Breast cancer survivor and former host of Good Morning America, Joan Lunden, will be the featured speaker at the 16th annual Baylor Health Care System Foundation Celebrating Women luncheon on Thursday, October 15, at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas. The announcement was first shared with an excited group of Celebrating Women committee members at the Kick-Off Reception, held at Neiman Marcus Downtown in Dallas, Texas.
Joan Lunden is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, health and wellness advocate, motivational speaker, successful entrepreneur, and a mom of seven children. As the longest running host ever on early morning TV, Lunden greeted viewers every morning on Good Morning America for nearly 20 years. In June 2014, Lunden was diagnosed with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, which required chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. Since then, she has shared her journey with the world, becoming a prominent voice in the breast cancer community. An eternal optimist, Lunden decided to take her diagnosis and turn it into an opportunity to help demystify cancer treatment.
Since the first Celebrating Women luncheon in 2000, more than $24 million has been raised to support Baylor Health Care System's fight against breast cancer. Every four hours, someone in Dallas-Fort Worth is diagnosed with breast cancer. Donations to Celebrating Women have supported advanced diagnostic equipment, innovative clinical research, and most importantly, safe, quality, compassionate care for Baylor's patients and families. Approximately 1200 passionate men and women attend the Celebrating Women luncheon each year in a show of support for Baylor's efforts to fight the disease.
"We are so grateful to all those who have joined us over the past 15 years in the fight against breast cancer," said Rowland K. Robinson, president of Baylor Health Care System Foundation. "Every donation in support of Celebrating Women has had a positive ripple effect on breast cancer treatment and care for our patients and their families. It's truly inspiring to see our community come together year after year with such tremendous enthusiasm for this cause – one that touches us all."
Nancy Carter will chair the Celebrating Women luncheon this year, and Beth Layton and Vicky Lattner will serve as underwriting chairmen.
At the luncheon, Lunden is expected to speak about the importance of early detection and her experience battling the disease. "I heard those words every woman fears and never wants to hear, 'you have breast cancer.' The secret of having a good prognosis is catching it early. If you catch it early…we have the medicine to deal with it. If you catch it early, you probably will survive it and you have to keep doing those self-exams and you have to be getting your mammograms," Lunden shared in an interview with The Huffington Post. "What's important to me is that at the end of my life you see that year I was born and the year I died and you see that dash in between. I want to have done something with that dash. Not that I wanted to be presented with cancer to deal with, but it got dropped in my lap and I chose to do something positive with it."
For information about underwriting opportunities and tickets to Celebrating Women, call 214.820.4500 or email CelebratingWomen@BaylorHealth.edu. Sponsorship and underwriting opportunities are still available; individual tickets start at $250 and table prices start at $2,500.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Jennifer McDowell
214-820-4581
jennifer.mcdowell@baylorhealth.edu
About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com
