GBM Patient & TOGETHER Day to Honor and Uplift Brain Cancer Patients on Friday, March 15th

SEATTLE, March 14, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The EndBrainCancer Initiative is hosting its first ever GBM Patient & TOGETHER Day on Friday, March 15th at the Bellevue Club in Bellevue, Washington. GBM is short for "Glioblastoma" which is the most common form of brain cancer, a stage 4 cancer. EBCI and its sponsors and partners invite current and past brain cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and families to a special event focused on uplifting and inspiring those impacted by brain cancer.

"GBM Patient and TOGETHER Day is an opportunity for people to stand with the brain cancer patients in our community and uplift them," says EBCI President Dellann Elliott Mydland. "It's a day to give back to those among us stricken and impacted by this terrible disease. We have planned a wonderful day for patients, caregivers and families to experience love, hope, education, and empowerment."

The event enjoys both local and national underwriting support. Local sponsors include The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) Proton Therapy Center and Seattle Children's (Hospital, Research and Foundation). Additionally The EndBrainCancer Initiative, located in Redmond, Washington, partnered with Comcast Spotlight Seattle, who helped to promote the event online and on T.V. National sponsors include Presenting Sponsor, AbbVie, and Silver Advocacy Sponsor Novocure. Education and roundtables at the event are underwritten by a grant from Genentech.

The free afternoon event (12:30 – 5:30PM) features special services for the attendees including a health and beauty fair, portrait photography sessions, makeovers, massages, special giveaways, lunch and afternoon appetizers, wine and beer tasting, and other activities.

The event also specifically features women leaders in the Puget Sound area who have been personally impacted by brain cancer. These women will be providing "inspirational moments" by telling their stories and insights to attendees. The EndBrainCancer Initiative (EBCI) itself was co-founded by Dellann Elliott Mydland, who with her late husband, Chris Elliott, a brain cancer victim, founded EBCI together in 2002. Dellann will be emceeing and speaking. Other speakers from the Seattle area include Julie Prince, President of Prince Financial Services affiliated with Northwestern Mutual and Robin Shapiro, Board Chair of the Washington State Health Advocacy Association (WASHAA).

Susan Kellner, herself a brain tumor patient, a volunteer for EBCI, owner of Whim Social, and speaker at the event commented, "Having a brain cancer diagnosis is devastating as well as confusing because there is so much information out there. It's a very lonely feeling. Having an event such as GBM TOGETHER Day will give patients and caregivers a much needed emotional boost letting them know they are not alone, that a community stands with them. As we share about this event through EBCI's social media channels we hope it will inspire others to be deliberate about expressing solidarity and togetherness to brain cancer patients nationwide."

The GBM Patient & TOGETHER Day event will offer panel discussions and roundtables for attendees to ask questions and interact. Mydland adds, "Our goal is to educate and point patients to resources as well as promising treatments. Overall, though, we really want them to have fun and enjoy themselves." EBCI will also be presenting its first "What Empowers You Award" to the 2019 winner, Robert "Alec" Swayngham who will be on hand with his wife visiting from Alaska. The award was given based on a review of many nominations of brain cancer survivors who have inspiring stories of survival and what motivates them to move ahead. The award is cosponsored by AbbVie and Novocure.

Other regional companies have donated (or offered at a reduced cost) resources and services for the event. They include Nieman Marcus offering Jo Malone body products and makeovers using Chantecaille makeup products, The Dream Clinic offering massage services, Charles Cutugno Photography offering portrait photos and prints, and Cavalier Films conducting interviews.

There are still a few seats available. Go to http://www.endbraincancer.org/patientday to learn more or to connect to registration. The event is free and open to any brain cancer patient, past or present, as well as caregivers and families.

ABOUT the EndBrainCancer Initiative
The EndBrainCancer Initiative (EBCI, formerly the Chris Elliott Fund) is a national brain cancer and brain tumor patient advocacy and services organization and 501(c) 3 social enterprise with offices in Redmond, Washington. Established in 2002 and now celebrating 17 years of service, EBCI is committed to finding a cure for brain cancer and bringing HOPE to the lives of patients and their families through its programs:
"Direct Connect" Patient Support and Services Program
Brain Tumor Disease Education, Awareness, and Outreach Program
Brain Tumor Patient Advocacy and Access
First Step Initiative
Team Up Initiative

Since its founding, EBCI has helped thousands of patients, caregivers, and their families and has become a credible and trusted resource at all levels in the brain cancer treatment community from patients to research institutions to pharmaceutical and regulatory entities advocating on the National and State level for the approval and reimbursement of new therapies for cancer patients. EBCI also participates as the "Patient Voice" in clinical trial design, an example can be seen in CNS Oncology (Link to Article).

The EndBrainCancer Initiative (EBCI) also participates in a program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), Neuro-Oncology Branch (NOB) called NCI-CONNECT (Comprehensive Oncology Network Evaluating Rare CNS Tumors). The program aims to advance the understanding of rare adult central nervous system (CNS) cancers by establishing and fostering patient-advocacy-provider partnerships and networks to improve approaches to care and treatment.

EBCI supports about 900+ patients, caregivers and families, free of charge annually through its "Direct Connect" Program, and provide Education/Awareness/Outreach to over 8.7 million annually, including members of the Brain Tumor Community. EBCI is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO), American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, American Association for Cancer Research, and Life Sciences Washington, among other organizations.

If we can help, please contact us at WeCare(at)EndBrainCancer(dot)org or 425.444.2215. To support EBCI's efforts, programs, and services, provide a gift today at http://www.endbraincancer.org.

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SOURCE EndBrainCancer Initiative