Meet us in Dallas, Washington, D.C. or San Diego.

By Kathy LaTour

Hurry, it’s not too late to sign up for the Dallas Patient & Survivor Forum. We are close to our goal, but if you don’t make it, don’t worry—you have two other chances this year.

On July 9 and 10 our second 2005 forum will be held in Washington, D.C., and on October 15 and 16 we will hold our third in San Diego. Each of the forums will be the same and yet different. We know you always want updates from medical professionals about medical issues, so half of each forum will address the latest updates in treatment options and research. Unfortunately, we can’t address all cancers, but we can give you overviews on research that will affect us all and specifics on the cancers we see most often.

The other half of each forum will have its own focus depending on the city. In Dallas, we are looking at survivorship. Breakout sessions range from learning how to journal to coping with being a parent and a cancer patient at the same time. There will be music therapy, pet therapy, panels of survivors and a breakout session designed only for caregivers—and another only for husbands. The Saturday keynote will be Lawrence Einhorn, MD, whom you read about in the Winter 2004 issue of CURE, talking about where we are and how far we have come. Susan Leigh, RN, survivor of three cancers and a national consultant and spokesperson for issues of survivorship, will provide the Sunday keynote, and, hopefully, you will get a laugh or two from my presentation, “One Mutant Cell.”

In Washington, D.C., participants will get updates on medical issues and new findings specific to the major cancers while looking at issues of advocacy: personal advocacy, community advocacy and national advocacy.

Advocacy means different things to different people. To me it says “standing up” for yourself at the personal level, for those around you at the community level, and for all of us at the national level. In addition to breakout sessions on personal and community advocacy, we have an exciting addition to the Washington forum. With help from the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship’s Cancer Advocacy Now program and Elizabeth Clark, PhD, ACSW, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers, we will be training you on the hot cancer issues under debate and setting up appointments for those of you who want to stay over until Monday to visit your elected officials on Capitol Hill. Visits to Capitol Hill will be limited, so see page 73 for details on how to sign up. Keynotes for Washington, D.C., include survivors Dan Shapiro, PhD, as he relates his remarkable journey, and music therapist Deforia Lane, PhD.

Our final program for 2005 takes us to the sun and sand of San Diego. The third and final forum of 2005 will look at integrative medicine and focus on complementary therapies. This agenda is still in the works, but we can promise you another dynamic weekend.

The CURE staff looks forward to meeting each of you and seeing the looks and feeling the hugs from those of you who love this magazine as much as we do.

In addition, CURE has launched a new series of pocket guides designed to educate newly diagnosed patients about their diagnosis as well as treatment options, managing side effects and more. This issue’s guide focuses on colorectal cancer, and future guides will discuss myeloma, breast cancer and lung cancer.

We are also celebrating our current recognition by the American Society of Magazine Editors, which named CURE one of five National Magazine Award finalists in the category of General Excellence (250,000 to 500,000 circulation).