Creating Community at C4YW Conference

By Deb Aruta

From Advocacy News & Views

I recently had the opportunity to attend C4YW, the Annual Conference for Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer. The annual conference is organized by Young Survival Coalition and Living Beyond Breast Cancer. It focuses on the unique needs and issues faced by women who are diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 45. This year, the conference was held in Orlando at the Peabody Hotel.

As a young breast cancer survivor, I found the conference rewarding on so many levels. The plenary sessions included a medical update given by Ann Partridge, a talk on self-image given by a sex therapist and the closing was on nurturing the spirit. Each day also featured "Sharing My Story," where a young survivor would speak about their personal experience.

When Olade Olayinka shared her story, she spoke about how the conference's colored leis played into her recovery. C4YW offers attendees the opportunity to celebrate their survivorship and connect with others through colored Hawaiian lei necklaces. These leis identify where you are in your treatment. There are even colored leis for caregivers and healthcare professionals. Last year I wore white -- less than a year since diagnosis. This year I wore green -- 2-5 years since diagnosis.

I was particularly moved by Olade's story. At her first conference, she felt scared and uncertain about her future. She remembered how she sought out the survivors who were wearing leis that signified the most years of survivorship. She went on to engage the audience in what she called a "breast cancer auction." When she called out the number of years, women celebrating that year of survivorship would stand. Incredibly, she got up to 29! There was a 29-year survivor among us. The audience was electrified. We were all
encouraged with hope!

There were many workshops to choose from and more than any one person could attend. Luckily, the workshops were videotaped and will be available on the C4YW website (www.c4yw.org).Some of the topics unique to younger women were about reinventing the box when it comes to sex and intimacy, managing early menopause and exploring options for fertility and pregnancy. Two unintentional stars at the conference this year were a young breast cancer survivor and her post-breast cancer baby. Proof that you can start a family after a cancer diagnosis.

One of the most valuable take-aways from the conference is the strong sense of community. This year, there were over 700 young women who had heard the words "you have breast cancer," just like I did. I felt connected and empowered by seeing so many of us there, together, supporting each other. We shared our stories, our smiles and our tears. We will be there for each other outside of the conference. We exchanged our contact information and friended each other on facebook. We share our hope for the future. I am so glad for the experience and look forward to attending again next year.

Posted March 30, 2011.