May 12, 1998
Seattle area celebrates National Cancer Survivors Day
Smiles, tears, laughter and hugs will be the order of the day when cancer survivors, their families and friends, hospital staff and volunteers gather to celebrate National Cancer Survivors’ Day from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 7. A survivor is anyone living with a history of cancer, from diagnosis through the remainder of life.
The gathering takes place on the lawn near the Waterfront Activities Center at the University of Washington. People planning to attend should bring a picnic lunch and a blanket or lawn chairs. Free parking is available immediately adjacent, in lot E-12 on the south side of Husky Stadium.
Former TV personality Dick Foley will introduce speakers and entertainers, including brain cancer survivor Steven Bishofsky and children’s entertainer Tim Noah. Entertainment, including a roving magician, balloon artist, face painters and a clown, will delight the young and the young-at-heart.
The theme of the day is nautical. Cancer survivors will sign their names to “boats” that will be affixed to a wall hanging depicting a lake surrounded by the sponsoring institutions. The wall hanging will later be displayed in the lobby of each sponsoring organization.
Sponsors are University of Washington Medical Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Evergreen Hospital Medical Center, Valley Medical Center, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Gilda’s Club and Cancer Lifeline.
Awards will be given to outstanding and inspirational volunteers. Health education materials and an art exhibit will be displayed inside the Waterfront Activities Center.
For information on the day’s events, call Frank Clemence at (425) 481-5206.
Facts about National Cancer Survivors Day
? The 11th annual National Cancer Survivors Day is being celebrated nationally on Sunday, June 7, to recognize the country’s 8 million cancer survivors, to focus attention on cancer, and to acknowledge people dedicated to treatment, research and support services.
? Last year, more than 650 communities celebrated the day. National Cancer Institute Director Richard D. Klausner greeted cancer survivors by saying “Cancer is a disease that touches each of us. As cancer survivors, you have a deepened understanding of the complex experiences that cancer patients endure. We are all strengthened by your extraordinary example of how the human spirit can persevere and triumph over struggles and obstacles.”
? The yearly event was founded by cancer survivor Richard Bloch (co-founder of H&R Block) and his wife Annette in Kansas City, to demonstrate that a diagnosis of cancer is not an automatic death sentence. The event is always held on the first Sunday in June.
? The National Cancer Institute estimates that approximately 8 million Americans alive today have a history of cancer. Some can be considered cured, while others still have evidence of the disease.
? About 1,228,600 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed this year. These estimates do not include non-invasive cancer (carcinoma in situ), or basal and squamous cell skin cancers. Over 1 million skin cancers are also expected to be diagnosed this year.
? About 564,800 Americans are expected to die of cancer this year — more than 1,500 people a day. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S., exceeded only by heart disease. One of every four deaths in the U.S. is from cancer.
? The national cancer death rate fell 2.6 percent between 1991 and 1995. In the early 1900s, few people survived cancer long-term. In the 1930s, about 25 percent of patients were alive five years after treatment. When adjusted for other causes of death like heart disease, accidents and diseases of old age, the relative five-year survival rate is now 58 percent.
? The National Cancer Institute estimates overall costs for cancer in the United States at $107 billion annually, including $37 million for direct medical costs, $11 billion for cost of lost productivity, and $59 billion for mortality costs.
