Mom of 4 imagined dying in front of her kids

Pink Ribbon Girls CEO shares inspirational story of adoption, cancer diagnosis and giving back.

Heather Salazar feared her kids were going to see her die.

And she had reason to fear.

 

The young mother and her kids watched breast cancer kill the 24-year-old woman who gave life to the baby girl the family adopted.

>> Daytonian of the Week: Heather Salazar

>> RELATED: Pink Ribbon Girls leader shares inspirational journey

A year later, Heather was diagnosed with the same form of cancer.

Through faith, friendship and community support, Heather pushed through, beating breast cancer and building the Pink Ribbon Girls, one of the area’s most well-known breast cancer groups.

>> RELATED: How you can join the fight against breast cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but the Pink Ribbon Girls work year-round to provide meals, house-cleaning services, rides and peer support for women fighting breast and gynecological cancers, regardless of income.

Heather shares her family's triumphant story with “What Had Happened Was” podcast host Amelia Robinson in this episode recorded in October 2018. She and Sarah Gillenwater, the Pink Ribbon Girls' marketing director at the time, explain why hot meals and free rides to appointments are a far bigger deal than many of us consider and why things don’t always happen for a reason.

>> RELATED: Pink Ribbon Girls take their fight on cancer out-of-state for the first time

ABOUT THE PODCAST

"What Had Happened Was" is a podcast for Dayton, powered by Dayton.com. You won't believe the stories that come from right here. Host Amelia Robinson shares the best tales from the Gem City, Land of Funk and Birthplace of Aviation: Dayton, Ohio.

The podcast was recently nominated for Best Podcast in the National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Radio award.

This podcast is brought to you by Cox Digital Marketing.

WHERE TO LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE 

Listen to each show below or get the latest episodes delivered directly to you. Find the What Had Happened Was podcast and subscribe  on Apple Podcast (iTunes)Google PlayStitcher and other services. If you like what you hear, rate this podcast.

CATCH UP ON PAST EPISODES

EPISODE 42

His only child was killed during the Dayton mass shooting. Now Mike Turner wants everyone to hug.

EPISODE 41 

'One hell of a summer': Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley on Dave Chappelle, the mass shooting and the tornadoes

EPISODE 40

The story behind ‘American Factory’ with Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar

EPISODE 39

Live on the scene of Dayton’s mass shooting, reporters and witnesses recall what they saw and did

About the Author