Tory Burch, a name synonymous with luxury fashion, can now be associated with breast cancer awareness — as was demonstrated Friday at the 20th annual Life After Breast Cancer conference.
A fashion show — with clothes from Tory Burch’s Fall 2011 collection — was the highlight of the conference, held by Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center at the Hilton Hotel. Nineteen different women, each of them with their own story about cancer, modeled the clothing.
Tory Burch herself introduced the models, saying, “I can think of no one better than our patients to wear [the clothes]. These are the women who are most inspiring to me.”
Jeanne Marren Egan, a breast cancer survivor who modeled in the show, became the special events manager for Living Beyond Breast Cancer after beating cancer herself. The organization’s main purpose is to “provide services for women after diagnosis,” she explained. In particular, LBBC is especially known for their annual yoga class on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Egan has been managing this event for the past couple of years.
The other models are no less active in the community. Leila Kolter-Joffe, who was diagnosed seven years ago at age 36 — a day after her youngest son’s birthday — is now a volunteer at the Abramson Cancer Center after her own experience being treated there. She also teaches theatre to senior citizens at the Katz Jewish Community Center. “I’m very grateful to Abramson Cancer Center. I was treated like an individual, not just as a patient,” she said. “And now I’m cured.”
The Life After Breast Cancer Conference drew hundreds of participants from a wide variety of backgrounds. The conference was free and open to the public, and provided information about various aspects of cancer care. “It features physicians, nurses, nutritionists, geneticists, surgeons … the whole gamut speaking to women about these issues,” said Carla Fisher, a breast cancer surgeon at Penn’s Rena Rowan Breast Center at the Abramson Cancer Center.
Breast cancer wasn’t the only topic covered at the conference, which touched on the issue for three different groups: women who have breast cancer, women who have high genetic risk for cancer and also survivors of gynecological cancers. Throughout the course of the day, women learned about nutritional and lifestyle choices that they can make, as well as about the latest treatments and cutting-edge research.
After a day filled with workshops on such serious matters, the women in the audience could sit back and enjoy a fashion show being modeled by real women who have fought cancer. The models strutted confidently down the runway in their Tory Burch outfits. Many added a little flare to their walk, waving their arms to show off a handbag or taking off a jacket and swinging it as they turn.
“This is a fun day,” Kolter-Joffe said.
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