She looked at me and, out of the blue, said, “I want a meet-up for a weekend. I want something just for us. Something just for IBC sisters.”
We were having our regular meet-up in Houston, Texas at the Black Walnut Café. These gatherings are hosted regularly for patients, families, or friends traveling with them, primarily those seeking care at the Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Clinic at MD Anderson.
It was nearing the end of the meet-up. I love these gatherings because I value supporting my IBC sisters, and several local ladies join for camaraderie and friendship. By the end, my brain is usually full of new ideas and different perspectives. I often spend many late hours processing these thoughts, but this comment snapped my head up quickly. I looked at Olivia and asked, “What are you saying?” I grabbed a paper napkin, having left my Rocket notebook at home. She repeated herself, “I want a weekend about us, for us.” I started writing down what she said on that napkin. She explained how she didn’t feel she fit in at many breast cancer events. Partly because she was so young at diagnosis, but also due to the unique aspects of this disease that she felt were still unaddressed.
Initially, she might have envisioned a small IBC girlfriends’ weekend, but it quickly evolved into a conversation about learning more about the disease and having discussions tailored to us. Right there in the café, over a napkin, her desire launched what is now known as the Ultimate IBC Meetup.
At that time, the pandemic was still not completely over. Things were opening and closing quickly, so we moved forward cautiously, unsure if it would work or even be allowed. We hosted the first Ultimate Meetup at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee, and it was incredibly successful. The response, activity, and feedback confirmed that we were onto something important and that this needed to be an annual event. The second one was hosted in Houston, Texas, with a lab tour at MD Anderson. Our third annual Ultimate Meetup will be held October 4-6, 2024, in Boston, MA, with cooperation from Dana Farber’s Inflammatory Breast Cancer Clinic.
This weekend retreat is a hybrid of hope where people experiencing the disease can attend talks and round table sessions where patients, doctors, and researchers engage in animated discussions and real Q&A time. Additionally, there is time for friendship and fellowship, all kicked off with a lab tour at the research hospital. The Sunday morning wrap-up session, what we refer to as a ‘hug session,’ isn’t a firm session but a time for literally what it says—a hug session. The friendships bonded over those few days are powerful indeed, and one of the best things I love to hear when people walk away from a cancer retreat is, “See you next year!”
Thank you, Olivia, for voicing your thoughts that echoed the sentiments of so many others. You made something powerful and lasting happen.
Please join us for the Ultimate Meetup. Details are on our calendar.