Ariella Chivil, Cancer Patient Advocate Keynote, at 2019 CRI Immunotherapy Patient Summit in Boston
Ariella Chivil, a CRI ImmunoAdvocate, shares her story of self-advocacy and resilience as a young survivor of Hodgkin lymphoma at the 2019 CRI Immunotherapy Summit in Boston. https://www.cancerresearch.org/summit #CRIsummit Ariella Chivil reflects on the importance of asking for help and being an expert in your experience: “Talk to your doctor. It’s important that you get the knowledge you need and feel empowered as you navigate your treatment options...” Ariella’s message resonated with many patients in the audience, with one attendee noting, “I feel inspired and more hopeful than I have felt in a long time.” Ariella Chivil was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2010, just before her junior year of college. After completing 14 different treatment protocols, each with its own set of side effects and complications, Ariella enrolled in a clinical trial of a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor named nivolumab (Opdivo®). Her first scans after beginning the trial showed a marked reduction in her tumors. Two years later, Ariella was off treatment. Now five years off treatment with no evidence of disease, Ariella is considered a candidate for survivorship. Read more about Ariella: https://www.cancerresearch.org/patien... The 2019 CRI Immunotherapy Summit in Boston was held at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute on July 27, 2019. Cancer Research Institute Immunotherapy Patient Summits are free half-day Saturday events that provide a forum for patients, caregivers, and advocates to meet together along with scientific and healthcare experts to learn more about how new breakthroughs in immunotherapy are changing standards of care for all cancers. Register at https://www.cancerresearch.org/summit Established in 1953, the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is dedicated to harnessing our immune system's power to control and potentially cure all cancers. To accomplish this, we rely on donor support and collaborative partnerships to fund and carry out the most innovative clinical and laboratory research around the world, support the next generation of the field's leaders, and serve as the trusted source of information on immunotherapy for cancer patients and their caregivers. Our Mission: Save more lives by fueling the discovery and development of powerful immunotherapies for all types of cancer. https://www.cancerresearch.org
