Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), the national organization serving more than half a million people a year with trusted information and a community of support, will hold its annual conference on October 6-8, 2017 at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.
By bringing together more than 500 people affected by breast cancer from across the country, as well as caregivers and medical professionals, Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s Sharing Wisdom, Sharing Strength conference will offer the latest information on treatments and managing the disease’s effects while building a community of support.
Registration is now 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. Travel grants are available for those who qualify and fee waivers are also available. More information is available at lbbc.org/2017conference and by following the Twitter handle @LivingBeyondBC.
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, MA, MSSS, LASW, OSW-C, author and founder of “WeSpeakLoudly,” and Stacy Kennedy, MPH, RD, CSO, LDN, 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, MD, medical oncologist and hematologist at West Cancer Center; Marcia Kirby, WHNP-BC, of Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation; and Jeremy R. Sanders, MPA, cancer program specialist at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare.
As in past years, conference attendees will find workshops focusing on their unique experiences, whether by cancer stage or type of breast cancer.
“Before I got involved with Living Beyond Breast Cancer, I had never met anyone else diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer,” said April Hines, 36, a Hear My Voice advocate with Living Beyond Breast Cancer living in the suburbs of Chattanooga, Tennessee. “Coming together with other people experiencing breast cancer gives you a sense of safety and community unlike any other. I am thrilled that the Annual Conference is coming to Memphis so that people in this region can learn first-hand about the incredible resources and support that this organization has to offer.”
African American women more likely diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer is a subtype of breast cancer that is not responsive to the most common hormone-based treatments. Among African-American women who develop breast cancer, there is an estimated 20 to 40 percent chance of the breast cancer being triple-negative. Living Beyond Breast Cancer partners with the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation (TNBCF) on this conference to offer the highest quality and most useful information to people diagnosed with this type of cancer.
“Sharing Wisdom, Sharing Strength is like a conference within a conference for people with triple-negative breast cancer,” said Hayley Dinerman, executive director of TNBCF. “It can be difficult for this 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 is the focal point of our outreach to the Memphis community in 2017, but it’s not the only initiative,” Jean Sachs, CEO of Living Beyond Breast Cancer, said. “We are working with cancer centers, support organizations, houses of worship and others to make the community aware that LBBC is a 24/7 resource that is there for them. 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 to do just that.”
For a full conference schedule, visit: http://bpt.st/2wPZjPk