The Conference

As I mentioned in my last post, I had the privilege of going to Philadelphia for a conference for women with advanced breast cancer. It was put on by LBBC (Living Beyond Breast Cancer), an organization that advocates for and educates women with breast cancer.

It was a last minute thing. I had seen the post on YSC about the conference, but I didn't pay attention to it as I knew it would probably be out of the budget for the plane fare, hotel and registration fee. I was reading through the post more carefully as more and more of the girls on the YSC board were making plans to go. I had missed the fact that you could apply for a scholarship to help defray the costs. When I saw that, I knew that I should make every effort to go, as this would be a wonderful opportunity to meet some of my online friends and re-connect with some of the ones I had already met. The unique thing about this conference is that it was specifically for women with Stage IV breast cancer or "mets" as we like to call it (short for metastatic). I applied for a scholarship on a Saturday night and I heard back on Monday that I was approved! It was a go! There ended up being about 20-25 of us going to this one conference.

I was able to get on a flight with a friend from Detroit area (Lila) going out there. I really connected with her right at the start. She is such a giving and thoughtful friend. She had a sandwich for us to share and a bag of chips for both of us as she was afraid I wouldn't have time to eat between flights. She and I laughed a lot together and had quite an adventure with some of the other girls getting to the hotel from the airport. It was so crazy all we could do was laugh! 

It is such an amazing thing to meet other women going through mets as they are the only other ones that truly, truly get what you are going through. We all come from so many walks of life: some single, some married, some married with children, different religions, backgrounds, and personalities. Yet, somehow all that does not keep us from having a strong and fierce bond with one another. The friendships and feelings I have with and for these women are so intense, that it is almost impossible to describe.

The conference itself was good as well. I really was only able to take in the workshops and speakers on Saturday as I had to leave for the airport a little earlier on Sunday. I learned a few things about how to help with side effects and such. One of the big things they talked about was acupuncture. It was interesting also to hear the reports on the latest research. I wish we could have heard a little more about my specific type of breast cancer, but it all tied together with what the speaker was talking about. It was neat to hear about new things that they are studying and treatments that are coming out.

Elizabeth Edwards was the keynote speaker for the day. I really wasn't sure what to expect from her. I have admired her for living such a public life while going through breast cancer. She truly was a pleasure to hear. She was very down to earth and very realistic. Really, it was like she was just one of the crowd. She looked as tired as all the rest of us did! She talked about things we all related to such as not wanting to get out of bed in the mornings. Sometimes you do, and sometimes you don't. She didn't really talk much about her specific disease as she does not want others to try to emulate her treatment. Everyone is so specific in how they personally respond to treatments. What works for one person will not necessarily work for the next person. She spoke about her reasoning for going public. I appreciate all of the work that she does for breast cancer research and lobbying. She talked frankly about how they are open about cancer in their family. How it is something that they all live with daily and do not try to hide from it or pretend it doesn't exist. She talked about the struggles of keeping up with her children, and how she, as we all do, still get up off the couch to see what they want even when we don't feel like we can move another muscle. She told a cute story about "the Lord's dime" from when she and her sister were little. I will try to retell it as well as possible. Basically, she and her sister were given two dimes every week right before they went to Sunday School. One was for them, and the other one was for the offering plate. Elizabeth and her sister were walking to Sunday School one day carrying their dimes. When they went to step up on the curb of the sidewalk, one of her sister's dimes fell out of her hand and rolled into a drain. Her sister then said, "Well, there goes the Lord's dime!" I think that was a cute way to think about what our priorities are in life and making sure the dime or priorities "still in our hand" are the important ones.

Anyways, I am so thankful for the opportunity to meet so many of my mets friends. They truly are all amazing women with much wisdom among them. The best times and conversations were truly in the evenings that I spent with them. They make me smile and laugh with their snarkiness and wit, and they make me cry with the pain that we all have endured and continue to endure. I have been blessed with their love and friendship.