The 2019 Imagine Lecture will be held on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Auditorium at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire.

The guest speaker is Suzy Favor Hamilton.

Hamilton is a three-time Olympian, seven-time U.S. national champion and record nine-time NCAA track and field athlete. And yes, she's a former Las Vegas escort.

She also is author of The New York Times bestselling memoir Fast Girl: A Life Spent Running From Madness. The book details a complex life shaped by anxiety, suicidal depression and bipolar disorder while living under the facade of the all-American girl who seems to have it all.

Her story focuses on living with bipolar disorder and the often disastrous consequences of misdiagnosis. She has survived rock bottom, and now seeks to educate and raise awareness of what untreated bipolar disorder can look like, while maintaining a sex-positive attitude. She also seeks to show that management, recovery and a quality life can be achieved with proper diagnosis, medications, therapy and support.

ABOUT THE LECTURE

The Imagine Lecture was inspired by the late Dr. David Winter’s relentless pursuit of knowledge, innovation and never being afraid to envision something more, different or better. Its guest lecturers embody those ideals and bring them to life to inspire others.

To make a donation to the lecture’s endowment, call 855-852-8129, or email development@mayo.edu.

ABOUT DAVID WINTER, M.D.

In 1995, Dr. Winter came to Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire as a promising new radiologist and was instrumental in several innovative changes within Eau Claire’s Radiology Department, most notably, the conversion to digital imagery. Dr. Winter was referred to by the medical director as one of Mayo Clinic Health System’s “best and brightest.” Dr. Winter’s life and career were tragically cut short from cancer in 2010 at the age of 47. His vision and inspiration live on through a lecture that exhibits the philosophy he inscribed in all his correspondence: “Imagine.”