News

CancerCon 2019
April 11-14, 2019
Denver, CO

It’s that time of year again! Pat is looking forward to connecting once again with friends and colleagues in Denver. Chasing Rainbows is hosting a Parent Caregiver Gathering again this year, and Pat will also be co-leading (with Ellen Polmero and Lou Greenzweig) a breakout session called “Caregiving As A Parent” on Saturday April 13th at 11:30 am. Finally, Pat is also hosting an informal breakfast roundtable for parent caregivers. Please check the official CancerCon program for details, and/or contact Pat via chasingrainbows6@gmail.com.

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CancerCon 2018
April 19-22, 2018
Denver, CO

Pat is looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones at this annual conference. Chasing Rainbows is proud to be sponsoring a Parent Caregiver Gathering on Thursday April 19th at 8 pm. Pat will also be co-leading (with Ellen Polmero) a session called “It’s All About Caregiving As A Parent” on Saturday April 21st at 11:30 am. Finally Pat is hosting an informal breakfast roundtable for parent caregivers on Sunday April 22nd. (all scheduling details subject to change; please check official CancerCon program for confirmed details)

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CancerCon 2017
April 27-30, 2017
Denver, CO

Pat is looking forward to hosting a Round Table discussion for parents of adolescents and young adults living with cancer on Sunday April 30th at 7:30 am in the Grand Ballroom. Parents: please join us for breakfast!

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CancerCon 2016
April 28 – May 1, 2016
Denver, CO

Chasing Rainbows Young Adult Cancer Advocacy is honoured to be sponsoring the “Get Busy Living” Caregiver Award at CancerCon this year.

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Canadian Task Force on Adolescents & Young Adults With Cancer

February 2016

Toronto, ON

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Critical Mass 2015
November 2015
Chicago, IL

Pat is planning to attend this annual conference as she has done for the past many years. Details to come!

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The Taylor Ranch Retreat
May 20-25, 2015
Precipice Valley, BC

Pat and her husband Lee are proud to be hosting the first ever Taylor Ranch Retreat for CEOs, founders, and managers of Young Adult cancer organizations. Topics to discuss: burnout, virtual/on-line and personal loss, creating sustainability for our non-profit organizations, and how to pass on our legacy.

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CancerCon 2015
April 24-26, 2015
Denver, CO

The new incarnation of StupidCancer.org‘s OMG Cancer Summit! Pat will be co-presenting an interactive session with Emily Drake (Director of Cancer Fight Club) on “Connecting Young Adults With Chronic/Metastic/Advanced Cancer”.

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The Mets Club Retreat
March 27-29, 2015
Montreal, QC

Pat is honoured to be co-hosting a session on caregiving (with Emily Drake of Cancer Fight Club and Suzanne O’Brien of Hope & Cope) at this retreat for young adults living with advanced or metastic disease.

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Critical Mass 2014
November 2014
Denver, CO

Pat will be doing a Chasing Rainbows poster presentation. Looking forward to connecting with old friends and new!

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CAPO 2014 Conference: “The Heart of the Matter: Connecting Knowledge, Creativity & Compassion”
April 30-May 2, 2014
Winnipeg, AB

Pat will be co-presenting a 90-minute workshop session with Dr. Anne Grinyer (visiting all the way from the UK!) titled Talking About Death: Facilitating End-of-Life Conversations Between Parents and Adolescents/Young Adults.

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OMG! Cancer Summit For Young Adults
April 24-27, 2014
Las Vegas, Nevada

Pat will be co-presenting with Mike and Bonnie Lang during the “Lessons from the Valleys” session.

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New HUFFINGTON POST blog entry
February 14, 2014

Pat posted a new piece to her Huffington Post blog, titled “Obituaries and Valentines”. Read it here.

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Critical Mass Young Adult Cancer Alliance
Annual Conference
Nov. 6-8, 2013
Cleveland, Ohio

Pat is excited to see lots of old friends and new at this annual conference. The theme is “Connecting the Dots”!

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October 2013: New articles at Cancer Knowledge Network

Pat has been busy through the summer and fall in her capacity as Editor of the Caregivers Section at CKN. She has facilitated and sometimes written introductions for many pieces by other amazing folks in the cancer survivor/caregiver/advocate community, and also posted another piece of her own, in honour of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. It’s called “Just Keep Breathing.”

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June 2013: “Frankly Speaking About Cancer”
Cancer Support Community Internet Radio

Tune in here on Tuesday June 2, 2013 at 1 pm PST (4 pm ET) to hear Pat, along with filmmaker Mike Lang, young adult cancer survivor Amy and her friend/caregiver Annie, do an interview with host Kim Thibodeau on “Finding Support Through Documentary Film”.

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May 2013: New blog post at CKN

Pat’s latest post for the Caregivers’ Section at Cancer Knowledge Network is “The Caregivers’s Plea for Help.” Read it here.

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OMG 2013 Cancer Summit for Young Adults
April 25-28, 2013 at Palms Casino, Las Vegas 

Pat is heading to Vegas for this annual conference and networking event presented by StupidCancer.org. Looking forward to seeing many friends there!

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Valleys: a new webseries 

April 2013: Pat and Chasing Rainbows are proud to support this new endeavour from documentary filmmaker Mike Lang and Hands On Films. In a series of six episodes, filmed on the spectacular Colorado River, Valleys follows young adult cancer patient Amy and her close friend and caregiver Annie, as they join forces to survive not only the challenges of the river, but the demands of their ever-changing relationship since Amy’s diagnosis.

Episodes are being released every Wednesday on The Huffington Post‘s “Generation Why” blog; you can see Episode 1 here, and Episode 2 here (including an introduction by Pat). Bookmark the blog and check back weekly to see subsequent episodes!

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Team Shan BC Tour

March 2013:  Pat is helping Lorna Larsen of Team Shan organize a mini-tour of university campuses in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. They’ll be doing outreach at University of British Columbia, Langara College, Emily Carr University of Art & Design, Capilano University, Simon Fraser University, BCIT, Trinity College, UBC Okanagan, University of Victoria, Vancouver Island University and Camosun College.

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The “Caregiver” Section at Cancer Knowledge Network

January 2013: Pat is very pleased to be taking on a new challenge: online editor of the “Caregivers” section at Cancer Knowledge Network.

Update (April 2013): Pat has now posted several pieces at CKN, including “Support for the Caregiver: Resources on Film“, “Helpful Hints for the First-Time Caregiver“, and “A Caregiver’s Happy Place“.

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Pat in The Huffington Post – December 2012

Pat is very happy to have a piece she wrote about being a parent advocate published online in The Huffington Post! She has also posted variations of this text via the Cancer Knowledge Network and Cancer Fight Club…many thanks to all for the opportunity to share.

Update (Dec. 19, 2012): in addition to the piece mentioned above (“To Live, Die, or Advocate”), Pat has now published a second piece on the Huffington Post blog: “Reclaiming Christmas.”

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Critical Mass Annual Conference: Mission Continued

Nov. 7-9, 2012

Atlanta, GA

Pat will be attending this conference as a supporter of the former LIVESTRONG Youth Alliance (now in the process of remaking itself as Critical Mass: The Young Adult Cancer Alliance). Look for Pat in this video about it:

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Summer 2012: Pat was proud to contribute to this promotional video for the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology (CAPO). Thanks to Shel Piercy, who filmed Pat’s interview footage!

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Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology Annual Conference:
“Shifting Paradigms: New Directions in Psychosocial Oncology”
April 25-28, 2012
Vancouver, BC

Pat, filmmaker Mike Lang and researcher Liane Kandler will be presenting a 90-minute workshop titled “Reel Stories, Real Wisdom: The Uses of Film as a a Tool in Treatment, Recovery and Education for Young Adults with Cancer”. Pat will also have a poster on display: “One-Stop Shop: Multimedia Resources for Young Adults Living with Cancer (Updated 2012 Edition!)”.

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5th Annual OMG! Cancer Summit For Young Adults
March 30-April 1, 2012
Las Vegas, NV

Pat is looking forward to attending this dynamic conference presented by I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation.

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LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance Annual Conference: “Many Paths, One Journey”
November 9-2011
Austin, TX

Pat and filmmaker/young adult survivor Mike Lang will be presenting a session titled “The Emergence of Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer in Film” on Thursday Nov. 10 at 11:00 am.

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3rd Annual NCONN “Changing the Face of Cancer Care” Conference
September 8-10, 2011
Hilton San Diego Bayfront, San Diego CA

Pat presents her poster titled “One Stop Shop: Multimedia Resources for Young Adults Living With Cancer” at the annual conference of the National Coalition of Oncology Nurse Navigators (NCONN).

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Wrong Way To Hope Spring 2011 Cross-Canada Tour
March 20 – May 20, 2011

Chasing Rainbows Young Adult Cancer Advocacy is a proud sponsor of this exciting project: Pat is acting as Tour Director for the cross-Canada launch of Wrong Way To Hope (Hands On Films, 2010), a documentary that follows a group of young adult cancer survivors on an “adventure therapy” expedition down Oregon’s remote Owyhee River. The film’s producer, expedition leader and young adult cancer survivor Mike Lang will be driving across the country in a donated RV to show the film in cancer support centres, hospitals and public cinemas. His 2-month odyssey begins with the official launch of the tour in Vancouver on March 20th, and will continue with over 30 screenings across Canada, in Victoria, Langley, Abbotsford, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Brandon, Stonewall (Manitoba), Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Barrie, Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal, St. John, Fredericton, Rocky Harbour (Newfoundland), Charlottetown and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Visit the official tour website for all the details.

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American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) Annual Conference
February 16-18, 2011
Anaheim, CA

Pat presented a poster titled “One Stop Shop: Multimedia Resources for Young Adults Living With Cancer”. An excerpt from her abstract: While screening “Chasing Rainbows” across Canada and all over the world, Pat has met an emerging group of young adult cancer survivors who are telling their own stories from their own unique perspective. They are making films, writing books, hosting radio shows, creating retreats and adventure programs designed specifically for their own age group. Psychosocial oncologists and their support staff need to be aware of these resources and share them with their young adult patients, but keeping up with all the new material is a challenge. This presentation will act as a “one-stop shop”, providing an overview of resources currently available in a variety of media.

4 Responses to News

  1. Laura Jones

    Hi Pat,

    Just met you tonight at Gilda’s Simcoe Muskoka in Barrie and wanted to say thank you for your resources and kind words (and hug!) It still is emotional after 6 years…I appreciate you and Mike coming to Barrie to share the film and am really glad I went!

    Thanks,
    Laura Jones

  2. hello pat,
    It was great meeting you at the Livestrong Conference in November. I didn’t get a chance to compliment you on your wonderful presentation. It was very inspirational. I shared your story with my fellow “moms”.

    I would like to add you website to our resource page…I hope you don’t mind. Let me know if you do.
    In the meantime, take care and I hope to see you again next year.
    Sincerely,
    Angie Giallourakis

  3. Absolutely! Go for it, Angie. So good to support one another advocating for young adults with cancer!
    Pat

  4. Dear Pat. Thank you for the good job. Can your organization help us highlight the challenges the young adults and teenagers go through in Kenya. We just lost about last month through suicide because of lack of enough social support. I will be in Toronto on 10 to 16th May.
    Regards,
    Philip

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