The Cody Dieruf Foundation is excited to announce the “2022 We Walk Together” retreat for mothers of children and adults living with cystic fibrosis.
Presenters Kecia Nelson & Heather Rosenfeld Walter will be joining us in person this year!
They will cover topics such as the emotional well-being of the family, understanding of emotional well-being discussions with the care team, and others, and work on strategies for communication improvement (advocacy for your CF child, relationship building with the doctors and team, etc.).
Taralynn Horton will walk us through an art therapy session and Martha Modawell will be joining us again to teach yoga.
This retreat is limited to 20 participants. If you are able to join us at Chico Hot Springs from November 14th – November 16th, use
this link to register.
Times: Monday, November 14th, 4:15. pm through 1:00 pm on Wednesday, November 16th.
Please plan to attend the full retreat. Check-in at Chico begins at 3 pm on Monday.
Retreat activities will be held in the convention center.
Lodging: All rooms are double occupancy in the lower lodge at Chico. Roommate requests will be honored if both participants request to share a room in their registration.
Cost: The foundation will cover all expenses for the retreat, lodging, and meals. A $100 deposit at registration will reserve your spot and will be refunded after your participation in the retreat.
Registration begins Wednesday, September 21st. Limited to 20 participants. Registration will be online. The link to register will be posted in the Montana CF moms retreat group and emailed.
Note: We strive to create an environment that supports safe participation for all, especially those who are returning home to our CF families and for those attending with special health needs. Masks, hand sanitizer, and tissues will be available in the conference center.
Questions?
Please contact Laura Mentch, retreat coordinator, at 406.600.9867, lauramentch@icloud.com or Pam Western, Executive Director for The Cody Dieruf Foundation, 406.539.7612, pam@breathinisbelievin.org
Kecia L Nelson, MSW, LCSW is the Social Worker and Mental Health Coordinator for the MU Women’s and Children’s CF Program at the University of Missouri. Kecia has worked as a clinical social worker in the CF Clinic at the MU Health System for the last 21 years in both their adult and pediatric CF centers. She has served on the Transition Advisory Committee for Gilead Sciences to develop the CF RISE transition tools. She has chaired the psychosocial portion of the North American CF Conference for the last 7 years. She has been both a speaker and a moderator at psychosocial sessions for both NACFC and for the CF Social Work and Nutrition Consortium. She has a passion for mental health for both CF patients, and their caregivers and families.
Heather L. Walter (Ph.D. State University of NY at Buffalo, 1999) is the Director of the School of Communication at The University of Akron and a professor of organizational communication.
Dr. Walter’s research is focused in the area of organizational communication and conflict, with a focus on health organizations and post-trauma health communication. She has published many journal articles and chapters on this topic, including several case studies designed to show the applied nature of communication research. She currently serves as a faculty fellow for the Center for Conflict Management and works regularly with local community organizations and hospitals to improve communication skills and patient advocacy.
Dr. Walter has a 15-year-old daughter with Cystic Fibrosis and has used the CF parent experience to apply the knowledge generated in the communication discipline to those sharing the CF fight. Dr. Walter has spoken to groups of CF parents, patients, doctors, and care teams at national conferences (such as CFRI and NACFC) and CF center education nights. She also recorded interactive lectures as part of the online Bright Beginnings New CF Parent training course.
Register
HERE if you are able to join us from November 14
th – November 16
th.
