Breast cancer survivors, you are not alone! I first attended the Living Beyond Breast Cancer Conference when I was a two-year survivor. It was the first time I had been in a setting full of women with triple negative breast cancer. As a Stage 3A triple negative survivor/thriver following 18 months of treatment, I had not previously met anyone who shared my personal experience. This conference opened up a wealth of information, but more importantly, an introduction to a sisterhood from which I will continue to form life-long friends. I am now blessed to be a five-year survivor and chair of the board of trustees of the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation. I know without a doubt God left me here to talk about breast cancer and build a community of faith and action.
Whether you are recently diagnosed with breast cancer, currently in treatment, a thriving survivor, living with metastatic disease or even a caregiver, join us in Memphis, Tennessee, October 6-8, 2017, for three days of connection, information and inspiration. The 2017 Living Beyond Breast Cancer Conference: Sharing Wisdom, Sharing Strength will feature leading medical professionals, people affected by breast cancer and caregivers sharing their experiences, knowledge and concerns with one another. We’ll learn about the latest treatments and lifestyle options that can help us live our best lives—and have some fun in a community of support.
This conference is for the entire breast cancer community, but for triple negative breast cancer survivors, it offers special curriculum with TNBC experts and the warmth of TNBC survivors like me who believe we are different, special and blessed.
“Sharing Wisdom, Sharing Strength is like a conference within a conference for people with triple-negative breast cancer,” said Hayley Dinerman, executive director of the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation. “It can be difficult for our group to find information and support specific to their needs. This conference allows these women to connect with each other while being a part of the larger breast cancer community.”
The conference will feature a broad range of sessions highlighting the latest breast cancer research and treatment options, addressing key topics, including breast reconstruction, faith and spirituality, nutrition, and caregiving. Additional activities will include Reach & Raise, an inspiring outdoor, all-levels yoga class on Sunday that builds community in support of people impacted by breast cancer, and Shimmer & Shine, a Friday night kickoff event where conference partners will offer fashion and beauty advice specific to people affected by breast cancer.
Keynote speakers Jacci Thompson-Dodd, author and founder of WeSpeakLoudly, and Stacy Kennedy, chief wellness officer at AVA Nutrition Coaching and senior nutritionist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham & Women’s Hospital, will present strategies for living a healthy life with breast cancer. Presenters from the Memphis area health systems include Sonia Benn, M.D., medical oncologist and hematologist at West Cancer Center; Marcia Kirby, of Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation; and Jeremy R. Sanders, cancer program specialist at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. Conference attendees will find workshops focusing on their unique experiences, whether by cancer stage or type of breast cancer.
“Our vision is a world where no one affected by breast cancer feels uninformed or alone—and we are putting that vision into action by partnering with leaders in Memphis and in the national breast cancer community to do just that,” said Jean Sachs, CEO of Living Beyond Breast Cancer. “This conference features information and support for people with breast cancer and those who love them.”
Registration is open for the conference, to take place at the Peabody Hotel, 149 Union Ave, Memphis, TN 38103. Thanks to our partnership with the Patient Advocate Foundation, the full conference weekend is being offered at a $25 fee. Registration includes the Shimmer & Shine reception on Friday evening, breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, lunch on Saturday, Reach & Raise Yoga registration fee, the closing reception on Sunday and all snack breaks. Travel grants and fee waivers are available to help offset conference expenses for those who qualify. A $15 non-refundable travel grant application fee applies. There is no application cost for fee waivers.
More information and the full weekend agenda is available at lbbc.org/2017conference and by following the Twitter handle @LivingBeyondBC. You can also follow me @RickiDove, and the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation @TNBCFoundation. We’ll be talking about this a lot!
So join me and this amazing community of survivor/thriver friends in Memphis. Come dance with me (those who know me know there will be dancing), give me a hug, share some love and be inspired.
Together, we’re Sharing Wisdom, Sharing Strength.
Living Beyond Breast Cancer
