Last week, I was so fortunate to attend the American Cancer Society’s 96th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. What a fascinating week it was! The Society’s Annual Meeting is an opportunity for the organization’s two governing bodies and their hundreds of volunteer leaders who are cancer experts and community advocates from across the country to come together to do the very serious work of fighting cancer.

There were discussions about health care reform (something that must happen if we are going to reach its goal of eliminating cancer as a major health problem), the rising tide of obesity and its potential impact on the cancer problem, and of course, the latest cancer screening news. It was both invigorating and comforting to see such passion, expertise, and talent being put to work to create a world with more birthdays!

But the session that was most energizing for me was the general session about “The Power and Influence of Women.” It was all about how important women like me are in the fight against cancer. Marketing expert Marti Barletta, the session’s keynote speaker, talked about the different segments of the female market – pre-family, family-focused, and post-family or “prime time” women. Each of these segments represent different life stages of women and each segment has something important to offer the cancer fight – whether it’s their time and talents, their considerable influence on family health habits, or their significant buying power.

After Marti’s presentation, a panel with representatives from Curves, Macys, BlogHer, and others talked about how their companies are reaching and serving women today. During the discussion, Curves CEO, Mike Raymond, said that “women need permission to take care of themselves.” So true! That really hit home with me. It’s clear that women are key to the fight against cancer, but part of that will require us to take better care of ourselves – something I know I need to do a better job of too.

All in all, spending time with so many passionate volunteers and learning how important women are in the fight against cancer left me inspired to do more for myself, my family, and my community to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. I can’t wait to do more with the American Cancer Society!