Put on by the Corvallis Clinic Foundation, Puttin’ on the Pink Fashion Show raised more than $130,000 for Project H.E.R.

Sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, Nona Gray smiled as a stylist from 7 Stones whirled back and forth around her, putting the final touches on her hair style before Gray headed out to the runway at the CH2MHill Alumni Center. Gray was enjoying a rare moment of pampering, all courtesy of her good friend, Cindy Barker, a model in this year’s Puttin’ On the Pink fashion show.

Saturday’s gala event, which is the second to be put on by the Corvallis Clinic Foundation, raises money for Project H.E.R., which pairs up breast cancer survivors with newly diagnosed patients, providing resources and support. The night included a silent auction filled with items from local businesses, cocktails and hors’ oeuvres, and ended with a fashion show where every model is a cancer survivor or is undergoing treatment.

A year ago, Gray and Barker didn’t know each other. But after both received a diagnosis of breast cancer last year, they ended up at a “Look Good, Feel Better” event for recently diagnosed cancer patients, and immediately connected.

When their chemotherapy treatments started, the two were able to schedule their appointments together, and started what they termed “Team Chemo.”

“When they talk about being sisters after (chemotherapy),” Gray said. “It’s like I’ve never not known her.”

So when Barker was asked to become a model for this year’s fundraising gala event, “Puttin’ on the Pink,” Barker’s first response was to ask Gray to participate as her inspiration. Both women have now been cancer-free for five months, but their friendship didn’t end when their treatments did.

“We talk all the time,” Gray said.

Barker was having her makeup done at a nearby table. The mother of two young boys, she said she had no choice but to fight hard to survive after her diagnosis, and that her network of support, including Gray, helped her fight.

“Our families are each others families now,” Barker said of how close they’ve become through treatment.

Marta Torres knows how crucial family is when someone receives a breast cancer diagnosis. Her mother, now 78, is a long-time breast cancer survivor, so Torres was “religious” about getting mammograms and doing self-exams. She found her lump herself.

“It’s important to do (mammograms) but you’ve also got to know your body,” she said.

In addition to a mastectomy, Torres chose to have her ovaries removed as a preventative measure, and her sister, Ana Torres, credits Marta with encouraging her to be aggressive about testing, and supporting her to get a preventative hysterectomy.

“She has saved my life,” Ana Torres said. She flew up from Alamogordo, N.M., to appear on stage as Marta’s inspiration Saturday night.

Sandy Perry, chairwoman of Puttin’ On the Pink, breast cancer survivor and Project H.E.R. volunteer, was rushing through the dressing room as she made sure the 19 models and their “inspirations” were happy and prepared for the evening fashion show. She held out a foot to show off her bright pink satin heels that went with the evening’s color scheme, and, during a moment of calm, muttered “Deep breath,” to herself before dashing off in another direction.

Meanwhile, one of her best friends, Jodi Petit, sat laughing as a stylist curled her long blond hair into giant ringlets. Petit was diagnosed with breast cancer four and a half years ago. The mother of three was feeling particularly alone, as her husband, a Green Beret, was serving in Iraq when she got the diagnosis. However, by some odd coincidence, her long-time friend Perry was diagnosed 17 days later, and the two women found themselves experiencing the scary ride together.

Some of the drugs the two had to take during treatment caused insomnia; so sleepless nights found them on the phone together.

“We would be up all night talking until one of our cell phone (batteries) ran out,” Petit said.

The models and their inspirations spent several hours mingling with friends and family as they enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the Alumni Center, which was packed to the brim with supporters wearing black and white with pink accents. The guests, who each paid $75 a ticket for the gala, sipped pinktinis and wine as they perused thousands of dollars worth of items up for grab in a huge silent auction.

When the ballroom doors opened, the guests filtered in and enjoyed chocolate cake and flutes of champagne before the evening’s emcee, OSU Women’s Basketball Coach LaVonda Wagner, worked up the crowd in preparation for the fashion show.

“I’ve been waiting all year to find a party where I could wear these shoes,” she told the audience with a laugh, holding out a purple and pink clad foot.

“Our models tonight reflect courage, strength and beauty in every single way,” Corvallis Clinic CEO Andrew Perry said, before the 19 models started working the stage.

With upbeat music blaring and the models all sporting fashions by Zooey’s, Ms. Meers, and Fashion Expressions, the crowd erupted in applause and shouts of excitement as Wagner introduced each participant.

Marta Torres marched across the stage wearing a bright crimson jacket as Wagner shouted “Show ‘em what you got,” while Jeffrey Tolbert, who is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, demonstrated his slick moves in an elegant tuxedo.

Cindy Barker appeared in a saucy red dress, and danced to “Dancing Queen,” while Randy Jones brought the crowd to their feet as he moved down the catwalk.

By the end of the evening, the event had raised more than $130,000 for Project H.E.R., with more checks still to be counted. Wagner told the audience that by supporting Puttin’ On the Pink, they were helping fight one of the biggest fights they’d ever be involved in.

“This,” Wagner said, “is the greatest show on Earth right now.”