Nutrition, fitness and healthy lifestyle options designed for breast cancer survivors will be featured at a free half-day seminar on June 16 from 9 a.m. to noon at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga University Center. Presented by Breast Cancer Support Services (formerly Y-ME Chattanooga) and sponsored by Mary Ellen Locher Breast Center of Memorial Health Care System, “Moving On after Breast Cancer: Mind, Body & Soul” will highlight ways to achieve optimum health and sustain remission.
Rhonda Edwards, licensed clinical social worker at Memorial’s Center for Cancer Support, will feature stress reduction and mind-body skills. Nutritionist Pamela Kelle, known as The Chattanooga Food Coach, will deliver a presentation titled “Beautiful You from the Inside Out: Nutrition Matters.” Fitness options will also be offered. Participants are encouraged to dress comfortably for a relaxing format that will feature Pilates, non-impact aerobics, Zumba and Tai Chi.
To register for the free seminar, which will include a light, nutritious lunch, email your name, address and phone number to info@bcss-chattanooga.org or call 423-629-2445.
“Moving On” is not just the name of the nonprofit’s upcoming seminar but also the organization’s theme for 2012. Y-ME Chattanooga is now Breast Cancer Support Services. Formerly an affiliate of the Chicago-based Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization, Chattanooga’s oldest breast cancer organization is now headquartered in its hometown.
Breast Cancer Support Services is now a locally directed nonprofit entity with IRS 501c3 status. Y-ME National continues to promote local breast cancer organizations on its Web site, but has chosen to focus on its national breast cancer hotline.
Breast Cancer Support Services provides a hands-on approach by interacting face-to-face with Chattanooga area breast cancer survivors and their families. The organization offers support groups, a therapy group for women with advanced and metastatic breast cancer, a bra, wig and prosthesis bank and emergency financial assistance for low-income families. The emergency fund is made possible in part by the Hurlbut Memorial Foundation and the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga.
The Chattanooga organization’s board members now make all decisions on core areas of emergency funding and patient support.
“Our mission remains the same – to provide support, services and resources to women and families living with breast cancer,” says Elaine Hill, who serves on the Breast Cancer Support Services board of directors. A breast cancer survivor, Hill co-founded Y-ME Chattanooga in 1992 with her friend Martha Lee.
The name isn’t the only thing new at Breast Cancer Support Services. The organization kicked off 2012 with a new logo and a new executive director, Lisa Shivers. A recent breast cancer survivor, Shivers is a local communications professional who has held positions at the Tennessee Aquarium and National Print Group in Chattanooga. She and her husband live on Signal Mountain.
Source: Breast Cancer Support Services