Marisa Petroro was voted one of People magazine’s “100 Most Beautiful People of 2006.” On the surface it’s easy to see why. She’s currently #18 on the hit game show Deal or No Deal and she’s a beauty with or without the briefcase.



Talk to Marisa and you’ll quickly see that her beauty is more than skin deep. She’s a lady of many talents with an engaging personality, a tenacious drive and an incredibly big heart.

Marisa’s love of performing began when she was a young girl. By the age of four she was competing in pageants. She began taking trips to New York to study acting at the highly acclaimed HB Studio when she was only eight years old.

While many burn out, Marisa’s love of performing only grew stronger. When she left home at 18 – just after her parents’ divorce – it was with the intent of studying math at Rutgers University while continuing to hone her acting skills. Her plans took a detour when, shortly after starting school, Marisa found a lump in her arm. That lump turned out to be Rhabdomyosarcoma - a rare childhood cancer that affects the muscles.

The doctors removed the tumor on her 19th birthday and she spent a year undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments at The Tomorrows Children's Institute at Hackensack Medical Center under the care of Dr. Michael Harris.

“My mom was there every step of the way,” she remembers. “She slept in hospital chairs, held my hand through treatments. She was amazing.”

She credits her mother with helping her to see past the disease to a positive outcome.

“She didn’t focus on the disease,” says Marisa. “I’m not sure if that was strategy or denial but whatever it was, it helped. She focused so much on, ‘When you get better …' that I had no choice but to get better.”

She didn’t return to Rutgers after her treatments. She hadn’t been there long enough to make deep connections and she had other priorities.

“Surviving cancer changes you,” she says. “It makes you appreciate the value of every day. I meet other survivors all the time who say the same thing. Once you’ve faced a disease like that you appreciate life so much more.”

Drawing on the strength she built up from a lifetime of acting and an intense year and a half battling cancer, Marisa made a commitment to make it as an actress.

“I came to Hollywood with dreams but no connections,” she says. “It was a tough road at first. But I learned valuable lessons along the way.”

Interestingly Marisa credits her success to the lessons she learned from surviving cancer.

“I didn’t tell many people about my diagnosis,” says Marisa. “I’m not sure why except it was college and I wasn’t sure how to share that kind of news. I decided when I came to Hollywood that I’d open myself to possibilities. That meant reaching out to other performers, writers, directors and producers who were trying to make it just like me. Before long I had connections and the jobs started coming.”

While talent and beauty certainly helped her in her pursuit of work, the importance of networking can’t be ignored. Marisa built bridges and connected with others. She also shared her story so that she could help others who faced the challenge that she once did.

“When I was sick a lot of survivors shared their time and their stories to give me hope,” says Marisa. Now I'm doing the same, paying forward my experiences.”

Marisa is the 2008 spokesperson for The Sarcoma Foundation Of America. She's also an avid supporter of The Tomorrow’s Children Fund. Because she understands the unique challenges that stem from being a survivor of disease, Marisa volunteers her time to help others who have been diagnosed with cancer and are undergoing chemotherapy.

Marisa is a beautiful example of all that can be accomplished when you pursue your dreams.