Curves Meet Courage Lipedema Conference Summary

Curves Meet Courage Lipedema Conference Summary
Rutgers University in Newark, NJ / June 12, 2016

Bob, Noelle and I were invited by Katia Page to come to her Lipedema Conference, and participate on a panel. If you have not had the pleasure of meeting Katia, let me tell you that she is kind and incredibly caring (and extremely funny), always on the go, fighting to spread awareness of Lipedema, and even created a company called The Lipedema Queen in an effort to raise funds for those patients needing treatment, supplies, etc.

The conference Katia put on was a gathering of Lipedema ladies sharing their personal stories (Amy Jo Blake, Patricia Deckler, Pamela Orlowicz, and Suzanne Pfuhl - all were incredibly moving and made me quite emotional as I related to them all); Surgeons from NYC Surgical Associates speaking towards WAL Liposuction, and the non-surgical treatment of MLD (Manual Lymphatic Drainage); Flexitouch Treatment Specialists talked about what Flexitouch can do in addition to MLD; a Psychiatrist (Dr. Pearl Pfuhl) talked about the emotional side of Living with Lipedema and other chronic illnesses; Coach/hubby and I talked about fitness and fighting for your mobility; a lovely plus size model from Florida (Lejoyea) and an equally lovely plus size enthusiast and author (Tro-Jah Irby-Morgan) talked about loving the body you are in right now, which is so very important.

Just as Lipedema is multi-faceted, so was this conference. I liked that it covered many areas of living with lipedema, and what we do on a daily basis.

Sitting and chatting with fellow lipedema ladies is always a huge plus at conferences, and hanging with Polly Armour always makes not only myself, but Coach/hubby smile. Meeting Amy and Suzanne and her mum Pearl were a real treat, too. Looking forward to the next gathering.

I thank Katia and all those supportive folks she had helping her during the conference, you all did good Katia, you all did real good!

June is Lipedema Awareness Month