This Week at #Survivingbreastcancer
Laura Carfang
Bridging academia and nonprofit leadership to drive innovation in healthcare and education to have a positive impact in communities.
"This has been a fantastic week and let me tell you why. It's because we all speak the same language!" explains Laura Carfang.
We have events, amazing updates as to where our survivors are now, and amazing take-a-ways from our weekend learning, educating, and speaking with those who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Plus, learn how you and your community can get involved!
Here's what you need to know.
Salpingooopherectomy
A word you may google just to know the meaning, but here's the update with our friend, Krystle, who underwent a salpingooopherectomy just a few weeks ago! Read More
More Cancer Patients Are Storing Their Tumors, Here’s Why...
A 23-year-old woman’s pretty funny, slightly sad, powerfully emotional guide to breast cancer.
BOSTON PREMIER of Ginger the Movie:
May 6th, 7pm.
Looking Ahead
Minnesota, are you ready?!?
Survivingbreatcancer.org is teaming up with one of our breast cancer community members to host our June Survivors, Thrivers, and Friends event.
Save the date:
June 21, 2019
Making a Difference
How a few students are making a huge impact! You can too!
It is with great pleasure that we recognize Brooke Lombardo for coordinating and managing a very successful fund raiser for our Breast Cancer Community. This event was held at Applebee’s Restaurant,
Howell, NJ on Saturday, May 4, 2019. Brooke is an industrious 12 year old student/scholar and she took it upon herself to organize several of her scholastic cohort in serving up flapjacks and other breakfast items. We at survivingbreastcancer.org would like to acknowledge Applebee’s Restaurant for hosting this fundraiser, and we would also like to thank the following students for their participation as well: Ashley Lordi, SophieAnn Devito, Camryn Winant, Alexis Cedar, Brooke Benik, and Gianluca Trimboli.
If your student(s) would like to coordinate a similar fundraising effort to enhance their volunteer time and help build their resume, please contact william@Survivingbreastcancer.org. We can provide pamphlets and bracelets and assist their overall effort.
What do 1000 people this weekend all have in common?
Cancer...
Cancer unites us, but the Weekend of Hope ignites us. This past weekend, 1000 people gathered in the Green Mountains of Vermont to retreat, inspire, learn, laugh, and feel a common connection and bond. Living daily busy lives, managing work, children, and running errands, force many to throw on their wig, a smile, and muster up the energy to go out into society. When someone asks how are you doing, the reply is a cordial “I am fine”, followed by a silly excuse to exit the uncomfortable situation as quickly as possible.
This weekend, to those pointed and difficult moments, Survivingbreastcancer.org’s response was: “But aren’t we all just fine”…..
People stopping in their tracks to share every detail, every blistering moment of the experience, the heartfelt agony that accompanies a cancer diagnosis.
A woman who was not diagnosed under the unifying umbrella of cancer, came to the conference as a caregiver. She was broken. You could see it in her stance as she leaned in, she knew she had come to the right place, she needed empathy, compassion and support. A caregiving community.
Survivingbreastcancer.org was exhibiting at the Weekend of Hope. As people flooded the exhibit booth, Laura, founder and executive director, alongside William, caregiver and board member, asked the pointed questions, “how are you”; “how far out are you” referencing the time someone was last in active treatment, or first diagnosed.
When asked, “what’s going on these days” is followed by the swelling of tears because the person answering can finally respond to the question in full honesty, acceptance, and unbiased judgment.
The natural response always comes out
first, because of course, strangers want to put their best foot forward:
“I’m doing fine”.
Followed by that awkward smile…
But they don’t walk away. There’s that stagnant pause just hoping for the silent life line, that acknowledgment and that permission to tell the listener what’s really going on.
Words like Trastuzumab or Pertuzumab, T-DM1 and CDK4 & 6 inhibitors are not part of a foreign language, but rather, is the language. This is community. This is support. This is Survivingbreastcancer.org’s experience at the Weekend of Hope. Welcome to the community.
Help us grow this amazing community! Short Term Goals:
- Follow us on Instagram - Goal is 10K
- Subscribe to our YouTube Channel - Goal is 10K
- Follow us on Twitter - Goal is 10K
- Connect with & Follow us on LinkedIn - Goal is 10K
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