STONY BROOK, N.Y., November 13, 2006 – Linda Bily, Supervisor in the Department of Radiology at Stony Brook University Medical Center and a breast cancer survivor, was the only delegate from Suffolk County, N.Y., to attend a groundbreaking summit of cancer survivors from around the country. The purpose of the inaugural LIVESTRONG™ Summit, created and hosted by the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), was to organize, inspire, and direct the efforts of cancer survivors nationwide to change the face of cancer survivorship. The three-day Summit was held in Austin, Tex., from October 27 to 29.
Approximately 700 delegates – representing those battling cancer, caregivers, and those who have lost a loved one to the disease – were chosen based on their leadership ability and involvement in the cancer community. Bily, who lives in Selden, N.Y., was selected to attend from the more than 1,500 applicants.
Members of the LAF advocacy team received information about the Summit in a letter. As a member of the team, Bily wrote a letter to the LAF highlighting her involvement in fundraising activities for survivors at SBUMC, such as the Fall Fashion Festival, as well as information about her work as a patient advocate and her spearheading the first two National Cancer Survivors Day® events at SBUMC. As a result, Bily received an invite to the event.
Notable speakers at Summit included LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr., M.D., Chair of the President’s Cancer Panel, and cancer survivors Senator John Kerry (Mass.), Elizabeth Edwards, author and wife of Senator John Edwards (N.C.), and Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France champion and LAF founder. Summit delegates collaborated in regional groups to identify challenges and develop personal action plans to broaden awareness and impact the unmet physical, emotional and practical needs of people living with cancer.
Bily, a long-time SBUMC employee, has advocated for patients in many settings and through various support and counseling programs run by SBUMC.
“As a cancer survivor, I know how important a personal connection is for the newly diagnosed patient,” says Bily. “The meeting and survivorship stories were inspiring. We all are involved with different projects but share the same goals, finding the causes and cures for cancer and make life easier for those who are undergoing treatment.”
Bily believes that patient advocacy should become an integral part of the healthcare team for cancer patients. She cites one patient advocacy program at SBUMC that has helped cancer patients for years – GIFT (Giving Inspiration, Fighting Together) features volunteer cancer survivors who offer support, resources, amenities and a peer buddy to new cancer patients.
LAF, a not-for-profit organization, provides the information and tools to help people with cancer live life on their own terms. The LAF states through the LIVESTRONG Summit, the LAF will “lead a survivorship movement to broaden awareness and impact the unmet physical, emotional and practical needs of people living with cancer.”
