Long Island’s Red, White & Blue Summer Soirée is a signature fundraising event bringing together 300+ professionals and philanthropic leaders for an unforgettable summer evening in support of the American Cancer Society.
Enjoy a high-energy night of bold bites, creative cocktails, music, and interactive experiences all while supporting the American Cancer Society and helping end cancer as we know it, for everyone.
AnneMarie Guerra is a dedicated community leader, national championship cheer director, and passionate advocate for resilience, strength, and service. A proud Levittown resident, she has devoted 16 years to building and leading local nonprofit youth cheerleading programs entirely through volunteer service creating opportunities for young athletes to grow not only in athletic skill, but in character, discipline, and confidence.
For more than a decade and a half, AnneMarie has given countless hours to her community organizing programs, mentoring athletes, supporting families, fundraising, and building sustainable nonprofit teams that open doors for children across Levittown. Her work is not a profession; it is a commitment to service rooted in purpose.
She is the Director of Levittown Pride Cheerleading and Program Director for the Rec Nationals Division a nonprofit program that has earned three National Titles, two of which were coached directly by AnneMarie alongside her daughters, Sofia and Evangeline. Together, they have built a culture grounded in integrity, accountability, and heart proving that volunteer-driven organizations can compete and win at the highest levels nationally. Behind the scenes, her husband Ray Guerra has been her unwavering support understanding what drives her.
Professionally, AnneMarie serves as an Account Executive at Insidesource, a leading contract furniture dealership in New York City. In alignment with her own journey, she has proudly taken the Working With Cancer pledge through her work with Publicis supporting workplace cultures that provide compassion, flexibility, and dignity for employees navigating cancer. Her professional leadership reflects the same empathy and strength that define her personal story.
Her favorite motto reflects the way she lives:
DON’T LET THE HARD DAYS WIN
AnneMarie’s personal journey is one of profound resilience.
In 2009, during hospitalization for appendicitis, a small “spot” was noted on her lung something she initially set aside while balancing motherhood, career, and volunteer leadership.
In 2010, after collapsing at a client’s office and being hospitalized with sepsis, physicians briefly feared ovarian cancer before diagnosing a severe pelvic infection. Still, the lung spot remained unaddressed.
Then, on November 10, 2010, everything changed.
Dr. Stanley Rabinowitz, newly appointed at Island Pulmonary, discovered her chart and personally called her, urging her to come in. That phone call would ultimately save her life.
After further testing and a lung resection performed by thoracic surgeon Dr. Scott Schubeck, AnneMarie was diagnosed with Stage 1 Myoepithelial Carcinoma of the lung a rare form of lung cancer. She was 40 years old, active, and a non-smoker.
Presented with two options conservative monitoring with significantly lower survival odds, or removal of her left lower lobe with a projected 82% survival rate and reduced risk of metastasis she chose surgery without hesitation.
When faced with personal self trauma, AnneMarie turns inward quiet, focused, decisive. She processes privately and acts deliberately. In that defining moment, she saw her children growing up at the time still babies and made a choice rooted in one clear thought: I’m not missing anything.
The surgery was successful. Because it was caught at Stage 1 and she chose an aggressive course of action, her outcome shifted in her favor.
That experience reshaped her perspective forever. It deepened her gratitude, sharpened her purpose, and strengthened her resolve to show up fully and intentionally in every aspect of her life.
AnneMarie does not allow her cancer diagnosis to define her it is simply one battle she has fought and won. Her journey reflects the power of early intervention, decisive action, and continued progress in cancer research.
As she continues to lead her community not for recognition, but for impact she stands as a reminder of what is possible when science, courage, service, and hope come together.
She is proof that survival creates purpose and that we must never let the hard days win.
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Dr. Andrew Seidman is an Attending Physician for the Breast Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Seidman earned his medical degree from Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1985. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the Pennsylvania Hospital. Dr. Seidman then completed a fellowship in Medical Oncology and Hematology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Dr. Seidman’s clinical research in the development of taxanes for breast cancer has impacted clinical care worldwide. He has authored or co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, reviews and book chapters, as well as over 160 abstracts, has served on the editorial boards of over a dozen leading oncology journals, and has lectured at innumerable national and international conferences and symposia on breast cancer related topics. Dr. Seidman is a Past-President of the American Society of Breast Disease, and the recipient of a Career Development Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for his work developing taxanes for breast cancer. He has received the Gay Clark Stoddard Award from the Susan G. Komen Foundation for excellent and compassionate care of patients with breast cancer, the Jacob Ehrenzeller Award from Pennsylvania Hospital for Academic Excellence and a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Hahnemann University School of Medicine. He chaired a Working Group for the National Cancer Institute’s Breast Cancer Steering Committee on Meaningful and Appropriate Endpoints for Clinical Trials in Metastatic Breast Cancer (J Clin Oncol 2018). He serves on the ASCO Communications and Education Committees. At MSK, he has served as Associate Chair of Academic Administration, Medical Director of the Bobst International Center, and Senior Breast Cancer Advisor to the MSKCC-IBM Watson Collaboration. Dr. Seidman has served on the Oncology Drug Advisory Committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He currently leads an active translational research program focused on novel systemic treatment strategies for breast cancer brain metastases.
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Heidi Sadowsky, RN, BSN, OCN®, CBCN®, came to nursing as a second career after 17 years in the financial services industry, where she always felt she had not yet found her true calling. That clarity came in 1996 during her father’s prolonged hospitalization, when she was deeply inspired by the compassion, skill, and presence of the nurses caring for him. Determined to pursue meaningful work, Heidi returned to school full time and became a registered nurse in 2008 — a decision she describes as life-changing and one she has never once questioned. She began her nursing career on an inpatient oncology unit, later worked as an infusion nurse, and for the past 12 years has specialized as an office practice nurse in breast medical oncology.
In her current role, Heidi provides extensive patient and family education, symptom management, psychosocial support, and patient navigation, while also guiding patients and families through end-of-life discussions and coordinating home care and hospice referrals. She is a facilitator and presenter of a two-day course designed to prepare nurses for the CBCN® certification exam and holds two national certifications: Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN®) and Certified Breast Care Nurse (CBCN®). Beyond her professional life, Heidi is a proud baseball mom to her 15-year-old son and a singer in two rock bands, bringing the same passion and heart to her personal pursuits that she brings to her work in oncology nursing.
Donate on behalf of HeidiFor more than 10 decades, the American Cancer Society has been dedicated to pursuing better outcomes for every cancer, every life. Today, more people are surviving cancer than ever before, but there is still work to be done. Join us, support us, and help us end cancer as we know it, for everyone.
towards cancer research
winning scientists received research funding
through all patient support initiatives in 2024
