THROOP -- National Cancer Survivors Day is truly a "Celebration of Life."
A celebration that goes back more than 20 years when Richard Bloch, co-founder of H&R Block, and his wife Annette held their first cancer survivors day in Kansas City, Mo.
The idea quickly caught on in other communities around the country and the world with celebrations held in Europe and Asia on the fist Sunday in June yearly.
Kathy Bennett, of Throop, along with Sue and Don Jayne, of Auburn, have worked for the past 20 years with a support group that meets monthly at Auburn Memorial Hospital called I Can Cope for those that are battling cancer.
From there the Celebration of Life began.
"We've been doing this for close to 10 years," Bennett said. "This is held nationwide. It really is a celebration for those that are survivors and that are living with and battling cancer."
Several dozen people gathered at the firehouse in Throop for the party. With food, music, raffles and door prizes, a truly festive atmosphere was created in the firehouse.
With advances in treatment and detection, more people are living with the disease.
"That is what this celebration is really all about," Sue Jayne said. "More and more people are surviving and living with cancer every day. That is what this is about that people can live with cancer and face it and live and be here to be part of this celebration of their lives."
Among those in attendance was Mike Villano, who 20 years ago was diagnosed with prostate cancer and has been battling the disease off and on ever since.
Villano said that throughout the 20 years, he has found the I Can Cope group to be an incredibly supportive place to go.
"I've been with Kathy and Sue ever since I first got sick," Villano said. "We are all very supportive of each other. We can get together and we can talk about treatments and about what we are going through and let it all out and really talk about how we feel. Everyone is very insightful and very understanding. I'm going through this now with my dad. It is really a great group; we are all very close, like a family."
For more, read Monday's Citizen
The idea quickly caught on in other communities around the country and the world with celebrations held in Europe and Asia on the fist Sunday in June yearly.
Kathy Bennett, of Throop, along with Sue and Don Jayne, of Auburn, have worked for the past 20 years with a support group that meets monthly at Auburn Memorial Hospital called I Can Cope for those that are battling cancer.
From there the Celebration of Life began.
"We've been doing this for close to 10 years," Bennett said. "This is held nationwide. It really is a celebration for those that are survivors and that are living with and battling cancer."
Several dozen people gathered at the firehouse in Throop for the party. With food, music, raffles and door prizes, a truly festive atmosphere was created in the firehouse.
With advances in treatment and detection, more people are living with the disease.
"That is what this celebration is really all about," Sue Jayne said. "More and more people are surviving and living with cancer every day. That is what this is about that people can live with cancer and face it and live and be here to be part of this celebration of their lives."
Among those in attendance was Mike Villano, who 20 years ago was diagnosed with prostate cancer and has been battling the disease off and on ever since.
Villano said that throughout the 20 years, he has found the I Can Cope group to be an incredibly supportive place to go.
"I've been with Kathy and Sue ever since I first got sick," Villano said. "We are all very supportive of each other. We can get together and we can talk about treatments and about what we are going through and let it all out and really talk about how we feel. Everyone is very insightful and very understanding. I'm going through this now with my dad. It is really a great group; we are all very close, like a family."
For more, read Monday's Citizen
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