Human Connection at SIO Part 1
I wanted to conclude my SIO2022 Oncology Conference series with this post but ehh… there might be a post or two left in me. Thank you for indulging.
On Day 1, I got there around 6 pm which meant I missed most events of that day. My travel was brief, mainly because I don’t like being away from the children. The plan was to get room service and call it night. As I was making my way past the lobby I noticed that the SIO group socializing at the poster session. I was tired from a long day, long flight, many hours at the airport pre-flight because of logistics (husband needed to be back for children’s pickup) and the 3 hour time difference, my body was running at the energy levels of an exhausted, working mother at the end of the day. But I didn’t want to miss this opportunity to introduce myself and get to know some of the attendees / organizers. I swiftly checked in, changed into a dress, put on some heels and made it to the poster session. Thank you adrenaline.
I knew exactly whom to seek out at the poster session. A week or so prior to the conference, an oncologist named Rushil Patel contacted me via LinkedIn saying he was intrigued by my work and urged me to stop by his poster. He had done a project on South Asian women with newly diagnosed breast cancer and their use of integrative medicine. He is a second generation American, and a practicing Hindu. Recently he received a ‘’ grant to carry on his work in understanding palliative care in the Hindu community that live in the Charlotte area. We had a meaningful conversation about my journey, and how aspects of it intersect his research. I curious to know what made Rushil contact me? He said when he looked at the list of speakers, my name was the only one that didn’t follow MD, PhD et. al. titles. Ha, so apt considering I was feeling like an imposter.
After connecting with him I looked at a few more posters, introduced myself to some members of the planning committee. It was apparent to me that most people that evening knew each other, possibly from previous conferences or because they are active with SIO. I felt a bit odd to break into any group mid-conversation, so I engaged with poster presenters or service providers that evening. Note to self: Next time I’m at a conference, keep an eye out for an attendee that doesn’t have an entourage and make an effort to connect.
The next morning, our day started at 7 am, which might be an early start for some, but I had been up since 3:30 am (blasted jetlag) so if anything, I was starving. Breakfast was laid out in the gardens, with a beautiful display of fruits, oatmeal, a fresh toasty bagel station, tea, coffee and juices. That morning I planted myself at the patient advocate table since that made most sense. I met some wonderful women and handed out my newly minted business cards to them. That’s the day I met Jodi, a patient advocate and part of the planning committee. She was the one that had reached out to me. Not only had she seen my TEDx talk, she had even read both my books. I felt like we had known each other forever.
I then introduced myself to a woman who told me she was visiting from Nigeria and this was her first time in the US. She talked about her work in Integrative Oncology, she was studying the benefits of traditional African medicinal herbs in cancer care. There were parallels between her work and Rushil’s, I made sure to talk to Rushil about her that afternoon.
The few hours of interacting with this group was enough for me to realize that at the heart of it all, degrees and research papers aside, we thrived on human connection. Interacting with similar minded people, exchanging information, learning and listening, in my case- mostly doing the talking, energized me and left me filled with a renewed purpose.
