Breast cancer survivors, family and friends will come together on Tuesday, October 21, for the 15th annual Breast Cancer Celebration of Survivorship of the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline & Support Program. The free event, held at Adelphi's University Center Ballroom in Garden City, LI, begins at 6:15 pm with a light supper; the program starts at 7 pm.

Six breast cancer survivors will speak about their personal experiences with the disease and what sustained them and helped them to move forward:

Dara Richardson-Heron, MD, a 10-year survivor of breast cancer, is chief executive officer of the Greater New York Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists. The Network Journal named Dr. Richardson-Heron one of the "25 Influential Black Women in Business."

Angela DiPietra is a volunteer with the Adelphi Breast Cancer Hotline. She was 35 when diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago. Ms. DiPietra is a licensed massage therapist who will receive her RN degree next spring.

Meredith Norton is the author of Lopsided: How Having Breast Cancer Can Be Really Distracting (Viking, 2008), an insightful and witty memoir about how she handled friends, family and herself when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 34. (Her book will be available for sale.)

Serap Yildrim, born in Turkey and now a resident of the US, was in her late 20s, married and the mother of a little girl when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. She decided that she wanted to help other women like her and so she has established a breast cancer web site in Turkish (www.umitliyiz.com).

Terilyn Delnick was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. At the time, she was caring for her elderly mother who was recuperating from heart surgery. What kept her going, she says, was her sense of humor, an encouraging medical team, the support of her family, and the Adelphi Breast Cancer Program where she attended numerous programs.

Roxie Muir-Rahmani, a mother of two, was diagnosed in 2004 with Stage-II breast cancer. Ten months earlier she had gotten a mammogram but the results were not forwarded to her. Her goal is to tell her story and educate others so that they might be able to be proactive about their health. Ms. Muir-Rahmani was born in Costa Rica and raised in New York.

There is no charge. Reservations are required; call 516-877-4325.

Anyone who is worried about breast cancer should call the hotline for help at 800-877-8077. You are not alone.