Barbara Diane Bueno
Barbara D. Bueno was born in Oakland in 1942 and lived there until she was eleven years old at which point she moved to San Leandro with her Father 
Paul, Mother Bessie (Honeybea) and Brother Gerry. From the age of two she was entered into talent and beauty contests. Her talent was singing; which was as beautiful as she was. The pinnacle of her beauty career was as a runner-up in the Miss San Leandro pageant of 1958. Shortly after graduating from San Leandro High in 1959, Barbara met her soon-to-be husband of 47 years, Ronald Bueno. They married in 1961 and started a family raising three boys.
She was a fixture in the PTA for her boys’ school. She volunteered to be Santa Claus for the grammar school play when no ‘man’ would do it. She was a pack leader for the Cub Scouts; an announcer for her son’s baseball games and she
was the loudest supporter at all of their activities. Mom was always trying new things to challenge herself. She was in a bowling league for years; she loved to water ski; she sold everything from Shaklee to Tupperware to high end cosmetics. She worked as an event coordinator; in the beauty industry, and later worked in the computer industry. Amazingly, my Mother did all this while running the family construction business for over 36 years and raising her family.
Like millions of women, my Mother, Barbara Diane Bueno found a small lump on her breast that was confirmed to be cancer after a diagnostic mammogram. She fought the cancer aggressively and passionately having been a victim of her own Mother’s passing from Breast Cancer. Mom had a double mastectomy and complete hysterectomy in addition to a complete course of chemotherapy. The former beauty queen and talented singer was a fighter and pushed the cancer into remission. For 5 years she enjoyed her family and thanked God for every day she was given.
Just when she passed the milestone fifth year of being cancer-free and should have been fine, she began having what doctors diagnosed as fatigue and indigestion. She was very sad when the fatigue and stomach pain she was having was later diagnosed to be a metastasis of the breast cancer and had spread to her organs and bones. She wanted to fight the disease, but the Stage IV cancer could only be controlled with chemotherapy. Though she was facing terminal cancer, she maintained her lifelong habit of tending to the cares of others and enjoying the time she had left, as much as possible. She made trips to Alaska and Hawaii and had time enough to say goodbye to her extended family before the cancer took its toll. In 2008, my mother’s battle with the disease ended with her dying in her home in San Leandro after a 5-1/2 year fight.
Mom loved to throw a great party where everyone had a great time. Whether it was a dinner party for four, a family dinner party for 14, or a party in the back garage for several hundred, Mom made sure everyone had a great time. Few could say they enjoyed life as much as she did.
The Dentists Against Cancer charity is a tribute to those that have fallen to the disease known as Breast Cancer. Over the years, I have seen many women in my family and the families of my friends die from this disease. My maternal grandmother, my maternal great aunts and a few of their daughters had all been diagnosed and subsequently died from Breast Cancer directly or indirectly from a metastasis of the initial disease. And every day I see patients who have battled the disease or have lost loved ones to the disease. I am both in awe of those that have the strength to fight and saddened for those that lose the battle. My Mom has inspired this charity.
...Casualty of this Horrible Disease
Click here to make a Donation that will save lives. One Hundred Percent of your tax deductible donation will go toward supporting our fundraising efforts. Dentists Against Cancer Inc., is a registered 501 c (3) Charitable Organization dedicated to its cause of helping in the Fight Against Breast Cancer!