Every woman has a story about cancer and how it has touched their life. All of us know someone whose life has in some way been touched by cancer. The "Share your Story" part of this conference is a special session to honor the journey of those women who are directly coping with cancer and to give a voice to their personal story. We welcome women to open up their hearts and their stories before the actual event. We are inviting you to add your story on our web page. We ask that you only post stories and pictures about yourself or with direct permission from the person that the story is about or a tribute to. Sharing one's story is a very personal experience that can be an important part of healing. But not everyone is ready to tell their story yet, so we ask that the privacy of the survivor always be honored. We will not be able to accept tributes to other women, no matter how well intended, without their permission.

Telling your story can be a healing experience. It can be a part of accepting what has happened, allowing yourself to look back on your cancer journey and to explore your feelings. It can also be very helpful to the other women that are on this road to know that they are not alone and that they have many friends who truly do understand their emotional experience with cancer. Many nurses, and care providers will be reading your story, and it will help them better understand the needs of women receiving cancer care from the unique perspective of the patient.

Some of you may already know parts of "my story" as I have shared it over the years in various talks I have done about cancer survivorship. As each year passes though, my own story of cancer survivorship grows, so I will try to start this story telling with my own story. My personal cancer journey began over 10 years ago when I was diagnosed with a locally advanced breast cancer. I had two young children in elementary school and was very worried I would not live to get them through school. Like all journeys mine has had some uphills and downhills, and during times that things were not looking good, my prayers revolved around my children. First I prayed to get them through elementary school, then middle school, then high school. My youngest child, my daughter Emma, graduated from High School this Spring. I am very lucky, I was given the opportunity to reach this goal. I have been blessed with the ability to watch them grow up and to meet many more families coping with cancer. I have seen how deeply cancer touches the lives of far too many women and the many ramifications this has on our communities. I volunteer to work on this cancer event each year in honor of the many mothers that I have come to know who have not been able to raise their children. Please share with us your journey, your goals, and your hopes for the future. Your story is special, it is unique, it is yours, and we look forward to sharing it.