Jon Stojan
Image credit: Leyna Topete
Breast cancer advocacy has never been louder, however, for too many women, it’s never felt more distant. Amid the flood of pink ribbons and awareness campaigns, a quieter crisis is unfolding that disproportionately affects women in underserved communities. For these women, a diagnosis doesn’t just bring medical uncertainty; it unravels the fragile balance between survival and solvency. The cost of care, lack of transportation, unpaid time off, and limited access to insurance form a web of barriers that awareness alone can’t untangle. While some fight the disease, others are forced to fight the system around it.
The gap between being seen and being supported compelled Leyna Topete to act. In 2019, she founded HER too in honor of her mother, Lola, a retired Marine who passed away after a 12-year battle with breast cancer. Unlike many, Lola’s military benefits protected her from the financial strain of treatment. Witnessing that stability inspired Topete to pay it forward—to ensure that financial privilege never becomes a prerequisite for survival. “My mother’s fight was long, but she had support. I realized quickly how many women don’t. That contrast changed everything for me,” she explains.
Turning Barriers into Pathways for Care
Since its inception, HER too, has provided direct assistance to 154 women navigating breast cancer, mainly through its partnership with the Cecilia Gonzalez De La Hoya Cancer Center in East Los Angeles. From covering transportation and prescription costs to funding holistic wellness support, HER too fills essential care gaps often overlooked by insurance or public programs.
The goal is simple yet urgent: allow women to focus on healing, not surviving the financial fallout. According to the American Cancer Society, uninsured women are 60% more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer, and the average out-of-pocket cost for treatment can range from $5,000 to over $30,000 per year. This financial burden for families living on the margins can be a devastating one–HER too, is actively relieving these burdens, one donation at a time. HER too’s mission takes center stage each year at the organization’s signature event, the Night of Hope Gala.
2024’s gala held special meaning as Kelli DeSpain, beloved Las Vegas entrepreneur and owner of Bottega Exchange, took the stage to share her deeply personal journey with breast cancer. Kelli’s heartfelt words and unwavering strength left a lasting impression on everyone in the room, inspiring hope and resilience in the face of unimaginable hardship. Her courage helped galvanize a spirit of generosity that night. $70,000 was raised, to support HER too’s programs and initiatives.
Tragically, Kelli passed away just weeks later, on December 4, 2024, after a brave battle with stage four metastatic breast cancer. HER, too, continues to honor her legacy by availing opportunities like the Night of Hope Gala to women battling breast cancer—offering them not only a platform to share their voices but also critical resources, community, and support on their journey.
Comedian George Lopez lent his support at the inaugural gala in 2021, and since then, the gala has attracted celebrities, medical professionals, and cancer survivors. Since its inception, the organization has raised over $400,000 in support of HER too’s work across Los Angeles.
Returning for its fifth consecutive year on October 30, 2025, the Night of Hope Gala will be held at the historic Beverly Hills Hotel. The gala remains the organization’s largest annual fundraiser and public touchpoint. The gala brings medical professionals, survivors, donors, and civic leaders together for a night of discussion, food, refreshments, innovation, and change. The inclusive event has evolved into a citywide platform for action.
Image credit: Leyna Topete
Celebrating Change-Makers, Amplifying Impactretu
In 2024, HER too launched the Profound Impact Award—an honor reserved for individuals making substantial contributions in the breast cancer space. The inaugural recipient, Dr. Dennis R. Holmes, was recognized for patient-centered care and equitable access. By spotlighting advocates and clinicians driving systemic change, HER too is also supporting those in need, but also building and working with innovative physicians. The award is now a staple of the gala and a symbol of HER too’s broader vision: supporting women while championing the ecosystem surrounding them.
Topete’s leadership has garnered attention far beyond the nonprofit sector. She was named an honoree in Beverly Hills Living Magazine’s “Forty Under 40,” awarded “Uplifter of the Year,” and most recently received the “Woman Who Shines Award” by the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce and Women’s Business Networking Committee. However, for Topete, recognition is secondary. “It’s an honor to be acknowledged,” she says, “but the real accomplishment is knowing that more women are getting the help they need—quietly, directly, and without delay.”
Closing the Gap, One Story at a Time
As HER also concludes its pledge with the De La Hoya Cancer Center, the organization is exploring new partnerships to expand its geographic and clinical reach. Research consistently shows that breast cancer outcomes are not solely determined by biology but by the social systems that surround care. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black women in the U.S. are approximately 40% more likely to die from breast cancer. HER too, is committed to narrowing that gap, one woman, one donation, and one action at a time.
At a time when national conversations around health equity remain ongoing but often abstract, HER too, is taking tangible action. With every woman helped, every dollar raised, and every partnership formed, the organization reinforces one undeniable truth: survival should never be a privilege. HER too, has assisted 154 women and counting in creating better outcomes and an overall quality of life so they can focus more on healing.
To learn more about how HER too is reshaping what breast cancer support looks like, visit www.hertoobreastcancer.org