DiabetesSisters’ National Conference Addresses Unique Challenges of Women with Diabetes April 29 – May 1, 2011 in Raleigh, NC

by 02/17/2011

RALEIGH, NC– DiabetesSisters is pleased to announce that registration for the 2011 Weekend for Women Conference in Raleigh, NC will open on January 1, 2011 at 8am. The Conference, a revolutionary national weekend conference designed specifically for women with diabetes, will take place April 29 – May 1, 2011 at the Marriott City Center in downtown Raleigh. The Weekend for Women Conference is open to all women with diabetes age 18 and older. Participants will attend educational sessions on gender-specific topics related to diabetes treatment and management (such as pregnancy, body image, concurrent illnesses, nutrition, physical fitness), engage with other women living successfully with diabetes, receive unbiased information on the emergence of new equipment and medications, and learn new tactics for improving their mental and physical health. The Conference Exhibit Hall will be open from 8am-5pm on Saturday, April 30th. To kick off the educational sessions on Saturday morning, the seated breakfast will feature nationally renowned singer and entertainer, Gloria Loring. Ms. Loring is the recording artist of the #1 hit song Friends and Lovers; co-composer of television theme songs Diff’rent Strokes and Facts of Life; an audience favorite from daytime TV’s Days of Our Lives; mother of a child with diabetes; spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; and author of four books about diabetes, including Kids, Food, and Diabetes, Parenting a Child with Diabetes, and Living with Type 2 Diabetes: Moving Past the Fear. Registration for the Conference is offered at a subsidized rate of $100 and includes all meals and snacks on Saturday (including the Celebration of Strength Dinner), breakfast on Sunday, attendance at all eight educational sessions, and many other giveaway items. Conference registration must be made online at www.diabetessisters.org. A discounted group rate of $99 per night has been secured at Marriott City Center. Hotel reservations can be made using group code DSSDSSA by phone at 1-888-236-2427 or online at http://cwp.marriott.com/rdumc/diabetessisters2011. “The Weekend for Women Conference was like no conference I have ever attended before! I was surrounded by women like me-women with diabetes…all types of diabetes from all over the US. It was motivational…and so educational!” said Markee Flint, 2010 Weekend for Women Conference attendee. Women with diabetes face unique challenges with fluctuating blood sugars due to the hormones of menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. Most women with diabetes are not educated about their increased health risks–such as heart disease, clinical depression, osteoporosis, eating disorders, and body image disorders. For example, women with diabetes are up to five times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than are women who do not have diabetes. These consequences are serious; deaths from cardiovascular disease in women with diabetes have increased by 23 percent over the past 30 years, while the death rate from cardiovascular disease has dropped by 27 percent in women without diabetes. “The unique needs of women with diabetes have been overlooked for far too long and this Conference is filling a void in our current healthcare system. It is always wonderful to see women coming together to support and educate each other,” said Brandy Barnes, Founder and CEO of DiabetesSisters Sponsors of the 2011 Weekend for Women Conference include Sanofi-Aventis, Roche Diagnostics, Novo Nordisk, Terry & Louise Gregg, Lifescan, GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott Diabetes, Bayer Diabetes, Dexcom, Medtronic, Kerr Health, and the North Carolina Diabetes Advisory Council. For more information about sponsoring or exhibiting at the Conference, please contact Brandy Barnes, DiabetesSisters’ Founder/CEO at [email protected]. About DiabetesSisters DiabetesSisters is a national 501c3 non-profit health organization whose mission is to improve the health and quality of life of women with, and those at risk of developing diabetes and to advocate on their behalf. The organization’s key initiatives include the orange:will campaign, SisterMatch Program, sisterTALK Blogs, the Women’s Forum, Ask the Experts Column, local Meetups and the Annual Weekend for Women Conference. For more information, please visit http://www.diabetessisters.org.

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