Pardee Hospital Foundation to host 19th annual Women Helping Women luncheon

TV Personality and Bestselling Author Joan Lunden to be Keynote Speaker

Nominations for Woman of Hope Award Being Accepted Now Through Sept. 15

The Pardee Hospital Foundation announced today that former Good Morning America host, bestselling author and breast cancer survivor Joan Lunden will be the keynote speaker at the19th annual Women Helping Women luncheon on Friday, Oct. 28 at 11:30 a.m. at the Technology Building at Blue Ridge Community College. Tickets to the luncheon are $125 each and are available at pardeehospitalfoundation.org or by calling 828-233-2700. Each ticket price helps provide for uninsured or under-insured women in the community to receive an important health screening. 

The luncheon will include the announcement of the 2016 Woman of Hope award recipients, for which nominations are currently being accepted. Every year, the Pardee Foundation honors at least one woman in the community who has experienced cancer or another serious health condition, and has shared her story of courage and determination. Community members are encouraged to nominate family, friends and colleagues for this award. Nominations will be accepted through Sept. 15. To complete a nomination form, visit http://pardeehospitalfoundation.org/support-the-foundation/women-helping-women/women-of-hope/.  

"We are pleased to host our 19th annual Women Helping Women Luncheon with Joan Lunden as our keynote speaker," said Kimerly Hinkelman, executive director of Pardee Hospital Foundation. "We hope you will join us to celebrate our 2016 Woman of Hope recipients and to hear Joan's powerful cancer survival story as well as from a woman who has benefited from the Women Helping Women program. Both men and women are invited to attend this special event." 

The Women Helping Women program began in 1998 primarily to help uninsured and under-insured women receive mammograms. The program has expanded over the years to include important screenings to prevent and treat all women’s cancers, heart disease, and other life-threatening medical conditions. As of 2016, Women Helping Women has raised over $2 million in financial assistance for women in Henderson County. Each ticket sold provides a potentially lifesaving health screening to one woman who otherwise would be unable to afford it.  

An award-winning journalist, bestselling author, motivational speaker, and women’s health & wellness advocate, Joan Lunden has been a trusted voice in American homes for more than 30 years. For nearly two decades, Lunden greeted viewers each morning on Good Morning America bringing insight to the day’s top stories. As the longest running female host ever on early morning television, Lunden reported from 26 countries, covered 5 presidents, 5 Olympics, and kept Americans up to date on how to care for their homes, their families, and their health. Lunden continues to be one of America’s most recognized and trusted personalities. She is a special correspondent on the TODAY Show, and a sought after speaker and event host throughout the country. In June of 2014, Lunden was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, which required chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. An eternal optimist, Lunden wanted to turn her diagnosis into an opportunity to help others. She blogged throughout her cancer treatment and wrote a memoir Had I Known, which documents her battle, and reflects on her life and career. Lunden serves as an ambassador for Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer, advocates for patients on Capitol Hill, and actively communicates with the cancer community through her social media and on her website.