The emotional movie called "Living Proof" about the work of Dr. Dennis Slamon, who developed a cancer treatment, hits close to home literally for a former Butler resident.

Donna Slamon, formerly Donna Williamson, met her future husband at Moraine State Park in 1970. He's originally from New Castle. They've been together since 1976 and now live in Los Angeles.

Dr. Slamon works as a researcher and oncologist at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and helped develop the life-saving breast cancer drug Herceptin.

"He had a drug and he struggled to get drug companies to support it," she said. "When you work at a university, it's tough to get funding. A university doesn't have that kind of money."

Forwarding the research took time, too, and a lot of it, but his family was understanding.

"My husband is a very, very intense person," Donna said.

"When he wasn't around for the kids, they knew he wasn't out bowling with the guys."

One example she remembered of how well received her husband's work has been happened at a fundraising event.

"Out here we have a Revlon Run/Walk (to raise money to fight women's cancers); Revlon has always been very supportive. Whoever participates is encouraged to wear on their back the name of someone who they're walking or running for," Donna recalled.

"One year our son had on his back that he was running for his dad who had helped create this treatment. He couldn't move 10 feet; people kept stopping him and saying how his dad had saved their lives. I think our son really understood that."

Donna's mother, Gladys Andres and her husband John, and sisters Kay Warheit and her husband Matt and Jymie Kelly and her husband Ike still live in Butler. Other Butler County relatives include aunts, uncles and cousins.

The movie, based on the book, "HER-2" by Robert Bazell, will air at 9 p.m. Saturday on Lifetime, channel 29. The film stars big names like Harry Connick Jr., Bernadette Peters, Amanda Bynes, Amy Madigan, Angie Harmon and Swoosie Kurtz.

Far from any fancy premiere, Donna said she and her husband will probably spend a quiet evening at home Saturday watching the film.