Northeast Region Rejuvenate 2025

Northeast Region Rejuvenate | Monday, June 2, 2025

Hosted by the Northeast Region of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC), the Rejuvenate One-Day Retreat offers a transformative experience focused on self-expression, reflection, and healing. This complimentary program is designed specifically for ovarian cancer survivors. Embrace the wonderful opportunity to connect with those who understand your journey, as you discover effective coping strategies in the beautiful and serene setting of the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium.

Renew, Reclaim, and Relax with Us!

Renew your energy, reclaim your spirit, and relax your mind while enjoying the tranquility of this special day! Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Date: Monday, June 2, 2025

Location: The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium,180 Little Neck Road, Centerport, NY 11721

Time: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Registration is currently at capacity, and we now have a waitlist available for interested participants.

Valerie Burger, MA, MS, RN, OCN, CPN

Join Valerie Burger, AVP of Cancer Services of the Eastern Region from Northwell Health, for a meaningful opening to our retreat, where we will have the opportunity to reflect, share inspiring personal stories, and connect with one another. Together, we will create a collective symbol of strength and unity as you share your hopes and intentions. This shared experience will honor each of your unique journeys while deepening our connection as a community. Each of you will carry forward a reminder that while your voice is unique, your resilience is intertwined with the strength and support of those around you.

Valerie Burger has been a registered nurse for 38 years with 35 of them in oncology. She is certified in oncology nursing and in pediatrics. Valerie graduated from Boston University with a BS in Nursing and then from New York University with an MA in Health Administration and an MS in the Delivery of Nursing Service. Not fully satisfied, she continued her studies and received a post-master’s degree in Holistic Nursing from the College of New Rochelle. Valerie has a strong passion for education and is committed to easing the burden of cancer while individuals journey through the uncertain terrain a cancer diagnosis brings. Valerie is Chair of both the Greater NY area and the Long Island -Board of Advisors for the American Cancer Society.

Sound Healing & Meditation
11:30 am – 12:30 pm

This session, led by Gena Bradshaw Vitale, the Founder of Holistic Human Performance, offers you a chance to reconnect with yourself, find solace, and embrace healing in a meaningful way. During this sound healing and meditation experience, Gena will use sound bowls, tuning forks, and various sound modalities, along with guided meditation, to create a peaceful and renewing space.

Sound healing can help ease physical pain, balance emotions, and release trauma or energetic blocks, allowing the body and soul to restore and recharge. As soothing vibrations cleanse and uplift your energy, you will be invited to let go, breathe deeply, and embrace a sense of calm and hope.

You can participate from a chair or bring a yoga mat, blanket, or beach towel for added comfort.

Gena Bradshaw Vitale is an author, speaker, coach, healer, founder of Holistic Human Performance, and host of HHP Podcast. Her journey being a two-time cancer survivor has led her to this point of helping others reclaim their health, transform their lives, and find their soul's mission and purpose. She combines holistic health, energetics, and spirituality throughout her teachings, coaching, healing, and experience for over a decade. HHP is an integrative and educational platform using coaching, healing, and the virtual wellness center, all about whole-body health and healing. Teaching the foundations of wellness and holistic living tools, and modalities you didn’t learn growing up. So that you can have tools in your toolbox to take ownership of your health, take your power back, and teach your family and future generations to come.

Quiet Reflections in Nature
1:30 pm – 2:15 pm

Nicole Monteserrato, RN, NC-BC, CBCN, will guide us through an enriching, mindful experience designed to help us embrace stillness, reflect, and find gratitude for the present moment and the beauty around us. Nature has a unique way of grounding us, providing a peaceful escape from the chaos of daily life. It reminds us to pause, breathe, and appreciate the beauty found in both the extraordinary and the everyday.

This session encourages you to slow down and reconnect with yourself, whether by taking a mindful walk to enjoy the fresh air, stunning views of the water, and vibrant blooming flowers or through quiet reflection on images that capture nature’s wonders. By welcoming stillness, gratitude flourishes, reclaiming our spirit and deepening our connection with those around us.

Nicole has been an RN at Good Samaritan University Hospital for 17 years in various specialties. As an ovarian cancer survivor herself, she made the professional move 6 years ago to work at Good Sam’s Women's Imaging Center to support and navigate women diagnosed with breast cancer. Nicole has found such power in her NOCC support groups, that 2 years ago, she took on the role of facilitating the Good Samaritan University Hospital’s Breast support group to help other women heal in their cancer journeys. She recently became Board Certified in Nurse Coaching and is a strong advocate for health and wellness for her patients and coworkers. She has developed a hospital Wellness Program and a "Nursing the Nurse" workshop to teach and coach fellow nurses to prioritize their health as caregivers, by creating a healthy lifestyle and work environment that supports, nurtures, and retains our present and future nurses. She also has a private coaching practice called “Rejoice in Wellness,” where she offers individual and group coaching opportunities as well as local wellness retreats.

Writing as a Path to Healing
2:15 pm – 3:15 pm

After our mindfulness session on nature and stillness, join Evelyn Capistrano for a writing workshop to continue that journey. The simple act of putting thoughts on paper creates a safe space to process emotions, quiet the mind, and gain self-awareness.

Evelyn will provide you with thoughtful prompts to guide your self-reflection, helping you translate your experiences into words. You will explore the connection between nature, stillness, and personal healing, discovering how writing - especially journaling can become a powerful tool for emotional well-being.

We will conclude by reflecting on the question, “What does rejuvenation mean to you?” This will allow you to define your own way to reclaim your spirit, renew your energy, and relax your mind. You will honor your journey and find healing through expression.

Evelyn Capistrano is an ovarian cancer survivor, a certified health coach by The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), and a facilitator for the NOCC’s Northeast Teal Hearts Network’s Newly Diagnosed support group. With her varied experiences and skills, Evelyn is dedicated to supporting other survivors by helping them discover ways to maintain a strong mindset and nurture their resilience.

With over 20 years of experience as a Visual Designer, Evelyn Capistrano is the VP/Director of User Experience at Digitas Health. She has had the opportunity to serve as an adjunct design professor at several universities, such as the Fashion Institute of Technology in NY, the Academy of Art College and the Art Institute in San Francisco, and Rutgers University in Camden, NJ.

Lisa Bondy is the Lead Wellness Instructor/Yoga Director at The Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine, Northwell’s Katz Institute for Women's Health. Lisa is a long-time yoga teacher with over 25,000 hours of teaching experience. A devoted student/practitioner of yoga and meditation for over 35 years, Lisa shares the many scientifically proven health benefits of the ancient practices of yoga.

Lisa’s expertise lies in her ability to meet students where they are, regardless of age or condition, and lead them into an empowering experience of healing, vibrant health, and well-being – body, mind, and soul.