By KAT BERGERON
kbergeron@sunherald.com

Hope upstaged Robin Roberts, not an easy thing to do to the popular "Good Morning America" anchor admired for her positive attitude.

"You have to dream big and focus small," Roberts told those gathered at the Biloxi Beau Rivage on Wednesday for her first public talk since breast cancer surgery. "My dream is to one day be cancer-free. And I will. I'm focusing small on what's going to get me there - my treatment."

Roberts, on the Mississippi Coast for a live GMA broadcast for the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, had agreed to keynote the luncheon before she knew she had cancer.

"You have to be willing to venture outside your comfort zone," Roberts said. "It was hard for me to come forward and share something so personal to me and my family.

"But as my Mama told me when we first talked about this, 'Robin, the pain and discomfort and sadness you feel right now will be minuscule in comparison to all that you can do to help others from experiencing this in their families because you're telling them about early detection and you're de-mystifying cancer.'

Obvious but silent tears of compassion seasoned the fine-dining experience, which included lobster salad and Tournedo Rossini. Roberts paused, then said, "Dream big, focus small and dive back in if at first you don't succeed."

At that point in the talk, Hope barked. For a brief moment, the black Labrador puppy brought levity to a serious message delivered by a much-admired Mississippi Coast native.

Hope was at the luncheon hosted by BR Prime restaurant because, like Roberts, she was raising money for Pink Heart Funds. The puppy was auctioned for $400 and, for the most part, behaved herself in the lap of her new owner, Catherine Riemann of Gulfport.

The fundraising was for the post-Katrina Pink Heart organization created to help underinsured cancer patients with wigs and prostheses.

"With Katrina, life as we knew it came to a screeching halt, but the one thing it did not stop was cancer," said JoAn Niceley, the Long Beach hair stylist and breast cancer survivor who founded Pink Heart.

Luncheon tickets were limited to 100, and the lives of most who bought them are touched by cancer. Because it is Roberts' first public talk since her Aug. 3 surgery, it captured national media interest.

"This is the most gut-wrenching fundraiser I have ever been to, and I attend a lot of them," said Renee Werlin, the Georgia publisher and co-founder of the lifestyles-travel magazine travelgirl.

The magazine featured Roberts as its March-April issue cover girl.

"We only put people on our covers who do philanthropy, and Robin has been championing the recovery of the Coast after Katrina," said Werlin. "Now she will do much for cancer."

Roberts based her talk on her recent book, "From the Heart: Seven Rules to Live By," using those principles to survive challenges such as cancer.

"Focus on the solution and not the problem," Roberts said. "I've never played the race or gender card, and I'm not going to play the cancer card. Please don't feel sorry for me. In a few weeks, I will do my treatment. I'm going to be fine. You have showed me the way."

Roberts, who speaks openly about her faith, thanked the Coast and the rest of the nation for their good wishes and prayers. As she received encouraging letters and e-mails from strangers, her family marked a big "S" on the ones that were survivor stories.

"Robin is awesome," said Ricky Ingargiola, a Pass neighbor of the Roberts family. "Nobody has to cry for Robin because Robin will make it."

Ingargiola sat at the head table beside Roberts' mother, Lucimarian Roberts, a respected community leader and retired teacher credited with instilling strong values in her four children. Like her youngest daughter, the 83-year-old mother who is recovering from health problems of her own had a long line of admirers waiting to talk with her.

"As I told Robin, I have to be strong for my kids," the elder Roberts said.

The two-hour event included introductions of youngsters whose personal cancer stories left few eyes dry, and of Michele Hirata, the Pink Heart president who has perfected soft hats for cancer patients. Local singer Rochelle Harper performed her "Butterfly Song," which is sold locally as a Pink Heart fundraiser.

Notably, by the end of the luncheon, the upstaging puppy had a new name.

"I love Hope," said her new owner, "but I think her name will have to be Robin Renee Roberts Riemann."