News

Bestselling author keynotes Women Helping Women

By Lightning Reports, Published: August 27, 2023

Pardee Hospital Foundation’s Women Helping Women luncheon on Friday, Oct. 20, celebrates 26 years of support for local women undergoing health crises.

Designed to provide supplementary support for women who require necessary medical treatment but cannot shoulder the costs, proceeds raised help financial gaps for women in times of great medical need.

This year’s luncheon, which historically draws several hundred attendees, will take place at the Blue Ridge Community College Conference Hall and will feature Dr. Kate Bowler — New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, Duke University professor and cancer survivor — as the keynote speaker.

“Dr. Kate Bowler’s message and presence at this event perfectly encapsulates the goal of Women Helping Women,” Pardee Hospital Foundation Executive Director Amy Treece said. “Our focus is on meeting women exactly where they are and lifting them up with compassion and support from this outstanding community.”

Bowler became known for her writings on the first history of the movement called the “prosperity gospel,” traveling across Canada and the United States to interview megachurch leaders, televangelists and everyday believers about how they make spiritual meaning out of the good and bad in their lives. The result was the book, Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel. At age 35, Bowler was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, causing her to think differently about the research and beliefs she had been studying. She wrote the New York Times bestselling memoir, Everything Happens for a Reason (and Other Lies I’ve Loved), which tells the story of her struggle to understand the personal and intellectual dimensions of the American belief that all tragedies are tests of character.

Since 1998, Women Helping Women has evolved into a significant force for good within the community, beginning with a focus on recommended breast screenings and challenging stigma attached to a breast cancer diagnosis. The program and its parameters for assistance have expanded over the last 26 years, providing better emotional and financial support to women facing a myriad of health challenges including cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis, among other diseases.

Since its inception, the Women Helping Women program has raised over $3 million to support women battling challenging health diagnoses. Tickets to the October 20 Women Helping Women luncheon are $125. The Foundation is grateful for the generous underwriting of the event from supporters including Exclusive Sponsor, First Bank and Women of Hope Sponsors, Charlotte Corrigan, Carolina Village, Norm’s Minit Marts and Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Hickory. To learn more about attending as a guest or becoming a sponsor of this transformative event, visit the Foundation’s website or contact Melissa Witmeier at melissa.witmeier@unchealth.unc.edu, 828-233-2700.