About this Event
THRIVE is a day designed to help you better understand your body, build practical tools for everyday life, and explore what it means to live well beyond a diagnosis.
Hosted by HEM Foundation, Inc., THRIVE brings together individuals impacted by sickle cell disease, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and community members for a full day of education, experiential learning, wellness, and connection.
Living with sickle cell disease and other chronic health conditions affects far more than physical symptoms. Stress, pain, emotional well-being, nutrition, movement, healthcare experiences, relationships, and daily demands can all influence how we feel and function. THRIVE creates space to explore those connections while complementing, not replacing, appropriate medical care.
Throughout the day, we’ll explore:
- Stress + the nervous system: Understand how your body responds to stress and learn practical ways to support regulation.
- Movement + body awareness: Experience yoga, somatic movement, and other accessible ways to reconnect with your body.
- Living well with sickle cell: Explore nutrition, lifestyle, pain and self-management, and whole-person strategies that can support health alongside medical care.
- Rest + restoration: Experience an extended sound bath meditation and intentional opportunities to slow down and receive.
- Connection + community: Learn alongside people who understand the realities of chronic illness, as well as healthcare professionals and community advocates committed to improving whole-person health.
THRIVE is designed to be experienced, not simply listened to. You'll have opportunities throughout the day to move, reflect, connect, practice new tools, and identify realistic strategies you can bring home with you.
Who is THRIVE for?
THRIVE welcomes adults living with sickle cell disease, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and members of the broader community interested in whole-person health and wellness.
Come as you are. Leave with greater understanding, practical tools, meaningful connection, and new ways to support your well-being.
✅ REQUIRED BEFORE YOU ARRIVE
All participants must complete a Waiver & Release of Liability. Complete in advance for a faster day of check-in! https://forms.gle/B9rAVQ9hJ5WYMwiV8
Agenda
🕑: 08:00 AM - 09:00 AM
Registration & Breakfast
Info: Settle in, enjoy breakfast, meet fellow attendees, and ease into the day.
🕑: 09:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Benefits of Exercise followed by Yoga
Host: Radha | Lightrail Yoga
Info: Ground into the day, learn about the benefits of exercise and safety considerations for those with sickle cell and chronic conditions, followed by an accessible yoga practice to connect with your body.
🕑: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Understand Your Body: Your Nervous System is your Ally
Host: Baya Ginn
Info: Learn how stress and the nervous system influence how you feel, respond, and navigate everyday life.
🕑: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Somatic Movement Experience
Host: Radha | Lightrail Yoga
Info: Move from learning into experience with guided somatic practices designed to build body awareness, followed by time to notice and reflect.
🕑: 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Lunch & Network
🕑: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Beyond the Prescription: Living Well with Sickle Cell
Host: Maya Bloomberg, APRN & Matt Hermenau, PharmD
Info: Explore nutrition, lifestyle, self-management, and whole-person strategies that can support living well alongside medical care.
🕑: 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Sound Bath Healing Medic*tion
Info: Slow down and receive through an immersive sound experience designed to support relaxation and restoration.
🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Guided Integration
Info: The sound bath is followed by guided integration to turn what you experienced throughout the day into realistic practices you can carry into everyday life.
🕑: 03:30 PM - 04:00 PM
Wrap Up + Farewells
Info: Celebrate the day, enjoy our attendee raffles, and leave with resources to continue your wellness journey. Close together with gratitude, reflection, and a reminder that THRIVE doesn't end when the event does.
Event venue & nearby stays
CALA CENTER, 19091 Southwest 160th Street, Miami, United States
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