By Vinay Jain, MD

What an amazing weekend we had this May at the First National CURE Patient & Survivor Forum in Dallas. We know you from your letters, but it was incredible to get to meet you face-to-face.

We were inspired by the turnout, particularly since we planned for 200 and ended up with more than 430 attendees from 34 states that included the newly diagnosed, those with recurrent disease, caregivers and medical professionals. Everyone was considerate and patient with the overflow crowd, understanding we didn’t want to turn anyone away. The meeting was also accredited for nursing continuing medical education.

The information sessions were lively as information was exchanged and opinions expressed in an open forum. But outside the lecture halls we saw an equal amount of learning, lots of laughing and a few tears as survivors gathered in corners to exchange information about clinical trials, treatments and how they are coping.

Walking from breakout to breakout it was exciting to hear dynamic exchanges and laughter and see women getting wigs cut and make-up applied. The nonprofit booths generated networking and new ideas for many, and names and phone numbers were constantly being exchanged.

And we had more than 35 participants in the formation meeting of the Association of Cancer Patient Educators. This group discussed needs and ideas, and we will be offering time and space at future meetings as they grow and blossom. The evaluations tell us you want to do it again—this time with more breakout sessions and more time for questions and answers.

We are looking at dates for next year, and we will let you know something soon. Also check back soon for presentations and photos from the event.

The CURE staff thanks each of you for attending. I wish there was some way to make the evaluations available to everyone, but here are a few comments that were repeated throughout:

“Thank you so much for this Forum. What a renewal of spirit.”

“The greatest moments for me were the ‘aha’ moments, where a person had been touched, inspired or validated. It is a gift to receive such quality and candid information in a safe environment.”

“I learned that I am not alone.”