ThyCa NEWS NOTES - September 2011
09/2011In This Issue:
- Conference Program on Web Site, Registration Continues, Walk-In Attendees Welcome
- Dinner/Auction Research Fundraiser Features Trips, Handcrafts, Gift Cards, and More
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission Roundtable and Dialogue Table
- What a Fourth-Time Attendee Says About the Conference
- Tell Your Friends
- New Neck Check Video PSA Raises Awareness for Early Detection
- Age. It’s Just a Number, Right?
- Become an Honor Roll Partner in Raising Awareness
- Thyrogen Supply Update Announced
- ThyCa Announces Yearly Research Grant To Be Named The Ric Blake Memorial Thyroid Cancer Research Grant
- Free Cancer Legal Rights Conference in Michigan
- Low-Iodine Recipe Tips of the Month
- Join Us, Become a Member
- Support the Rally for Research
- Every Day
- About ThyCa News Notes
Conference Program on Web Site, Registration Continues, Walk-In Attendees Welcome
Join us in Los Angeles, California on October 14-16, 2011 for a unique weekend of learning from experts and sharing experiences in person with others coping with thyroid cancer.
We’ve confirmed more than 70 speakers for the 14th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference. Speakers include more than 35 medical experts, plus attorneys specializing in employment, health insurance, disability, and other key issues for cancer survivors, and specialists in coping skills and complementary approaches.
Scholarships to cover the registration are available on request. Walk-in attendees are welcome.
The weekend offers more than 100 session choices. In addition to speaker sessions and workshops, you’ll have the opportunity to take part in roundtables for every type (papillary, follicular, medullary, anaplastic, and variants) and situation with thyroid cancer, from newcomers to coping with side effects of new targeted therapies, children and teens care issues, young adults life issues, and adults of all ages including seniors.
Experience the Power of —
- KNOWLEDGE. Through Educational Sessions led by 37 distinguished medical specialists.
- SKILLS & DISCOVERY. Through numerous sessions that offer tools and coping strategies to survivors, volunteers, advocates, and family members.
- • CONNECTION, ENCOURAGEMENT, & INSPIRATION. Through Peer Roundtables where peers share ideas and personal strategies based on their experiences in a variety of coping-focused topics.
- COMMUNITY. Through a conference weekend where you can connect with old and new friends to network and share stories, wellness tips, and hope.
The Conference offers a unique perspective for individuals living with thyroid cancer, as well as for family members or health care professionals looking for ways to best help their loved-ones and their patients by partnering with them on their thyroid cancer journey.
Go to our website for program details and transportation directions.
Dinner/Auction Research Fundraiser Features Trips, Handcrafts, Gift Cards, and More
On Saturday, October 15, 2011, you’re invited to join us at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel for a wonderful evening of connections, camaraderie, and fundraising for Thyroid Cancer Research. This annual event was initiated by ThyCa volunteer Joni Eskenazi of Mercer Island, Washington. We all share the dream of research for cures for all thyroid cancer. You may reserve your space at the 10th Annual Dinner/Auction for Thyroid Cancer Research on our Conferences page.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Roundtable and Dialogue Table Are Conference Features
Discuss Patient Release After RAI
In addition to a Friday morning roundtable discussion on procedures after receiving radioactive iodine, a new feature at this year’s Conference is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Dialogue Table. Representatives of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be available to talk with you, in person and one-to-one, about patient release after receiving radioactive iodine to treat papillary or follicular thyroid cancer.
What a Fourth-Time Attendee Says About the Conference
You Don’t Want To Miss This!
by Pat Paillard of Pennsylvania
ThyCa's 14th International Thyroid Cancer Survivor's Conference will be in Los Angeles, California this year from Friday, October 14th through to Sunday, October 16th.
If your life has been touched by thyroid cancer in any way, you will benefit by attending. Not only will you get the information you need, but you will also get the support you need from the very caring and knowledgeable physicians and survivors alike.
Everyone who attends will become an informed patient/caregiver and will get a chance to meet new friends who have "been through it" and will help your journey with thyroid cancer become easier for you to handle.
Come and have a good time with fellow survivors. Don't miss it! Hope to see you there!
Tell Your Friends—Help Them Help Newcomers Find the Conference
Three important ways you can help:
- Post a link to our website on your Facebook page, and tell people about the Conference
- E-mail your friends with a link to www.thyca.org and the conference
- Forward this e-mail newsletter to your friends, and tell them that our website has the past newsletters plus 650 pages of information
New Neck Check Video PSA Raises Awareness for Early Detection
The Neck Check Video PSA, the Thyroid Cancer Audio PSA, and the free Neck Check cards from ThyCa are great ways to raise awareness during Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, and anytime!
If you’d like us to mail free outreach materials to you, to give to your friends and relatives, e-mail to thyca@thyca.org . Thank you for raising awareness!
Age. It’s Just a Number, Right?
By Bridget Corcoran of Illinois
Age. It’s just a number, right? Most people think this and that your true age is depicted in how you act and feel. We’ve all heard the cliché time and again, “We get wiser with age.” Though, I often wonder if there is any truth to those words.
Considering my life journey thus far, I don’t consider that statement to be entirely accurate. I believe it should read, “We get wiser with more experience.” At 24, I consider myself young. However, when I gauge my age from an emotional maturity perspective, I am somewhat “old.” Dealing with thyroid cancer for the past 3 years has propelled my growth as a wise, mature 24-year-old.
Cancer has injected me with a constant thirst for knowledge. People often ask me how I became a living WebMD when it comes to the area of thyroid cancer. I respond that cancer forced me to take control of my life. Taking control meant spending countless hours straining my eyes on computer web pages reading medical information and participating on ThyCa’s message board. Also, building safe and trusting relationships with my doctors allowed me to open up and discuss various questions related to thyroid cancer. (I also learned that bringing them delicious baked goods on a constant basis earned me extra valuable minutes with them!)
Acceptance of cancer is truly a difficult process that is unique for every person. Part of my healing process came from learning as much as I could about my disease so I could comprehend what my body was battling. Some people may find this statement odd because they’d rather get healthy and forget that cancer was ever in their life. My wise 24-year-old-self can honestly say that I love thyroid cancer. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t love having it, but living with thyroid cancer has made me appreciate how strong my body can be when I’m in control of it with a positive and educated outlook.
My enthusiasm for thyroid cancer may be unusual, but it has allowed me to realize that I am passionate about educating others about the disease. Getting thyroid cancer has made me a stronger, more confident person! I want to be someone’s light during their period of darkness.
John Finley voiced his thoughts on age and maturity, “Maturity of mind is the capacity to endure uncertainty.” This quote is extremely pertinent to my life as my world was turned upside down the day my doctor told me I had thyroid cancer.
My challenge to you is to never discount a young person because of his or her age. Appearances can be very deceiving, and who knows, you may end up with a fresh perspective that jumpstarts your new life.
Remember that there’s always a need for everyone’s efforts and talents. I am honored to give mine to ThyCa and the ThyCa Chicago Thyroid Cancer Support Group.
Become an Honor Roll Partner in Raising Awareness
As the sponsor of Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, ThyCa invites you to partner in our worldwide efforts. Help promote early detection, treatment and follow-up in accordance with expert guidelines, thyroid cancer research funding, and connections with ThyCa’s free services, publications, and the Annual International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference, all via www.thyca.org. Tell us about your efforts, and share your story, by e-mailing to publications@thyca.org. Thank you for your help!
Thyrogen Supply Update Announced
Genzyme reports that intermittent shipments of Thyrogen have resumed globally. Genzyme projects that supplies for the rest of 2011 will meet about 40 to 60 percent of global demand for Thyrogen. ThyCa’s web site has the complete announcement.
ThyCa Announces Yearly Research Grant To Be Named The Ric Blake Memorial Thyroid Cancer Research Grant
In loving memory of ThyCa Co-Founder Ric Blake, who passed away in August 2011 after a 16-year battle with follicular thyroid cancer, ThyCa is naming one of its research grants The Ric Blake Memorial Thyroid Cancer Research Grant. Ric was a wonderful friend and dedicated volunteer who made numerous lasting contributions to ThyCa.
Free Cancer Legal Rights Conference in Michigan
On Friday, October 21, 2011, you’re invited to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for a free Cancer Legal Rights Conference, with information about the most common cancer-related legal issues. The conference is being held at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and is sponsored by the Cancer Legal Resource Center. ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association is partnering in supporting this conference. For information and registration, visit cancerrightsconference.org.
Low-Iodine Recipe Tips of the Month
Contributed by Amanda of North Carolina
Angel Food Cake
- Any angel food cake recipe should work if you do not use iodized salt.
- • A chocolate version with cocoa is also allowed.
- • I bake one of each, cut them into pieces, and freeze the week before beginning the diet.
- • Then I thaw a piece and eat it with fresh peaches or berries for dessert or a late night snack.....delicious.
- • Thanks for all the great ideas and recipes.
Editor’s Note: Thank you, Amanda, for contributing your great recipe tips for Angel Food Cake. We will include your tips in the next edition of ThyCa’s FREE Downloadable Low-Iodine Cookbook.
Free and Downloadable
Download the 7th edition of the Low-Iodine Cookbook in English for free, with more than 340 favorite recipes from more than 150 generous volunteers.
The Cookbook is also available in:
- Spanish and
- French
Please remember, while you’re welcome to download and print the entire free low-iodine cookbook, you can also print just the pages you need.
This free cookbook is a wonderful help when you’re preparing to receive radioactive iodine for treatment or testing. All the recipes are favorites of some of our ThyCa volunteers, who are sharing them with everyone, to make the low-iodine diet easy and tasty. The recipes are also great for family meals and for potlucks, any time.
If you’d like to contribute your favorite recipe or tip, send it to recipes@thyca.org.
Help us sustain, strengthen, and extend our services. We invite you to become a member of ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.
Your membership dues will support ThyCa's efforts to reach and serve other survivors and their families around the world. Members receive our quarterly Membership Messenger newsletter.
Membership is open to everyone worldwide. You may become a 1-year ThyCa member ($25), 2-year member ($45), or lifetime member ($225). For our online Membership Form and our mailed Membership Form, go to our Membership page.
Support the Rally for Research
Thanks to generous contributions and special fundraising events, ThyCa has awarded new thyroid cancer research grants every year starting in 2003. These grants support our goal of cures for all thyroid cancer and a future free of thyroid cancer. We have again awarded new research grants in 2011.
You’re invited to help support the Rally for Research. For details about the Rally for Research, donation opportunities, special events, Quarters for a Cure, and information about ThyCa’s past and future Research Grants, visit the Rally for Research page.
Every day, thousands of people with thyroid cancer, and their families, receive support, education, and hope from ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association, Inc. Your generous support is what makes it possible to sustain, strengthen, and expand our services and outreach.
It only takes a minute to make a donation online in support of ThyCa's work (or you are welcome to donate by mail to ThyCa, P.O. Box 964, Chesterfield, MO 63006-0964), so click here to give.
About ThyCa NEWS NOTES
Copyright (c) 2011 ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association, Inc.
Please share ThyCa News Notes with your family and friends. For permission to reprint in another electronic or print publication, please contact us at publications@thyca.org.
The information in this newsletter is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended, nor should it be interpreted, as medical advice or directions of any kind. Readers are advised to consult their own medical doctor(s) for all matters involving their health and medical care.
Your suggestions for articles are welcome. The deadline for articles and news items is the first day of each month.
Thank you to our writing, editing, and proofreading team for this issue: Dana Fusco, Leah Guljord, Pat Paillard, Barbara Status, Cherry Wunderlich, and Gary Bloom.
ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association, Inc. is a national non- profit 501(c)(3) organization (tax ID #52-2169434) of thyroid cancer survivors, family members, and health care professionals. Contact us for free awareness materials and information about our free services and special events. E-mail to thyca@thyca.org, call toll-free at 1-877-588-7904, fax 1-630-604-6078, write PO Box 1102, Olney, MD 20830-1102, or visit our webiste