YSC Summit 2015

A couple weekends ago I was somehow able to attend this years YSC Summit.  It's a yearly conference for young women with breast cancer.  I say somehow because so many things stood in my way.  First, I applied late for the free registration.  I emailed the YSC "contact us" email and explained my situation and they replied saying they were extending the deadline and that I was approved.  YAY!  I was really excited about going because in 2012 when it was called C4YW (because it was partnered with Living Beyond Breast Cancer) it was held in New Orleans, which is a stones throw from Baton Rouge, where I live.  By the grace of God some women donated money for our traveling and hotel and myself and a fellow breast cancer survivor headed to NOLA.  We had an amazing time.

So this year it was in Houston.  Houston is my second home because I go to MD.Anderson's there for treatment.  I thought, no way I'm missing it!  That left me needing to find a way to travel there and a place to stay when I got there.  The girls I know, all from SurviveDat, had a full car so I was stuck.  Lo and behold we had a rep from SurviveDat going to advertise SurviveDat with a booth.  She let me hop aboard her ride but she was recovering from a cold or virus or something and didn't think staying together in a hotel room would be beneficial for me.  So there I was, free registration, a ride there, but no place to stay.  I tried YSC chat rooms, I tried everything I could think of, to no avail.

But then BOOM!  Suddenly the week before the conference I land in the hospital with kidney failure.  I mean come on!  I wanted to go!  Fortunately I recovered fast and in time for the conference and just in time to think of a plan.  I sweetly asked my aunt and uncle if I could stay with them (45 minutes away from the conference) and would they pleaseeee bring me back and forth each day for the conference.  And they said yes!  It was so great!  I had it all figured out, finally.

My schedule for the conference included all classes on Metastatic Breast Cancer and one nutritional class.  It rocked.  How cool was it that they had so many classes for the Metastatic Breast Cancer Survivors!  It was like I was home.  With all  my sisters.  All of us together class after class.  We discussed so much, learned so much about each other and everyone's journeys. So many of us with the same feelings, the same histories, it was really worth the effort.

Because of my recent hospital stay, and the fact that I'm on oxygen kept me from staying for the dancing and the parties.  To be honest I was tired by the time I made it up the elevator to the conference.  Much less during the conference.  But I made it through it and am so happy I did.  I learned so much and can't wait to share some of it with you!

Here's to hoping I get to go next year!

xo

Shannon