Eye Am Not Alone (EANA) Patient Retreats
An annual gathering of patients, caregivers and practitioners
Agenda from 2017 Retreat at Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
The Largest Gathering of OM Patients & Caregivers in the World
The first OMF patient retreat was held Oct. 23-24, 2010 in Boston, MA at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The brainchild of Sara Selig, then a Board Member of OMF, the first retreat was funded by OMF with financial support from Delcath Systems and the Allen Family.
Given the overwhelmingly positive reception by OM patients and practitioners, many of whom had limited interaction with patients outside of the clinic, the Eye Am Not Alone retreat became a yearly event, and is to date the largest gathering of ocular melanoma patients and caregivers in the world. The retreat has been hosted at some of the leading eye institutions in the world, including Bascom Palmer, Stanford University, Thomas Jefferson University and the Cleveland Clinic.
With the backing of generous sponsors such as Castle Biosciences, all costs of the meeting, including meals/snacks, event space, A/V, printed materials and overhead for support staff, are generally covered, patients simply need to pay for their transportation and lodging. OMF has historically offered additional grants through the TAG (Travel Assistance Grant) program to offset these travel and lodging costs as well.
Given the overwhelmingly positive reception by OM patients and practitioners, many of whom had limited interaction with patients outside of the clinic, the Eye Am Not Alone retreat became a yearly event, and is to date the largest gathering of ocular melanoma patients and caregivers in the world. The retreat has been hosted at some of the leading eye institutions in the world, including Bascom Palmer, Stanford University, Thomas Jefferson University and the Cleveland Clinic.
With the backing of generous sponsors such as Castle Biosciences, all costs of the meeting, including meals/snacks, event space, A/V, printed materials and overhead for support staff, are generally covered, patients simply need to pay for their transportation and lodging. OMF has historically offered additional grants through the TAG (Travel Assistance Grant) program to offset these travel and lodging costs as well.
Cleveland Clinic Highlight Video
When is the next retreat?
Due to the cost and complexity of organizing the EANA retreats, OMF decided to forgo hosting EANAs in 2018 and 2019 and divert a greater share of gift income towards OM research.
Past Sponsors
