Olympic Gymnast Shannon Miller Guest Speaker At LCMH Cancer Event

EVERGREEN PARK, IL -- Cancer patients, survivors and those who support them are invited to a cancer survivor event hosted by Little Company of Mary Hospital on Saturday, Nov. 3. The full-day program will be held from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hilton, 5000 W. 127th St., Alsip. The program is intended to offer encouragement and celebrate the courage of cancer survivors and patients.

The featured keynote speaker is Shannon Miller, the most decorated gymnast in American history and seven-time Olympic medalist. Miller courageously battled and beat ovarian cancer. (SUBSCRIBE: Get Real-Time Alerts and a Daily Newsletter for Evergreen Park.)

Miller is the only female athlete to be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame twice, both as an individual (2006) and part of a team (2008). She has won an astounding 59 international and 49 national competition medals. Over half of these have been gold. She is the first U.S. gymnast to win two World All-Around Titles, and her tally of five medals (two silver, three bronze) at the 1992 Olympics was the most won by a U.S. athlete in any sport. At the 1996 games, she led the “Magnificent Seven” to the U.S. women’s first-ever team gold, and for the first time for any American gymnast, she captured gold on the balance beam.

After retiring from Olympic competition, Miller received undergraduate degrees in marketing and entrepreneurship from the University of Houston and her law degree from Boston College. She then became an advocate for the health and wellness of women and children. Miller launched her company, Shannon Miller Lifestyle: Health and Fitness for Women, which empowers women to make their health a priority through programs, education and awareness.

In 2011, Miller was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer. She had the baseball-sized tumor removed successfully and followed up with an aggressive chemotherapy regimen. Now cancer-free, Miller continues to be a strong advocate for awareness and early detection. Miller has taken the lessons learned through obstacles faced as an elite athlete, as a young adult and from her journey with cancer to put together an inspirational new book, It’s Not About Perfect: Competing for My Country and Fighting for My Life.

Following the featured presentation, guests can participate in various breakout sessions on a number of valuable topics. The event also will include lunch, an afternoon frozen yogurt social and raffle. This event is open to all cancer patients, survivors and those who support them. Registration is required. Tickets are $25. For more information and to register and purchase tickets, visit Little Company of Mary Cancer Survivor Event, or call 708-229-5215.

Photo: Shannon Miller | Media Punch/Shutterstock