Elizabeth Smart to speak at Vista's Healthy Woman Event Oct. 4

Hundreds of women in the northern suburbs are expected to attend the Healthy Woman Expo & Dinner on Oct. 4 at the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort to see and hear the inspirational story of kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart.

Her topic is “Overcoming Adversity” and marks her first public appearance in the Chicago area. Healthy Woman is sponsored by Vista Health System and includes a free women's health Expo from 3 to 6 p.m., followed at 6 p.m. by a ticketed dinner featuring Smart.

Tickets for the dinner are $45 for Healthy Woman members and $55 for non-members, although membership for Healthy Woman is free and can be completed online.

Advanced reservations are required since ticket sales have been brisk and dinner seating is limited and. Visit www.VistaHealth.com/HealthyWoman to purchase dinner tickets online, join Healthy Woman or receive for more information.

The Healthy Woman Expo will include free screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol and bone density. Vista physicians, nurses and staff will provide information on a wide range of women's health issues. Plus, the Expo will include dozens of booths featuring products and services of interest to women. Ms. Smart will make an appearance during the last hour of the Expo to meet people and sign autographs.

Elizabeth Smart's ordeal began in early June 2002 when she was 14 years old and abducted from her Salt Lake City home in the middle of the night. The search to find her was a national news story as her kidnapping nightmare continued for nine months. In the years since her traumatic ordeal, Smart has become a highly visible advocate for change related to child abduction, recovery programs and legislation.