THE SILVER LININGS BEHIND A BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS
“Every dark cloud has a silver lining”—it’s a passage taken for granted by some, but also taken to heart by many.
Icanserve Foundation established a national cancer forum with the first-ever event called Silver Linings in 2005.
This Sept. 28, 2019, the foundation will stage Silver Linings 2019, a summit for the Philippine cancer community, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). The summit coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Icanserve Foundation.
Silver Linings is the largest gathering not only for cancer survivors, but also for their supporters. Every individual is given an opportunity to forge friendships and partnerships with fellow “warriors.”
Icanserve Foundation founding president and chairadvocacy Committee Kara Magsanoc-alikpala and cofounder and chair Crisann Celdran talked about the inspiration and what people can expect.
Kara says that the idea came up because of people asking the same questions. “Icanserve had been in existence for six years when we decided to start with Silver Linings 2005. We had been doing high-impact media campaigns, but we felt we had to scale up to a face-to-face meeting to be able to deliver and share muchneeded and accurate information on breast cancer in a nonthreatening setting, not in a doctor’s clinic, barangay health center or hospital.
“It’s a homecoming of sorts for the sisters you never knew you had. Knowing you’re not alone makes the journey lighter.”
“For the first Silver Linings forum, the idea was to focus on awareness, educating people and helping patients and family members cope with their ‘new normal,’” says Crisann. “But the most important outcome is hope for everyone.”
Celdran also shared that Icanserve is powered
by volunteers. “We don’t really have the capacity to mount Silver Linings more often. This year, for the foundation’s 20th anniversary, we felt it was a good time to gather the troops again and do something for our fellow survivors.”
The topics that will be discussed are important to participants in different stages of their journey, and are always a reflection of the needs of the time. “The best attack for cancer prevention is holistic, and it goes beyond the medical,” says Kara. “We have a lot of topics on wellness like nutrition, yoga, meditation, art therapy, healing through storytelling and spiritual healing. But we also have the basics on breast cancer which always has the biggest audience, or practical help like where to get financial aid, as well as survivorship issues for long-time cancer survivors.”
With patients taking on a more active role in their survivorship, the summit will also offer support topics like the Cancer Law, how to amplify the patient’s voice in different settings and many others
During the event, participants can also avail of free Xrays, BMIS, consults with doctors and many more activities.
Silver Linings is brought to
you by Unilab, Lifescience, AC Health, Del Monte, Pfizer Philippines, Roche, the De Guzman group, The Good Seed, Bayo, New World Diagnostics and Parkway Cancer Center.
Staged by the Icanserve Foundation, Silver Linings will be on Sept. 28, 2019, Saturday at the PICC, Pasay City from 8 am to 5 pm. Registration fee is P500 to include meals.
Preregistration can be done online at www.icanservefoundation.org/?page_id=4787 or www.eventbank.com/event/the-4th-silver-linings-2019-16245/, and is encouraged to avoid the opening crowd. You can also register at the venue on Sept. 28.