Shout outs from the C4YW conference in Orlando

Alexandra Hurd, public relations and marketing specialist at CURE, along with Darlene Card, circulation and marketing specialist, attended the C4YW conference in Orlando last week.I wanted to take a moment to give a "shout-out" to some of the many new friends we made during the Conference for Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer (or C4YW) this past weekend in Orlando. For those of you not familiar with C4YW, it is presented by Living Beyond Breast Cancer and the Young Survival Coalition. [Above: Alexandra Hurd, public relations and marketing specialist, and Darlene Card, circulation and marketing specialist, at the CURE booth at the C4YW in Orlando.]Over the three days CURE was able to exhibit, we met many new friends. In fact, here are a few examples of the types of attendees we talked to:-A nurse from Kenya who was gathering any and all information she could to take home, multiple women from Canada and two lovely women from Ireland.-Multiple "pre-vivors" from families who carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, who are in the midst of defining a whole new category of cancer survivor.-Doctors, nurses, social workers and advocates who attended the conference not for themselves, but for their communities.-Co-survivors: husbands, mothers, sisters, friends all there to support the ones they loved.-A crazy pink cowboy-hat and bra wearing male advocate named Dusty Showers from the 2nd Basemen team. I could go on and on, but rather than writing about it all, I figured I would do a little "show-and-tell":Meet Dympma and Marie from Europa Donna Ireland, "The Irish Breast Cancer Campaign." How cool is it that when Marie came by we didn't have to introduce ourselves?! Instead it was her that said, "I love CURE and read it online all the time!" Who knew we'd have a loyal Irish reader? It was a joy to meet them both, and if you'd like to follow Marie and her quest for breast cancer programs in Ireland you can follow her on twitter (@JBBC). It was great meeting GiveForward.org co-founders Desiree Vargas Wrigley and Ethan Austin. GiveForward pages empower friends and family to send love and financial support to patients as they navigate a medical crisis. Desiree and Ethan are energetic and inpiring "giveasaurases" (you'll have to visit their site to get that reference), and we're so glad to have met them. YOu can follow them on Twitter and Facebook.Have you heard of The Keep A Breast Foundation and their Treasured Chest Program? Beware, KAB likes to have fun and I'm sure that isn't hard to tell once you've seen their t-shirts. This non-profit works to expose young people to methods of prevention, early detection and support through art events, educational programs and fundraising efforts. One of their unique programs is the Treasured Chest Program that strives to give newly diagnosed women a unique opportunity to document their body and their feelings at a specific time in their treatment by turning their casted torso into a beautiful piece of art. You can find them on Facebook and Twitter.Have you signed up for the Cancer Survivor Registry: The Breast Cancer M.A.P. Project sponsored by the Cancer Support Community? Their booth was right across from ours and we had the pleasure of meeting Kasey Dougherty, program manager for The Breast Cancer M.A.P Project. This registry is the first to look at the emotional and social needs of those diagnosed with breast cancer. The project then tracks how patients' needs change through their cancer journey with the hope that collecting this information will help to decipher how the mind affects the physical (M.A.P.). I wish I had pictures for all of the inspiring people we met including Veronica Brett, founder of Veronica Brett swimwear (fashioned specifically for breast cancer patients and survivors); Angelle Albright, founder of Chemo Beanies (stylish, comfortable headcovers); Jorun Jones and her son Murray, founder of TalkAboutHealth, an online community for patients to connect; Susan Beausang, president of 4women.com, which offers fashionable options for women with medical hair loss; and so many more!Did you attend the C4YW? Who did you meet?--Alexandra Hurd, CURE