It is hard to point to the highlight of CFFC’s Education Night – there were too many good aspects of the evening to pick out just one.
The event started with pleasant conversation fueled by complementary food and beverages. The space at Steadfast was bright and airy. The appetizers were creative, plentiful and tasty. The available drinks included a cocktail – a purple cocktail – created specially for our event. We also got yummy cheesecake popsicles during the break between the keynote and discussion groups. The hospitality of the staff at Steadfast added the crowing touch to our event.
Our event sponsors not only provided financial support but also contributed to our education theme. They offered updates on their products and answered questions from our attendees. The sponsoring companies were Chiesi, Vertex, RespirTech, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy and AbbVie. We also had information tables for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Just Breathe Foundation who support the CF community at the national and local levels, respectively.
The formal program began with the keynote presentation by Jackie Henry from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She gave us an overview of the services provided through the Compass program. She also touched on other CFF initiatives that serve the CF community. A few members of the audience shared personal success stories of interactions with Compass. The information provided by Jackie can be found in the Compass Presentation – Jackie Henry. The document includes a link to a YouTube video presenting excerpts of actual Compass calls.
We closed the night with three discussion groups: (a) dealing with the emotions and stress of CF, (b) managing the transition from adolescent to adult, and (c) preparing for transplant and other mindful choices. The best indication of the success of these conversations was the need to break them up so Steadfast could open for its regular business.
We thank the Education Night committee who turned ideas into a plan. We also thank Toni Weasner (of Toni Events) who led the effort to execute that plan (and provided the pictures). Most of all, we thank the participants who made time in their schedules for CFFC Education Night.