Force Facing Our Risk of Cancer
JULY 2010
Greetings!
 
You've been seeing pieces of it...... and now this month we officially launch our new logo and look! While our heart is still with our "heart" logo, as our community grows, so does the need to reach out more broadly. The new logo, which incorporates the pink and teal awareness ribbon will help us make that instant connection with our audience. Stayed tuned for our new and improved website launch in August.


Conference Recap
550 participants converged on Orlando for our 5th annual Joining FORCE Conference.  The tone was upbeat and positive for the largest annual gathering of hereditary cancer survivors, previvors, caregivers, and health care providers. Thursday night as the sun set behind the Orlando skyline, the welcome reception  and art show drew 250 attendees.  The conference opening session was a mix between the practical, professional and personal, as speakers previewed conference highlights, offered helpful suggestions for making the most of the conference, and shared their personal stories of how cancer had impacted their lives.   
 
Highlights: 
 
  • Breakout sessions speakers presented the latest information on all aspects of hereditary cancer, risk, prevention, treatment, and quality-of-life. 
  • Our Show - and - Tell room allowed over 200 participants to share their mastectomy and reconstruction results and learn more about their surgical options. 
  • Pure Romance hosted "Girl's Night In" parties, providing participants with resources and products to bringing back the romance in their lives.  
  • During our roundtable breakfast, attendees had the opportunity to ask more questions one-on-one from select faculty attendees. 
  • At lunch on Saturday, we honored the winners of the inaugural FORCE Spirit of Empowerment Awards. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz shared her story and her advocacy work on behalf of our community.
  • The conference closed with updates on hereditary cancer research, and a closing Question and Answer session with a panel of faculty researchers. 
 
Some of the sessions have been videotaped for future webcast. 
We will be announcing a date for our 2011 conference. Stay tuned.  

We are a FORCE: A song for our community!
...knowledge is our armor, walking through this fire, empowered and inspired. We are a FORCE!
 
With these stirring lyrics, We are a FORCE, performed by Annmarie Pickering debuted at the Joining FORCEs Conference in Orlando.  Listen to an excerpt then download We Are a FORCE today. 50% of all sales from downloads will go to FORCE. .

Hear an excerpt and download today

Hilton Head Health Week
Hilton Head Health
You do the walks, you hand out fliers, you raise awareness, but this October do something for yourself too!
 

Join us for a special week at one of the nation's leading weight loss and health retreats-Hilton Head Health (H3), located in Hilton Head, South Carolina. This October, FORCE is partnering with H3 to bring you an experience that will motivate you and help jumpstart your fitness, nutrition and overall well-being. The H3 Healthy Lifestyle™ program includes fitness classes and activities, cooking demonstrations, nutrition education classes, sessions on stress management and motivation, and much more! And during October 24-31, in addition to their Healthy Lifestyle™ program, H3 will feature special seminars on topics for cancer survivors and previvors.
 
P.S. FORCE members receive a special discount.

Download more information


Exercise intervention study
Wiser Sister
The University of Pennsylvania is funded by the National Cancer Institute to do an exercise intervention study in women who are 18 and over, still menstruating & at elevated risk for breast cancer due to family history. Key eligibility criteria include:

- At elevated risk of developing breast cancer (18% lifetime risk or greater)
- Have NOT had cancer yourself
- Willing to be off any hormonal medications during the study (including tamoxifen and hormonal contraceptives)
- No more than 7 alcoholic drinks per week
- No more than 1 hour of vigorous exercise per week

The study is open to women who live anywhere in the U.S. 
 
All participants will receive an in-home treadmill from Smooth Fitness to help them succeed in doing the prescribed exercise.

If you are interested, please see our website http://bmic.upenn.edu/wiser.
You can also check us out on Facebook under WISER Sister or visit the principal investigator's Facebook page, Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH.

Read more about the WISER Sister Study
In This Issue
Conference Recap
A song for FORCE
Join us in Hilton Head
Exercise Intervention Study
Events: Upcoming webinar
 
Quick Links
View selected conference presentations
  
Events
Webinar: Treatment for triple negative breast cancer
July 20, 2010, 7:00 - 8:00 pm EST
 
Presented by Melinda Telli, MD.; Acting Assistant Professor; Division of Oncology; Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford, CA
 
This session on will focus on: specific groups of women who are likely to develop TNBC; features of TNBC that make it unique and challenging to treat; and emerging and promising treatment options for TNBC.

Register today
Contact Us
FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered
 
16057 Tampa Palms Blvd., Tampa, FL 33647
 
www.facingourrisk.org
Copyright © 2005-2010 FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered, Inc. All Rights Reserved.