Cancer as a Turning Point Conference
Saturday, September 12, 2015
9:30am – 5:30pm
The Althea Center
1400 Williams Street
Denver, CO 80218
* * * Register Here * * *
| Presenters in alphabetical order Saturday, Sept. 12th, 9:30am — 5:30pm: |
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With musical performances by Kayla Marque
Lise N. Alschuler, ND, is a naturopathic doctor with board certification in naturopathic oncology and has been practicing since 1994. She maintains a naturopathic oncology practice, Naturopathic Specialists, based in Scottsdale AZ. Dr. Alschuler works as an independent consultant in the area of practitioner and consumer health education. She is the Executive Director of TAP Integrative, a nonprofit educational resource for integrative practitioners. Learn more at www.drlise.net.
Karolyn A. Gazella has been writing and publishing integrative health information since 1992. She is the publisher of the Natural Medicine Journal and the author or co-author of hundreds of articles and books. KarolynGazella.com
Together, Lise and Karolyn co-authored The Definitive Guide to Cancer and The Definitive Guide to Thriving After Cancer. They co-host a radio show, Five To Thrive Live! on the Cancer Support Network and iHeart Radio about living more healthfully in the face of cancer. They are the co-creators of the Five to Thrive Plan, a program to help cancer survivors thrive.
Jonathan Ellerby, PhD, is the author of two bestselling titles: Return to the Sacred and Inspiration Deficit Disorder. He is currently the Executive Director and lead minister at the Althea Center for Engaged Spirituality in Denver. Jonathan has become a popular expert on the topics of spiritual growth, total wellbeing, and cross-cultural approaches to health and healing. He has appeared in various media settings from television to documentaries, radio, and magazines. Jonathan is the co-founder of TAO Inspired Living, a wellness-retreat center and exclusive residential community devoted to total wellbeing and inspired living based in the Riviera Maya of Mexico. The former Spiritual Program Director for the acclaimed Canyon Ranch Health Resorts, Jonathan has over 20 years of experience in the fields of holistic healing, spiritual counseling, integrative medicine, and corporate consulting. www.jonathanellerby.com
Dr. Michael Finkelstein, The Slow Medicine Doctor, has been featured in top media outlets including The New York Times and CNN; has presented at leading venues including GE Corporation and Omega Institute; and blogs on the topic of Slow Medicine for The Huffington Post. Dr. Finkelstein was trained at premier institutes for both conventional and integrative medicine, and he is the recipient of numerous distinctions. Drawing from his diverse medical expertise, Dr. Finkelstein offers both a micro and macro point of view on today’s healthcare needs and challenges, and he provides a tried-and-true solution for healing individual patients and the medical system as a whole: Slow Medicine. He goes into detail in his new book, Slow Medicine: Hope and Healing for Chronic Illness. SlowMedicineDoctor.com
Kerri James Geary is no stranger to health care. She has experienced a breast cancer diagnosis four times and endured a plethora of medical procedures including numerous major surgeries, a ridiculous assortment of scans and x-rays, and way too many blood draws to count! Her loved ones affectionately call her The Bionic Woman. “We can rebuild her, we have the technology!” As a result of her experiences, Kerri is enthusiastically devoted to serving others as they navigate their own healing journeys. Currently, she is employed as a Medicaid Care Coordinator in a ground-breaking state program made possible by the Affordable Care Act.
Lois Hjelmstad is an international speaker and the author of three award-winning books. Fine Black Lines: Reflections on Facing Cancer, Fear and Loneliness, is the account of her battle with breast cancer. The Providence Journal (RI) wrote, “Hjelmstad’s Fine Black Lines stands out like a shining star. It is compelling reading . . . the author’s style is spare and elegant.” Her other books are The Last Violet: Mourning My Mother and This Path We Share: Reflecting on 60 Years of Marriage. Hjelmstad has been featured in magazines, on TV, and been honored by the Denver Day of Caring, receiving the coveted Sue Miller Award. Lois and her husband, Les, have been married sixty-seven years on September 12. They have four children, thirteen grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren. Lois taught piano, music theory, and composition for many years in Englewood, Colorado. www.loishjelmstad.com
Fred Ledbetter is a telecommunications, mobile, and Internet guy with specialties in marketing and operations. After spending 17 of the past 23 years living and working in Moscow, Russia, Fred is ready for a move back to the US, due to the political and economic fall-out from the conflict in Ukraine. In 2005 Fred was diagnosed with prostate cancer after a routine medical check-up in Seattle. Unfortunately, a previous doctor had missed these “sneaky little bastards” three years earlier and the prognosis was terminal. With odds of less than 1% that he could have cancer this serious, so young, his major question was “Why me, God?” Fred will speak about his journey, which is ongoing, to try to rephrase that question. And how a clinical trial which began as a lark helped him rethink his spirituality and his relationship to the divine being. (And yes, after 10 years he is currently beating the other odds on his survival).
Together since 1984, Harpist, Susan Mazer, and Woodwinds performer, Dallas Smith, have merged their individual expertise to create a new sound and musical experience for contemporary music. They both have classical backgrounds and embraced jazz after completing their formal music education. Following full time professional music careers, they turned to healthcare. Since 1992, their company, Healing HealthCare Systems, has been producing the C.A.R.E. Channel, the only evidence-based 24-hour relaxation programming for hospitals, currently serving over 800 hospitals in the US, Hong Kong and Australia. The C.A.R.E. Channel has received awards and is highly respected as a tool to improve the patient experience, reduce stress and anxiety, and mitigate pain. Their work in healthcare is about creating healing environments in which we live, work, and heal. Susan also has a PhD in human and organization development and is on the Board of Directors of Healing Journeys. www.healinghealth.com
Jonna Tamases is an actress and 3-time cancer survivor (Hodgkin’s Disease, Large-Cell Lymphoma, Breast Cancer). She has turned her experience into a highly acclaimed one-woman show, Jonna’s Body, Please Hold. The show has received rave reviews and was nominated for two Ovation Awards: Best World Premiere Play and Best Lead Actress. The recently released movie version has won 6 national film festival awards, including Audience Award for Best Comedy Short (Asheville Film Festival), Best Short Comedy and Best in Show (MAGA Film Festival), and Best Actress (2009 Show of Your Shorts Festival). For more information visit http://www.jonnasbody.com and www.jonnasbodymovie.com.
She will present: Jonna’s Body, Please Hold — Enter the kooky world inside Jonna’s Body, where life’s daily chaos is corralled by Pearl, Jonna’s loyal and sassy internal receptionist, as she fields calls from a parade of off-beat body parts: Baby Toe trapped in a tight pump; Sgt. Coif leading a head full of unruly troops; Uta and Ula begging to be released from their brassiere imprisonment! When two nasty killers invade, it’s a fight for Jonna’s life. This moving and hilarious one-woman play takes us on a wild ride into the realm of health, illness, joy, and the beauty of life.
Terri Tate, RN, MS, is a speaker, performer, and author whose life and voice were threatened by two bouts of oral cancer from which she had a 2% chance of survival. But her sense of humor was never in danger. Terri’s hilarious solo show, Shopping as a Spiritual Path, chronicles life’s challenges and triumphs. Terri offers customized keynotes, workshops, and webinars such as Wit and Wisdom From Both Sides of the Bed; The Power of Our Stories; and Humor, Resilience and Hope in the Face of Unwanted Change. Audiences across the country are moved to laughter, tears, and standing ovations by her powerful performances. Terri teaches storytelling classes that emphasize healing, comfort in speaking and building the humor muscle. Her memoir, A Crooked Smile, with an introduction by Anne Lamott, is due out from Sounds True in the fall of 2016. www.territate.com