There is life after breast cancer.
That message of hope was the main theme of the "Life After Breast Cancer" seminar held Saturday at the DoubleTree Hotel for breast cancer survivors and those women newly diagnosed with the disease."The fact you are still here does not mean you are a survivor, you are a statistic," said keynote speaker Ronnie Kaye. "Survivorship actually has nothing to do with how long you live after breast cancer. It has to do with how long it takes you to move from asking `why me' to asking `what can I do?' "
Kaye has been diagnosed twice with breast cancer. "Cancer will never be the best thing that has ever happened to me," she said. "But it is the most important thing that has ever happened to me - it challenged me.
"You will never be as you were before," Kaye told the crowd of more than 200 women. "The goal is to be better than you ever were before."
Kaye encouraged cancer patients to join support groups to get help with their feelings about breast cancer. "Let people love you - communicate with them.
"Do not put things off," Kaye said. "Cancer reminds you that you're not going to be on earth forever - do it now."
Author Christine Clifford spoke about the importance of humor in overcoming the stress of cancer treatment. "Laughter is an important ingredient to cancer recovery," said Clifford. "It is a great poke in the eye to cancer."
Clifford shared a humorous experience on the golf course after she lost her hair as a result of chemotherapy. "A gust of wind blew my hat and hair off in the middle of the fairway," Clifford said. "As I went to retrieve it, I told the other golfers - the wind is blowing left to right.
"My story is no different than yours. I'm just blessed to be here with you," said Clifford. "I can't change my cancer, but the one thing I can change and do something about is my attitude."
Participants learned about surgery, reconstruction, coping techniques and new treatments through breakout sessions and displays.