Having breast cancer can result in great upheaval in your life. We are hoping to turn that upheaval into a force for change and that change is for a better you.
The Thrivership Program has been designed by a dedicated team of health professionals who know there is more to be done for our breast cancer patients. We have doctors, physios, psychologists, nurses, therapists, charities and support services, all on board to provide the help you need to make some positive steps in your health journey.
We have developed a five step program of interactive lectures and Q&A to help understand how breast cancer can impact your life and how you can minimise that impact. Topics covered will include surgery and post operative recovery, lymphoedema prevention and management, the importance of nutrition and exercise, psychological aspects of breast cancer and looking after your sexual health.
The program will be run three times a year and you can pick up the lectures at any stage through the year, as many times as you want!
The lectures will take place on Saturday morning between 9am and 11am at a variety of locations around the Sunshine Coast.
This seminar reveals what happens to our body when you undergo surgery and how that may limit your activity, either temporarily or more permanently. It will also look at how radiation can change the bodies ability to function at its very best. Most importantly, we will be looking at how exercise and physiotherapy can help restore your body to working order. Possibly even better than before!
Your speakers for this seminar will include a breast surgeon, a radiation oncologist and a physiotherapist with a specialty interest in breast cancer and exercise.
Lymphoedema is a potential chronic and debilitating side effect following breast cancer treatment. This lecture will educate you on what lymphoedema is, how you can prevent lymphoedema, and even how it can be reversed in early stages. We will also discuss best practice management for anyone with existing lymphoedema.
Eating well, achieving and maintaining good nutrition throughout treatment and recovery, is vital. We will identify dietary approaches to managing treatment effects and talk through the science of good nutrition.
Your speakers for this seminar will include a medical oncologist, a dietitian specialising in cancer care and a physiotherapist with expertise in lymphoedema management.
Sexual wellbeing means different things to different people. In this seminar we will be identifying changes that can occur to our bodies that can impact on sexual health and pelvic function as a result of the different treatment regimes for Breast Cancer. The changes affect people differently, but it is important to understand what may happen, why it happens and most importantly, how you can address the issues in a positive way.
Your speakers will include a Medical Oncologist, Urogynaecologist and Physiotherapists who are skilled in managing pelvic health with a special interest in Breast Cancer.
Individuals may experience a range of emotions following a diagnosis of breast cancer and these feelings can change or become more intense at different stages throughout the treatment trajectory. This seminar will focus on how a diagnosis may affect an individual, including the impact of breast cancer on emotional well-being, relationships with others, and cognitive functions such as memory and concentration. As well, there is often the assumption that after treatment life returns to “normal”, but for many that “normal” has been redefined. We will discuss the importance of optimising your psychological health throughout treatment and beyond in order to navigate the unwanted changes brought about by a cancer diagnosis, and how to access specialist support in the community.
Speakers at this seminar will include a Clinical Psychologist, a Breast Cancer Survivor who is now completing her Post-Graduate studies in Counselling and who has a special interest in optimising the quality of life in cancer patients, and a Radiation Oncologist.
There is a fabulous life to lead after breast cancer. Sometimes we just need a little help to find it and embrace it. Sometimes that help and support will need to be ongoing. This session is an opportunity to explore a range of ancillary support services that exist on the Coast, in and informal “market place” style expo. Chat to any or all of the wonderful support people here, about what they can provide to make your life easier - whether it be mentoring, prostheses, personal training or just a swimsuit that fits!
We will have surgeons, oncologists, physios, breast care nurses and psychologists here to answer questions in an informal setting.
The Thrivership Program organisers are looking forward to meeting everyone and would ask if you would please register yourself and indicate the total number of people in your group to give us a idea of the number of attendees.
Seminar Selection:
Please select the seminar dates that best suit your schedule. Feel free to to mix and match across seminar series.
With the changes COVID-19 is bringing to our daily lives we have found it necessary to postpone the delivery of our seminars, rest assured when it is safe for you, our program attendees and our speakers and support team we will reschedule as many seminars as is possible.
Stay in touch with the Thrivership team and be informed of any program changes and updates on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/thrivership/.
With the rapid changes COVID-19 is bringing to our daily lives, the Thrivership Program team wishes to assure you that we continue to monitor current Government, health and medical advice to determine when we may be able to reinstate delivery of our seminars, rest assured when it is safe for you, our program attendees and our speakers and support team we will reschedule as many seminars as is possible.
Stay in touch with the Thrivership team and be informed of any program changes and updates on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/thrivership/.
We thank you for your patience and understanding during this challenging time.