AORN 2009 Blog

5:55am

We're taking a quick look inside the Hyatt Regency Ballroom where they have set-up for the meeting and are adding the finishing touches. Each place setting has a gift box that contains a pink scarf for attendees to wear throughout the week at the conference. There is also a sample of Medline’s new Pink Exam glove and a small breast cancer awareness themed calendar.

6:05am

Wow – It’s still almost 30 minutes before the doors open and people are already starting to line up! This view is from the top of the escalator. People actually check in on the first floor and there is a line forming there as well.

6:15am

Because so many people are arriving early we've decided to open the doors so they can start seating and serving breakfast.

6:30am

The room is filling up fast. There is a lot of energy in the room – O.R. Nurses definitely do not have any trouble getting up and going early in the morning.

6:35am

Linda Ellerbee has arrived. She has been sequestered out of the country writing her new book for the last month or so and flew in last night just for the meeting.

7:10am

Sue MacInnes, Medline’s Chief Marketing Officer, is getting things started. Medline started this event in 2005 to raise breast cancer awareness among nurses, as it is the leading cause of death for women age 40-55 and the average age of a nurse is 46.

7:13am

All the breast cancer survivors in the room are standing and being recognized for their courage and strength in fighting the disease.

7:15am

Linda Ellerbee takes the stage to a standing ovation. She is a 17-year breast cancer survivor, and starts by telling the crowd she is not unfamiliar with nurses and that, in fact, her best friend is an O.R. nurse.

7:45am

Linda has the crowd rolling with some very funny stories about how people react to finding out she has cancer. She also talked about how when her story became public, women began stopping her on the street and writing her to share their own experiences: “All of a sudden I belonged to the world’s biggest support group. Women still come up to me and whisper, ‘I’m in the club,’ or they’ll say straight out, ‘I’ve had breast cancer.’”

8:07am

Sue MacInnes is introducing Janelle Hail, a breast cancer survivor and the founder and president of the National Breast Cancer Foundation. She was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 34. With personal experience and a compassionate heart, she formed the foundation to reach out to women with breast cancer education and provide funding for women who cannot afford mammograms.

8:20am

Medline President Andy Mills presents Janelle Hail with a check for $100,000 to help fund mammograms for underserved women. Over the past four years, Medline has donated more than $350,000 to the NBCF as part of its campaign to promote early detection and awareness of breast cancer. Early detection (mammography is among the best forms of screening for breast cancer) can increase the five-year survival rate by more than 95 percent.

8:30am

The forum has come to a close – we are getting a lot of great feedback. Here are a couple of quick comments we picked up:

“Medline puts on a great program and I’ve always enjoyed Linda Ellerbee. She has a great story we can all benefit from.”

- Cheryle Grove, RN, Boston MA, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

“Linda Ellerbee was fantastic. So much of what she said was so true. Thank you Medline for putting on this great event.”

- Ellen Whitehead, RN, Georgia Surgical Center, Atlanta, GA – breast cancer survivor for 5 yearsd

“I’ve been to every breakfast Medline has sponsored. They are always worth getting up for. They are so inspirational and motivating.”

- Candee Bartel, RN, John Hopkins, Baltimore, MD

“The Medline breakfasts are wonderful events. The speakers are fantastic and they really touch a chord with the attendees.”

- Cathhy Woernle, Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, Bel Air, MD