Lilly's Unique Reception Helps Attendees Step Into the Minds of People Living With GI Cancers

Lilly hosted an immersive and interactive reception during the 2018 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium entitled, “Portraits of Resolve,” which provided thought leaders unique perspectives of people living with gastric, gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) or colorectal cancer. The patient experiences aligned with the new CYRAMZA^® (ramucirumab) HCP campaign that was launched last August.

As participants explored the reception, they interacted with mixed media at various stations that reflected the experience of people living with these types of GI cancers through words and pictures — what they look like, how they feel, who they are and what they are saying.

In part of the reception, attendees approached a patient Manifesto which displays patients’ thoughts like, “I’ve never tried this hard, but it’s worth every effort. Every treatment, every dose, every scan,” and “I’ve never thought about the end this much, but I need to now. Every word unsaid, every loose end, every goodbye.”

“The ‘Portraits of Resolve’ event was an extremely emotional and thought-provoking interactive experience — the setting was perfectly suited to showcase the patient voice and perspective,” said Martha Raymond, MA, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Raymond Foundation, Inc., and Founding Co-Chair of GI Cancers Alliance. “Reading the patient quotes and looking into the eyes of the patient portraits made a profound impact on me, strengthening my resolve to help advocate for all those affected by gastrointestinal cancers.”

The unyielding and determined spirit of the patient was a main theme throughout the reception experience. One element of the reception asked participants, “How would you describe the determined patient in a word?” As participants selected words from an iPad, like Brave, Tough and Resolute, the words began to emerge on a wall in front of them, forming a word cloud overlaying portraits of people living with GI cancers.

In another piece of the reception, participants approached a wall covered with beautifully painted portraits of people living with GI cancers. Participants then took a photo of themselves at a nearby kiosk and their picture was projected onto the portrait wall in a paint-style-filter next to the patients.

“At Lilly, we are inspired by these determined and motivated patients every day. This is why we work so hard to develop and deliver medicines and other resources that will make a meaningful difference,” said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Global Development and Medical Affairs at Lilly Oncology. “This educational reception is one way that we can show our support for those living with GI cancer, including advanced gastric and GEJ cancer, and metastatic colorectal cancer.”

Participants also enjoyed samplings based on gastric-cancer-friendly recipes from Lilly’s newly launched online resource — www.StomachCancerWellness.com — for people living with gastric or GEJ cancer. The website is designed to help people living with stomach cancer maintain strength and promote healthy eating and digestion. The recipes are specifically curated to be nutritional and easy to digest.