August 17 - 20, 2023

Agenda

More activities, speaker information, and session descriptions coming soon! (Schedule subject to change.)

Thursday, August 17th

5:00 - 6:30 PM ET

Welcome Reception

Break the ice and meet your AYA cancer commuity at the Welcome Reception. Enjoy some food and beverages while getting to know your fellow attendees.

7:30 - 8:30 PM ET

Scavenger Hunt

The ultimate team building experience! Join a group and compete to see which team can rack up the most points in one hour by hunting down photos and clues around the hotel.

Friday, August 18th

2:00 - 3:00 PM ET

Opening Session

Join us for the official start to CancerCon Live 2023!

3:30 - 5:00 PM ET

Breakout 1*
*(Some sessions are limited to specific audiences)
  • Facing Off with Toxic Positivity
  • Filling the Gap: Addressing Transitions in Care
  • Supporting Your Patient, Supporting Yourself

5:00 - 6:30 PM ET

Reception with Exhibitors

Grab a bit to eat while you learn about the amazing resources available from our exhibitors.

7:00 - 8:00 PM ET

Community Meetups

Our Community Meetups are dedicated spaces for those communities within our community. Swing by one or more of these intimate meetups to get to know your peers.

8:00 - 9:00 PM ET

Comedy Open Mic

No millennials allowed! Join Natalia to hang out with our younger AYAs.

9:00 - 11:00 PM ET

Karaoke

Sing your heart out! Kick off this awesome weekend by tapping into your inner rockstar with your new friends.

Saturday, August 19th

8:00 - 9:00 AM ET

Breakfast with Exhibitors

As AYAs in the LGBTQIA+ community, we often see supportive care prioritized for our straight and cisgender peers. And depending on where you live, you may be isolated from accessing queer community and kinship. This discussion is a forum to share our unique challenges and build a network of support.

9:15 - 10:15 AM ET

General Session

A full day of activities and education begins with our General Session.

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM ET

Breakout 2
  • BIPOC Collective Space: Navigating Disparities in Cancer Care
  • Cancer in the Bedroom: Sex & Intimacy
  • Identifying & Dealing with Triggers
  • Planning Ahead & Documenting Your Wishes

12:15 - 1:15 PM ET

Lunch with Exhibitors

Join a bereaved sibling caregiver, Janelle, to connect with other caregivers about the ups and downs of the caregiving journey. All caregiver relationships are welcome!

1:30 - 3:00 PM ET

Breakout 3
  • I’m Fine: Men, Cancer, and “Cowboy Culture”
  • Oodles of Thoughts: A Doodle Journal Workshop
  • Talking with Young Adults about End of Life Planning
  • Wellness that Works: Nutrition and Exercise

3:30 - 5:00 PM ET

Breakout 4
  • Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment: Strategies and Support for “Chemo Brain”
  • Do I Need a Lawyer? Legal Implications of AYA Cancer
  • It’s Complicated: Cancer, Disability, & Identity
  • Self Advocacy for Patients of Color

5:00 - 6:00 PM ET

Reception with Exhibitors

Join a bereaved sibling caregiver, Janelle, to connect with other caregivers about the ups and downs of the caregiving journey. All caregiver relationships are welcome!

6:00 - 7:00 PM ET

Storytelling Open Mic

Join an intimate and powerful open mic event to hear the real, raw, relatable stories of your AYA peers. Each storyteller will have 4 minutes on the mic to share their story, which will be recorded and added to the Stupid Cancer Story Library. 

8:00 - 10:00 PM ET

Dance Party

Join a bereaved sibling caregiver, Janelle, to connect with other caregivers about the ups and downs of the caregiving journey. All caregiver relationships are welcome!

Sunday, August 20th

8:00 - 9:00 AM ET

Breakfast with Exhibitors

Living with metastatic or chronic cancer, it can be difficult to stay present in the moment in the face of long-term treatment or fears of recurrence. But you deserve to find a place of personal wellness every day. In this interactive session with other survivors, discuss how to accept your limitations, realize your possibilities, embrace the now, and learn to live vibrantly.

9:15 - 10:45 AM ET

Breakout 5
  • A Community for Caregivers
  • Forces for Good: Working Together to Serve the AYA Community
  • MythBusters: A Palliative Care Edition
  • Physical Activity: Taking Back Control

11:00 - 12:30 PM ET

Breakout 6
  • Adolescent Cancer Patients and the Risk of Addiction During Treatment
  • Creating a Legacy
  • Eliminating Toxins and Reducing Exposures
  • Turning Rotten Lemons into Lemonade: Entrepreneurship & AYA Survivorship

12:30 - 1:30 PM ET

Lunch with Exhibitors

Meet your fellow AYAs at a casual zoom hangout.

1:30 - 2:15 PM ET

Closing Session

Say goodbye to this unforgettable weekend at our Closing Session.

Pre-Recorded Sessions

Cancer in the Bedroom

Calvin Hauer, LMFT; Stephanie Cizek, MD; JP Pritchett

You may be frustrated by disruptions to your sex life during and after cancer treatment, but there are interventions and tools that can help you regain confidence and increase pleasure. This dynamic panel presentation will share approachable tools and strategies to address the physical and emotional aspects of intimacy and sex after cancer.

Speakers

Reghan Anderson

Uma Chatterjee,
MS, MHPS

Stephanie Cizek, MD

Jessica Cording

Michael Cramer

Elisabeth Dod

Amanda Ferraro

Lauren Ghazal,
PhD, FNP-BC

Megan Gilman, MD

Calvin Hauer, LMFT

Hailey Johnston

Leighanna Kilgore,
MSSA, LICSW

Julie Larson, LCSW

Caroline Lee, MA

Jewelene Meacham,
RN, CHPN, NC

Christina Merrill

Michelle Preston

JP Pritchett

Yasmine Ramachandra

Shelly Rosenfeld

Vanessa Steil

Leeann Terwilliger, LCSW

Alique Topalian,
PhD, MPH

Cindy Villarreal,
MSW, LLMSW

Maddy Yeager