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Area breast cancer conference to outline more treatment options

The North Fork Breast Health Coalition will host its first ever Integrative Approaches to Cancer Care Conference on Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Hotel Indigo ballroom in Riverhead.

Attendees will hear from a diverse panel of experts, including specialists in oncology, acupuncture, naturopathic medicine and functional nutrition. Together, they’ll share empowering strategies to enhance treatment. After the break, the second session will offer the opportunity for individuals to address their needs in a Q and A session.

This conference was born from the experience of Rob Stromski, treasurer of the North Fork Breast Health Coalition, and his late wife, Keri. When she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, the couple sought a more holistic approach to her treatment. “When we started through her treatment, there were a lot of things that we didn’t know. So we started to delve into the possibilities of doing integrated medicine using Western medicine, chemotherapy, and then also Eastern medicine, herbs and supplements and so forth,” Mr. Stromski said. 

The couple attended an integrative care conference in Tampa, Fla., and decided to bring the concept to Long Island, with the goal of informing people here of their options and educating on the benefits of these broader therapies. Mr. Stromski credits this broader level of care for his wife’s resilience throughout her treatment. “The basic thing that we’re trying to do with this is to just give people as much information as they can about what treatments are available, what things they can do, how they can even take control of their own treatments and just to empower themselves, because knowledge is power,” said Mr. Stromski. 

The North Fork Breast Health Coalition hopes to expand the conference in the future to a two-day event, allowing people who travel to stay overnight and giving more time to speakers and informative sessions. This event, in addition to the annual Pink Pearl Gala, stage four fundraiser and a planned lobby day in Washington, D.C., are extending the mission of the NFBHC throughout the year. “We’re putting together a legislative agenda for the year. So we’re going to focus on identifying some state issues that we can we can help with,” said Melanie McEvoy, president of North Fork Breast Health Coalition.

The North Fork Breast Health Coalition expects around a hundred people to attend. Registration is recommended, but not required. 

“I think this is very timely. We’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, and there is really nothing like it out here,” said Ms. McEvoy.

For more information, or to register, visit https://www.northforkbreasthealth.org/events.