After an emotional opening ceremony, the 2006 LIVESTRONG Summit got down to business.  First were some opening remarks by Lance, in which he challenged the delegates to share, learn, and do.  "I want you to share your stories and experiences, learn from one another and from our extraordinary speakers, and finally we're going to develop plans for how we can make a difference," he said.

The opening session featured two remarkable speakers.  First up was Dr. Antonia Novella, the first female and first Hispanic U.S. Surgeon General, who spoke on "The Power of Cancer Survivors as Advocates." Dr. Novella reminded delegates about how hope is a very powerful thing and should not be underestimated.  She also noted that the LAF's motto, "Unity is Strength" was appropriate for the Summit delegates because progress is made only when we band together in the fight against cancer.

Following her inspiring words, Jim Collins, author of the best-seller "Good to Great," ended the afternoon session.  His topic was "Anything is Possible" and his energetic style truly motivated  the delegates to transform what is already  so powerful - the fight against cancer - into something truly great. He spoke about focusing on what you're best at, what you're passionate about, and then getting the resources necessary to make it happen.  "Let me tell you about the fox vs. the hedgehog," he said. "The fox is sly but easily distracted, whereas the hedgehog is focused and is very good at doing one thing.  You need to be a hedgehog!"

   - Hear some of his keynote thoughts (200K wav file)

As the afternoon session ended, over 200 of the delegates boarded buses and headed to the famed Austin City Limits studio downtown to participate in a town hall meeting with Lance and CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, as well as six other experts on "The State of Cancer in America". "It's important to do shows like this," Lance said.  "We have to keep the issue in the forefront and work to make cancer a national priority."  The show is scheduled to air on CNN in late January.

And with that, Day One of the 2006 LIVESTRONG Summit came to a close, with much more to come in the days ahead!