Seattle Splash Feb 15-17, 2008

[Guest guest]

Folks have been asking: What's the Seattle Splash all about? Where did it come

from? Here's what it's all about from Joanne Godmintz, the Splash coordinator:

My name is Joanne Godmintz and I've been the Coordinator of the Seattle

Splash Bandster Bash and Conference for the last six years. ( This year's is set

for February 15th-17th at Seattle Airport Marriott Hotel ).

Over ten years ago this event started out as a party celebrating Lap

Band weight-loss surgery in someone's home in Seattle. It's hard to believe

it's been that long.

This initial group were really the pioneers of US banding. The largest

group of Bandsters come from the Pacific Northwest because this is where the

FDA trials occurred. These patients were sent to Dr. Rumbaut in Mexico who was

the surgeon for the FDA trials. This first group (I was not one of them) are

why many of us are here today. Because the Lapband was new, this product was

new, not only to doctors but also to patients. These original patients had to

create a game plan with dietary rules, working by trial and error to determine

what worked best for the banding weight loss.

This first group helped start the Bandster groups, networked, and

gathered from all over the country here once a year to network and celebrate.

The event outgrew a house six years ago, and became a larger conference to

celebrate banding and to share information from doctors, psychologists,

nutritionists, endocrinologists, dieticians, diabetic educators, fellow and

prospective Bandsters and many others to help make our weight loss surgery

successful.

It looks like there are many new faces this year, so let me tell you what

typically occurs at the Bash.

It opens Friday February 15th with registration between 4-6 PM. Each

registrant is provided name tags, agendas and session mapsm and that first

night we have a no-host dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Last year we had over 250 people registered for the Splash and 70 signed up

for the no-host dinner. Then more than 125 people showed up and overwhelmed the

restaurant. So please, if you're coming to the no-host dinner sign up on the

Splash data base that is to the left side of the screen on the Seattle Splash

site. Friday's dinner is always a blast because besides sitting beside

speakers and vendors, you are meeting new and old friends.

At 7:30 p.m. Friday night, after a free hor d'oeurve party, we have a

surgeons' panel for questions and answers. Often informative and occasionally

very funny, it's a place for everyone to let their hair down and ask those

questions you always wanted answered.

After the panel, join others at the hotel's tropical pool for hot-tubbing

and maybe a splash in the warm pool (bring your suit!_

Saturday 7:30 am, hopefully you got enough sleep because this a jam-packed

day of dozens of speaker sessions, vendors tables, a catered lunch and banquet

dinner, fashion show with before and after clothes, raffle, auction, a Before

and After Banding slide show (a real tear jerker) and entertainment and

dancing. It's all included in your registration fee.

Sunday morning's agenda is still in the works but Bandster discussion

groups, Plastic Surgeon Presentations and maybe some fun exercise sessions are

planned.

We are really excited about this year's Seattle Splash at the Seattle

Airport Marriott Hotel and hope you'll join us. Early registration, through the

weekend, is $99, and the special room rate is $109, the special parking rate is

$10.

Many hours of planning and preparation have gone into the Splash This is an

entirely volunteer-run, nom-profit event.

Now your job is to get registered and join us.

Seattle Bash and Conference Web Site is:

http://barbooch2.homestead.com/SeattleBandsterSplash2008.html

The Seattle Bash and Band Conference Forum is on , subscribe

by email at:

SeattleSplash-subscribe

C-)