Irish Cancer Society Hold National Conference for Cancer Survivors

Aviva Stadium this weekend - Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd March 2011

The Irish Cancer Society will hold a free conference for cancer survivors this weekend, Friday and Saturday March 2nd and 3rd at the Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road, Dublin. The annual conference, which is in its 19th year, will see over 700 cancer survivors from all across Ireland to get together and share information and support on all aspects of a cancer diagnosis.

The theme of the 2012 conference is "Living Well with Cancer" and the aim is to help people with cancer deal better with the life changing implications such a diagnosis brings. The two day programme includes practical information on treatment advances, dealing with fatigue, exercise & diet as well as dealing with the emotional and psychological effects of cancer.

Highlights of the conference include Dr. Brian Bird, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Cork who will speak on helping your body thrive after cancer treatment; Ms. Natalie Doyle, Nurse Consultant, Royal Marsden Hospital, London who will talk about living with and beyond cancer and Dr. Maureen Gaffney, Prof. of Psychology, UCD who's talk is entitled Flourishing Under Fire: The Dynamics of Resilience.

The conference also includes a seperate programme for Healthcare Professionals and Cancer Support Centre Managers and will include workshops on topics such as communication delivered by Tom Savage of the Communications Clinic and management challenges given by Fran Simpson, management consultant.

Olwyn Ryan, Patient Support Groups Manager Irish Cancer Society said, “Life with and after cancer means making huge adjustments both physically and emotionally. Learning to recognise and acknowledge the changes can be stressful. The aim of this unique conference is to identify the issues and support patients and those close to them to make the necessary adjustments in order to live as well as they can following a diagnosis.”

“Delegates will be offered the opportunity to engage with experts in the field of cancer with a particular emphasis on psycho-social adjustment and keeping well into the future. Bringing survivors together so that they may befriend, help and support each other is a powerful way of improving the lives of those living with cancer.”