Healthy for the Holidays

Join Our 17th Annual Holiday Educational Event

Join cancer survivors, patients, caregivers, and family members for our 17th annual Healthy for the Holidays educational event. Learn practical wellness strategies, connect with others in the survivorship community, and enjoy a festive morning of education and support.

Please register by November 30 to reserve your spot.

Coffee, tea, and a light breakfast will be provided. Attendees will also have a chance to win raffle prizes.

Parking & Directions:

Complimentary parking is available in the employee parking lot off Aloha Street (across from the clinic building). Please look for signs that will lead you to this parking area. There will be balloons that will direct you down to the Thomas Building.

Disabled parking will be available in front of the Thomas Building located off Campus Drive.

Driving & Parking Directions (PDF)

Date:

Saturday-Sunday, December 05-06, 2026

Start Time:

8:30 a.m. PST

Host or Sponsor:

Fred Hutch Survivorship Program

Location:

Thomas Building, Pelton Auditorium

Address:
Fred Hutch Cancer Center campus
1100 Fairview Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98109

Thomas Building, Pelton Auditorium:
Direction to the Thomas Building

Fred Hutch Campus:
View the Fred Hutch Campus Map

Cost:

Free

Contact Information:

survivor@fredhutch.org
206.667.2013

Agenda

The program includes educational presentations, wellness strategies, self-care techniques, networking opportunities, and raffle prizes.

8:30 a.m.

Event Check In, Coffee & Light Breakfast

8:55 a.m.

Welcome, Opening Remarks

9:00 a.m.

Biological Joy: Why Laughter Belongs in Cancer Care

9:40 a.m.

Break – Exhibitor Networking

10:00 a.m.

Comfort in Your Own Hands: Acupressure and Self-Care for the Winter Season

10:40 a.m.

Break – Exhibitor Networking

11:00 a.m.

Gut Joy: A Holiday Feast for Your Microbiome

12:00 p.m.

Closing Remarks, Raffle Prizes

Topics & Speakers

9:00 a.m. - Biological Joy: Why Laughter Belongs in Cancer Care

Glenn Rockowitz, PhD

Director of Support Services, Cancer Pathways
Author, Rodeo in Joliet and The Oscillation Method

Cancer asks people to live in two realities at once: fear, grief, uncertainty and loss alongside moments of laughter, connection, pleasure and ordinary life. Too often, we assume that one somehow diminishes the other.

Drawing from psycho-oncology, neuroscience, psychoneuroimmunology and more than two decades of lived experience with cancer, Glenn Rockowitz explores what happens when we stop treating joy as an escape from suffering and begin understanding it as part of how humans regulate through it.

Using the framework of the Oscillation Method, Glenn will examine how humor, laughter and positive emotional experiences can help the nervous system move between distress and restoration—without denying, minimizing or “positivity-washing” the reality of cancer.

At its heart, the talk asks a simple question: What if laughter during cancer isn’t a distraction from coping, but part of the biology of coping itself?

10:00 a.m. - Comfort in Your Own Hands: Acupressure and Self-Care for the Winter Season

Blake Langley, ND, LAc

Fred Hutch Cancer Center

This session includes a brief lecture and hands-on guided practice using seated acupressure (self-massage) techniques. Learn about the theory behind the winter season through the lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine, taste some herbal teas, and learn how to do acupressure designed to support your body and immune system during the cold and dark. Participants will also receive a take-home acupressure point map and summary of the talk.

11:00 a.m. - Gut Joy: A Holiday Feast for Your Microbiome

Kerry K. McMillen, MS, RD, CSO, FAND

Kate Ueland, MS, RD, CSO

Fred Hutch Cancer Center

Celebrate the season by nourishing the many microbes that support your gut health! Join us for an engaging, practical discussion about the power of dietary fiber and the benefits of eating a diverse variety of plant foods. Discover delicious ways to incorporate more whole foods into your meals, while exploring how food choices can support your gut microbiome and overall well-being during cancer survivorship. Leave with simple, achievable ideas and recipes to bring more variety, flavor and joy to your plate this holiday season and beyond!