Melissa del Valle Ortiz

My journey into breast cancer advocacy began when I was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer after losing my best friend to cancer, all during COVID. This personal experience transformed my lifelong commitment to community service into focused advocacy work that has defined the past 5 years of my career. I run Warriors Against Recurrence as a soup-to-nuts operation, where I create all the flyers and promotional materials, coordinate events, and recruit women into our programs. I organize mobile mammogram events in partnership with nonprofits that provide free screenings to women, and I host gatherings where breast cancer survivors can meet, relate to each other's experiences, and discuss how we function day-to-day. As an ambassador for the American Cancer Society's Voices of Black Women, I engage women of color who are undiagnosed and facilitate the full spectrum of breast cancer awareness, from getting a medical evaluation and mammogram all the way through post-treatment survivorship. Women trust me with private, detailed information about what they're experiencing. I call women to check on them, and people have started referring their friends who are getting diagnosed to contact me on social media for resources. Before this work, I served as a congressional aide in New York City and worked for small nonprofits, but my career highlights really stem from my community service work. As a United States Army veteran, I carry forward the principle of never leaving a warrior behind, and my whole life feels like it's coming into a full circle moment. I was inducted into the 2023 New York State Veteran Hall of Fame for my community service work, which led to my appointment as Miss Military for New York City Five Boroughs in 2024. I currently serve as Community Engagement Officer for the Dory Miller American Legion, where I bring in programs for service members and provide community services to veterans and military families. I also co-chair the Antonio Pantoja Scholarship Committee. Looking ahead, I'm launching a campaign where the Puerto Rican diaspora will reach out to family and friends in Puerto Rico to ensure they're getting mammograms, because breast cancer is the number one cancer with the highest mortality rate for Puerto Rican women on the island. My vision includes establishing a retreat for women from New York to Puerto Rico so they can experience the tranquility that Puerto Rico gave me during my post-treatment survivorship.