Beauty queen Maria Victoria Ginter’s quiet, low-key campaign for breast cancer awareness

By Cristina DC Pastor

Maria Victoria Ginter was in her teens when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Her mother discovered a lump in her breast and underwent surgery, but the disease had already progressed. After years of treatment, including chemotherapy, the cancer reached Stage 4.

“She was only 45 years old when she died,” Victoria said.

The loss devastated the family. Her father was left to raise four children alone, while Victoria, the eldest, learned early about responsibility, sacrifice, and perseverance.

Fast forward several decades later. Victoria, 41, now wears many hats: wife, mother, healthcare professional, community volunteer, fundraiser, and advocate for breast cancer patients. Truly, she has transformed her pain into purpose.

A new calling

Victoria organizes fundraisers for breast cancer patients. Her mother’s death is the driving force behind her advocacy. She launched a grassroots effort to support breast cancer patients in the Philippines. She works with radio station iFM 93.9 Cebu, which verifies patients’ medical records before broadcasting appeals or releasing financial assistance.

Victoria uses her pageant platform to raise funds within her community. She sets up donation tables at community events and in front of stores and shopping centers. The funds are turned over through iFM Radio’s beneficiary program, with the beneficiary present during the turnover. One recent fundraiser raised $905 for a breast cancer patient in Cebu. To date, Victoria has helped raise a total of $4,116 for five breast cancer patients.

“I want people to know exactly where their donations are going,” she explained.

For Victoria, every patient represents a reminder of her mother. “I know what families go through,” she said. “I know the pain of watching someone you love fight cancer.”

Victoria also supports programs for children with special needs and assists vulnerable women through Sta. Rita de Cascia, an organization that serves as a safe haven for women and children who have experienced abuse, violence, exploitation, abandonment, and rescued street children.

“If they reach out to me, I try to help financially,” she said.

Her approach is quiet, low-key, and deeply personal.

Cebu-born

Born and raised in Cebu, she grew up as the eldest of four siblings—two girls and two boys—in a close-knit Filipino family.

Her childhood was relatively comfortable. She attended St. Joseph’s Academy in Mandaue City, Cebu, from preparatory school through high school before enrolling at Southwestern University for college. At the time, her life lacked clear direction, and she admits she did not take education seriously. She initially studied Information Technology before shifting to Hotel and Restaurant Management, eventually leaving college without completing her degree.

Tragedy and loss seemed to follow Victoria at a young age. The father of her two children died from a brain aneurysm at the age of 34.

“I was only 29,” she said. Her children were just 5 and 6 years old.

The young widow immigrated to the United States in 2015 after marrying an American Army soldier. It was an unexpected love story. She met Will Ginter through her cousin, who asked Victoria if she could guide him around Boracay and Cebu during his visit.

“At the time, romance was far from my mind. Yet the connection between them was immediate,” she said. “We ended up together,” she added.

The couple has now been together for 12 years, successfully blending their families. Victoria brought her two children into the marriage, while Will’s three children from previous marriages became part of their extended family. They live in Rome, New York, a small Upstate city located between Utica and Syracuse. She describes Will simply as “a great, very supportive, and loving guy.”

“We get along well with our stepchildren,” she said.

Building a new life in America

Living in the suburbs wasn’t always easy.

“There aren’t many Filipinos here,” she said.

But over time, she found community and built a career from the opportunities that came her way. She returned to school and earned a degree in Health Information Technology from Mohawk Valley Community College. She became a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) and now works as a medical coder for Rome Health Hospital.

“It allows me to work from home and still have time for family and community work,” she said.

An unexpected beauty queen

Driven by a sense of curiosity, Victoria joined Mrs. Philippines New York 2025 and won.

“There was really nothing wrong with trying,” she said.

The experience expanded her network and gave her a platform to promote the causes closest to her heart. At every fundraiser, she wears her pageant sash, and the sight of a local beauty queen has attracted donors to her table as they begin to ask about her cause.

Each weekend fundraiser, each patient helped, and each act of kindness honors the memory of her mother.

“Even if I can only help one person at a time,” she said, “that’s already making a big difference.”