Saskia R.J. Thiadens, received her nursing degree from the University of Utrecht in Holland. After immigrating to the United States, and prior to moving to San Francisco, she worked at Cornell University in NY. Ms. Thiadens founded and operated the first Post-Operative Care Facility in San Francisco and, at that time, became intrigued by a patient with Lymphedema who had been told that nothing could be done for her swollen arm. Shortly after (July 1987), she opened the first Lymphedema clinic in the U.S. (the Aurora Lymphedema Clinic) and treated patients until 2000. In 1988 she founded the National Lymphedema Network, (NLN). Since that time she has been an active nurse/ patient advocate, and organized and Co-Program Director of 9 NLN International conference. She is the assistant editor of NLN Lymphlink and an active member of the NLN Medical Advisory and Research committees. She recently joined the steering committee of the newly formed American Lymphedema Framework Project (ALFP) She has been an oncology nurse for over 20 years, member of ONS and the founder of The Lymphedema Management SIG. In June of 1998, Ms. Thiadens received the first Dr. Emil Vodder Award, presented by the North American Vodder Association of Lymphatic Therapy (NAVALT). She is a Board member of California Breast Cancer Organizations (CABCO) and a founding Board member of the Lymphology Association of North America (LANA). She also is a member of the Access and Utilization Committee of the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) She is a frequent Speaker at National and International Conferences and most important a passionate lymphedema advocate.