In 1997, Magsanoc-Alikpala was diagnosed with breast cancer. along with her friend Crisann Celdran who wrote "we knew very little and had different experiences but shared one dream: that cancer survivors should not go through this path alone." She encourages women to make breast self-examination a "lifetime habit." One woman who survived
breast cancer joined
ICanServe afterwards, and she described Magsanoc-Alikpala as "pretty", "perky", and "talented" and wrote Magsanoc-Alikpala's efforts to organize fellow survivors was a "miracle". In 2004, Magsanoc-Alikpala was awarded the Bessie B. Legarda Memorial Foundation Award. The foundation had its tenth anniversary in 2007. The organization, along with the Philippine Cancer Society, organizes a variety of initiatives to promote awareness, including "fun runs" since 2002 in such cities as Fort
Bonifacio Global City in
Taguig. It promotes awareness with local officials such as in
Marikina. Its "Pink Kitchen" creative promotional effort, credited as the idea of Bettina Osmena, features top chefs serving fine cuisine; the events are well publicized in the media. One chef named a new dish after her; chef Sincioco’s
Tickled Pink Salad a la Kara featured beetroots and a dark pink tinge in a "fuchsia concoction." In 2006, the organization planned the Philippine's first nationwide early
breast cancer detection effort. In addition, Magsanoc-Alikpala is the managing director of Manila-based Asianeye Productions and a contributing producer to
CNN. She was selected as one of three celebrity critics for the Philippine reality-show "Dokyu". ==Celebrity and awards==