LI's Carol Silva joins TEDx talk to discuss bout with cancer

Carol Silva, the former News 12 anchor and cancer survivor, will share her story of recovery and offer tips on positive thinking at a TEDx talk in Farmingdale this weekend.

"I tell a couple of stories about people who had good attitudes and had remarkable outcomes," Silva said. "And I ask if there’s any scientific research to back up these stories."

The independently organized event takes place Saturday at noon at Charlotte’s Speakeasy, 294 Main St., Farmingdale. Tickets are $65 and can be purchased at tedxfarmingdale.com. Silva will be joined by several other speakers, including Mark X. and John Lee Cronin, the father-son team behind the Melville-based business John’s Crazy Socks, and the journalist-turned-personal-trainer Lisa Mateo. Titled "Origins and Evolution," the event bills itself as a showcase for "ideas that have evolved from their previous iterations and aspire to innovate while honoring their origin foundations."

Silva, a 33-year veteran of News 12, brought her sunny optimism and good cheer into Long Island living rooms each morning until 2019, when she retired following a diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer. Nevertheless, she bounced back a year later with an Instagram video announcing she had beaten the disease. (She still is healthy, she said.) Along with her medical team, Silva credits her Catholic upbringing and a lifelong positive outlook instilled in her by her parents. "Even my doctor said, 'Your positive attitude is going to help you,' " she said.

Part of Silva's presentation will focus on whether a good attitude can be learned or developed. "I talk about some of the techniques to up your positivity game," she said. She plans on discussing a "luck school" that taught students how to feel luckier, and a 25-year study showing that people with upbeat attitudes were dramatically less likely to suffer from heart problems than those with negative attitudes.

One piece of advice from Silva: Smiling can reduce stress. "When you’re in traffic on the Long Island Expressway," she said, "even a fake smile will lower your heart rate and your blood pressure."