Vanderbilt will offer a variety of programs during October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, including the annual Breast Cancer Health Forum Luncheon on Oct. 20.
The luncheon will feature "Healing Stories," a performance of personal experiences by local breast cancer survivors led by minister and storyteller Chris Faulconer.
Also during the luncheon, the Frances Williams Preston Award for Breast Cancer Awareness will be presented to state Sen. Thelma Harper in recognition of her leadership in passage of a bill requiring insurance companies to cover reconstructive surgery for women who have undergone mastectomies. The award is named for and presented by the chief executive officer of the music licensing company Broadcast Music Inc.
The luncheon will be in the Vanderbilt Stadium Club. Information booths will open at 11:30 a.m. and the program will begin at noon. Cost is $15 per person or $150 for a table of 10 ($12 and $120 for Vanderbilt faculty, staff and spouses).
Most of the other Breast Cancer Health Forum activities will be in the conference room of the Vanderbilt Breast Center, 2002 Village at Vanderbilt, unless otherwise noted below. The lineup includes:
o Oct. 1 ‹ 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Vanderbilt Hospital's Courtyard Café, unveiling of the new "breast cancer stamp," the first stamp in history with net proceeds above postage costs earmarked for research. The stamp costs 40 cents and bears the slogan "Fund the fight. Find a cure." A limited number will be available for purchase in the Courtyard Café and at the luncheon on Oct. 20.
o Oct. 1 ‹ 5:30 p.m., and Oct. 2, "Journal Painting: Healing Through Art," led by artist Carrie Eckstein, supplies provided.
o Oct. 4 ‹ 1 p.m., Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure, Centennial Park Pavilion. Dr. Mark Kelley is the honorary chairman of the Vanderbilt Cancer Center's team in this 5K run/walk to support breast cancer research. Call 936-1782 to register.
o Oct. 7 ‹ noon, and Oct. 8, 7:30 a.m., "The Hormone Lowdown," Dr. Melanie Swift.
o Oct. 15 ‹ noon, "Is There a Spiritual Dimension to Health?," Dr. John Tarpley.
o Oct. 22 ‹ 7:30 a.m. and noon, "New Strategies in the War on Breast Cancer: A Look at Clinical Trials," Teresa Knoop, RN, MSN, AOCN, and Norma Campbell, RN, MSN, AOCN.
o Oct. 27 ‹ 7:30 a.m., "The Many Faces of Stress," Gordon Peerman, D. Min.
The Breast Cancer Health Forum is sponsored by the Vanderbilt Cancer Center, the Vanderbilt Breast Center and NewsChannel 5.
For more information or to get a registration form for the luncheon, call 936-3727.