By Stefan Yablonski
The Saint Agatha Foundation is a nonprofit that provides financial support to qualified breast cancer patients across eight Central New York counties.
Laurie Mezzalingua was born in Manlius. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at 29. She died on July 4, 2009 — but her spirit lives on. A breast cancer patient for 12 years, she established the Saint Agatha Foundation in 2004.
During her battle with the disease, Mezzalingua became a passionate and vocal advocate for patient support, her mother said.
After reading the story of Saint Agatha, she felt a strong personal connection to her. She chose to name her foundation after this strong and brave woman.
In 2002, she created an ad for The Susan G. Komen Foundation. In a modern twist, she gave Saint Agatha pink boxing gloves in hopes that the image would inspire those with breast cancer to keep fighting and never give up.
The boxing gloves represent the fight being waged by all those touched by the disease.
She would often give pink boxing gloves to other women who were facing the same challenges — the message was always the same: “I’m in your corner. Stay strong and keep fighting!”
To date the foundation has provided financial support to more than 13,000 breast cancer patients in Central New York, according to Kathy Mezzalingua, chairwoman of the foundation — and Laurie’s mother.
It was 1,200 just in 2024 alone, she added.
“I know there is a lot of money being spent on research, but I don’t see a lot being spent on the women themselves,” Mezzalingua said. “Even though it is more rampant, if it is caught early it can be treated and it’s a non-issue. The important thing is to catch it early. It can be a controllable disease.”
The foundation partners with local hospitals and agencies to support patients in Onondaga, Cortland, Cayuga, Madison, Oneida, Oswego, Jefferson and Broome (that’s a new one now) counties.
“We are expanding a little bit outside of the Syracuse area. We don’t want to go as west as major cities like Rochester or Buffalo or east to Albany,” she explained.
The foundation has provided around $20 million in financial support to breast cancer patients in Central New York, within these eight counties.
“I manage everything from right here in Syracuse. This is our baby,” she said. “I am still the chairwoman until I decide to give it up — which is not going to be very soon! I’m going to keep doing this for as long as I can! It’s a healthy, very healthy endowment that we want to continue in perpetuity.”
Many patients come to Syracuse for treatment. The foundation can help pay for their travel and more.
“There was an initial infusion of money from a base amount that was generated by my daughter before she died. She had some money and we have since tripled it. We do a little fundraising but not a lot. We have been able to increase the fund as well as give the money away. So we have done pretty well,” she said. “We have good investment people. We are growing.”
The foundation is trying to raise more awareness. It is dedicated to providing support, comfort and care to breast cancer patients through financial assistance programs — allowing patients to focus on their treatment, not their bills, Mezzalingua added.
Saint Agatha covers a wide range of things. Funds are distributed to patients via both medical and non-medical service providers who apply on behalf of their patients or clientele.
Bills the foundation can assist with, once insurance has done its part, can include everything from clinical items like lab tests, infusion, radiation therapy, doctor’s appointments to non-medical items like child care, transportation, household and legal expenses.
Every patient is a little different; they try to meet all their needs.
“When a woman is diagnosed, it is a devastating feeling — I’ve been through it with my daughter,” she said. “When you hear ‘you have breast cancer’ you hear nothing else. You think ‘I can’t afford that; I have a job to go to. I don’t have enough insurance…’
“But our organization will help you fund. You don’t have to worry about that stuff — just have to worry about getting this behind you.”
Increased awareness
Little by little they have increased awareness.
“We have had some good press. That is our main focus, awareness. So women are aware as soon as they find out they have cancer. It’s one thing they don’t have to worry about — just get better, just heal, get this behind you. We are in your corner. We have got this; you just worry about getting better,” Mezzalingua said. “The doctors can put them in touch with us. If the doctor is aware enough about us, he will refer her right away. The important thing is they should not pay their bills, because we cannot reimburse — we can pay their bills.”
For more information or to make a donation, visit www.saintagathafoundation.org
Awareness Walk slated for Oct. 5 in Oswego
Their fifth annual Hooter Crew Human Pink Ribbon and Awareness Walk is slated Oct. 5 in Oswego — at 10:30 a.m. sign in, walk starts at 11:30 in Breitbeck Park.
You can find more information about the Hooter Crew on their Facebook page, Hooter Crew.
Hooter Crew Supports Saint Agatha
Oswego support group promoting awareness walk on Oct. 5
The Hooter Crew is a group of five women who have been friends for years.
“Out of a group of five lifelong friends, two have bravely fought the battle and won! The Hooter Crew was formed in 2020 during the peak of COVID-19 to raise funds for women going through treatment locally with the Susan G. Komen foundation,” a Hooter Facebook post said.
The crew consists of Kristy Salvador, Paula Hayden, Allison Griffin, Lisa Upcraft and Jennifer Roberge.
The group provides emotional support and comfort bags to those fighting breast cancer.
They organize events to raise money for breast cancer patients and survivors. Recently the Hooter Crew announced the partnership with the Saint Agatha Foundation and donated $1,000 to the foundation.
This year the money raised will go to the Saint Agatha Foundation.
Through its partnership with the Saint Agatha Foundation, the Hooter Crew ensures that donations raised from its events stay local to help individuals and families in the Central New York community.
“The Hooter Crew is a group of Oswego women who are survivors; they have joined together to fundraise for Saint Agatha. They are fantastic and they are caring,” said Kathy Mezzalingua, the foundation’s chairwoman. “They very generously donated the money they make from their walks. They provided us with a $1,000 check [on Sept. 8].”
Today the crew continues to raise funds for those in the fight.