicine; it lives in the beauty of showing up for one another."
This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
