Featuring Gina Vild on Saturday October 7!
Is there anything scarier than hearing, “You have cancer”? Those three words are enough to make everything feel unstable and overwhelming. However, the same is true of the day a person becomes a cancer survivor, and thinks, “What comes next, after the tests, the treatments, and the surgery? What will my life look like as a cancer survivor?”
Gina Vild, who specializes in helping individuals undergoing life changes to be resilient, move forward, and thrive, is the featured keynote speaker for this year’s Chapter 2 workshop for survivors and patients at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center on Saturday, October 7.
Vild encourages survivors to set realistic expectations and live fully in the present as a form of self-care. She also teaches people how to redirect their thoughts to better manage their emotions, while helping envision their future. Vild has worked with cancer survivors at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Mass General Cancer Center, and Harvard Medical School. She serves on the board of Li-Fraumeni Syndrome Association, supporting individuals with inherited cancers, and co-authored the book The Two Most Important Days: How to Find Your Purpose and Live a Happier, Healthier Life. Vild is also a contributing editor to 10 Secrets to Straight A’s: How to Get Good Grades in School and Life.
“Helping people grapple with their cancer diagnosis is deeply meaningful, purpose-driven work for me,” she says. “Having clarity around the disease can force a person to re-examine their priorities and reassess what matters most in their lives. Cancer can reorder life in some surprising and meaningful ways.”
Vild believes that people are forever changed by the events that happen in their lives, noting that resilience is about being able to reset one’s journey and mindset, and access tools to navigate their transformation. Recalling a recent conversation with a friend diagnosed with aggressive pancreatic cancer, she says, “He was vibrant and full of life. I attribute this in part to his embracing the knowledge that life is finite and that every step of our journey should be paired with gratitude for the gifts that come our way — for friends who have stepped up, moments of laughter with family, the beauty of each flower, and the grace that comes with each breath we take.”
When she delivers her keynote at Chapter 2, Vild will talk about ways to slow down and appreciate each moment, and how meditation helped calm her overactive mind and reset her priorities during a difficult time in her own life. She will share research about the importance of friendship and community, and also discuss the role of grief in moving forward. The session promises to be interactive and thought-provoking, with the goal of having each attendee leave with a sense of buoyancy.
Register and learn more about what promises to be an uplifting event made possible by Roswell Park donors with Quality-of-Life Program funding through the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation at https://www.roswellpark.org/chapter2.
