United by fate

Jimmy Stroup

For Debbie Douglas and Diana Marshall, organizing the public

relations and advertising campaign for the Cattle Baron’s Ball -- an

American Cancer Society fall benefit event -- led them to the very

thing they needed: each other.

Douglas is a four-year survivor of breast cancer with only one

year to go until she’s considered cancer-free. Marshall was diagnosed

with the same cancer mere months ago and said she’s found Douglas

invaluable in terms of comfort and support.

“As great as the doctors are and all the nurses and all the

support professionals, what you really need is somebody that’s been

through it to kind of help you along and help you through it,”

Marshall said. “That’s what Debbie did for me.”

For Douglas, Marshall’s years of experience as owner of Marshall

Advertising & Design, based in Costa Mesa, have been a resource

without measure in her recent venture starting her own public

relations firm, Douglas Advisors LLC, based in Newport Coast.

“She’s kind of helping me through my first year with my own

company,” Douglas said. “I’m helping her with her first year with

cancer.”

For the Cattle Baron’s Ball, Douglas and Marshall have brought

their business and personal experience to bear in an effort to get

the most out of the charity event that aids the American Cancer

Society.

“Both are wonderful people,” said Jay McCullough, the regional

vice president of the American Cancer Society’s Orange County

chapter. “They have done a heck of lot for us here at the American

Cancer Society, and their passion is unbelievable for beating this

disease.”

Douglas and Marshall have handled all the public relations work,

advertising, invitations, announcements and general grunt work that

gets the news out about the Oct. 23 event.

“Giving money and getting funds and raising funds is really

important, but I think both Debbie and I have unique talents,”

Marshall said. “I just think that if you’ve been given something like

that, you’d better use it.”

Both Marshall and Douglas have strong feelings about the need and

importance of fighting all cancer, and those feelings are what

Douglas said led her to volunteer and led her to Marshall.

“Cancer doesn’t discriminate,” Douglas said. “Everybody’s had

somebody in their life who’s had it. And it doesn’t care who you are,

where you live or what you do. We were brought together for all the

best reasons, for all the right reasons. Not to do business, but to

help each other heal and to spread the word through PR and through

advertising about how people can help in this fight.”

The Cattle Baron’s Ball League has themed this year’s ball “Leis

and Lassos, A Hawaiian Hoedown.” The evening will include live music,

food, casino-style entertainment, a hula contest, pig racing and a

silent auction. The event will be held at the Orange County Fair and

Expositions Center at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.

Tickets must be purchased in advance and are available by calling

(949) 261-9446, option 3, or visiting https://www.cancer.org.