Breast cancer care seminar returns with expert panel hosted by NFBHC in Riverhead
The North Fork Breast Health Coalition will host its second annual Integrative Approaches to Breast Cancer Care panel on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hotel Indigo in Riverhead.
The free event welcomes patients and survivors to hear medical experts and practitioners share their expertise on innovative treatments that can support breast cancer patients from diagnosis through to recovery and life beyond.
Physicians and medical professionals from Memorial Sloan-Kettering, New York Cancer & Blood Specialists, Northwell Health Cancer Institute, Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone and Stony Brook Cancer Center will speak on a panel discussing integrative approaches. Professionals will be available for one-on-one discussion with attendees afterwards. Natural health care practitioners will also discuss the benefits of acupuncture, nutrition and herbs, meditation, reiki and yoga.
“Each year in New York, at least 17,000 females are diagnosed with breast cancer and nearly 2,400 die from the disease,” the New York State Health Department states. “It is estimated that one in eight females will develop breast cancer during their life.”
The panel will be moderated by Dr. Lisa Sclafani, a 35-year specialist in surgical oncology with a special focus on breast surgery and breast cancer. She believes that an educated patient “is much easier to take care of and does much better” through their treatment journey.
“By coming and learning about these different therapies and learning which things might help … to get that knowledge of what is available and what might help is going to give them more power,” Dr. Sclafani said.
Dr. Sclafani advised patients and survivors to discuss integrative therapies and their concerns with their doctors, as most cancer centers have different treatments available. The therapies and treatments are meant as supplements to any medical treatment patients are receiving, not as alternatives.
“I think it’s important they have a good rapport with their doctor from day one so that they always understand what their choices are, what their plans are, etc.,” she said.
Coalition treasurer Rob Stromski had researched integrative therapies to help his wife Keri Lynn Stromski during her five-year battle with breast cancer. The two had attended conferences in West Palm Beach, Fla., which Mr. Stromski said “helped give her hope.” Throughout her treatment, she tried different herbal medicines and supplements to keep her white blood cell count up to continue her work as a kindergarten teacher.
“One of the big things that she always was striving to get was hope,” he said. “And when we went through our travels with different oncologists and different hospitals we found that that was something that was difficult to find back then.”
Keri Lynn died in April 2021, but Mr. Stromski has continued her legacy through the Keri Lynn Stromski Stage IV Breast Cancer Research and Support Fund which helps put together the annual conference in Riverhead. It also supports metastatic breast cancer research at Stony Brook University, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and New York Cancer & Blood Specialists.
“Every time she would go to this conference [in West Palm Beach,] she gained hope to kind of keep her going and keep moving forward — and that’s what I hope to do with this conference with the people around here,” Mr. Stromski said.
In the future, Mr. Stromski hopes the panel’s success continues so much so that it can expand to two days to give patients and survivors different avenues to assist their treatments.
NFBHC is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that supports local breast cancer patients with programs like the Helping Hand grants and the Stage IV Support Fund. It is led by president Melanie McEvoy Zuhoski. The coalition was founded by Ann Cotton-DeGrasse and the late Antonio DeGrasse with the help of the Riverhead Rotary in 1998.
The group provides free services including gentle yoga, massage therapy, reflexology, acupuncture, reiki and “Strength for Life” exercise to breast cancer patients and survivors. Patients and survivors also have access to the Rita Duva Boutique through the coalition which offers wigs, scarves, hats and prosthetics. The group also funds Stage IV research through select laboratories.
To RSVP for the panel conference or learn more about the coalition, email [email protected] or visit northforkbreasthealth.org. A light organic breakfast and lunch will be served at the conference.
