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More than 200 cancer survivors and healthcare providers explored diet, spirituality, and more at the inaugural Women’s Survivorship Summit on June 13, 2015, in San Antonio.
The summit, which featured guest speakers and cancer resources, was organized by the San Antonio Cancer Education Collaborative, a coalition that includes the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio.
“The event was a huge success. We made great strides to increase awareness of the various issues faced by cancer survivors, and solutions to those issues” said Sandra San Miguel, summit co-chair and a researcher of Redes En Acción, a Latino cancer research network supported by the National Cancer Institute and led by the IHPR.
The summit featured keynote speaker Dr. Virginia G. Kaklamani, leader of the breast cancer program at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center at the UT Health Science Center, who spoke about the clinical and psychological challenges of being a cancer survivor and how to move ahead.
Other experts covered healing foods and the impact of cancer on survivors’ mental health, personal relationships, spirituality, culture, and more.
The summit, sponsored by the Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation (ABCF) and AstraZeneca, was the first event organized by the San Antonio Cancer Education Collaborative, a coalition of groups developed by the ABCF to promote local cancer services and public education.
The collaborative includes the UT Health Science Center, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, the Breast Friends Forever Young Survivors support group led by San Miguel, Alamo City Cancer Council, National Inter-Organizational Collaborative (Indian and Asian Community), SLEW Wellness Center, Baptist Breast Center, the San Antonio affiliates of Susan G. Komen, American Cancer Society, and YWCA USA, and others.
“We hope to make this free community event an annual occurrence,” San Miguel said.
By The Numbers
25.1
percent
of Latinos remain without health insurance coverage
