Carnival venue will greet 2010 Cancer Survivors Day participants
| Date Posted: 4/28/2010
Carnival venue will greet 2010 Cancer Survivors Day participants
PINEHURST – Longtime participants in FirstHealth of the Carolinas’ annual Cancer Survivors Day program will see a new and more celebratory focus in the 2010 event.
Scheduled for Sunday, June 6, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Fair Barn in Pinehurst, the event will feature a carnival venue and the opportunity for more participant interaction.
“We wanted to make it more dynamic, where patients and families can mingle with each other and with the people who take care of them,” says Margie Thomas, clinical director of Radiation Oncology at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital and chair of the local Cancer Survivors Day Committee.
“We are there to celebrate our patients’ survivorship over cancer,” Thomas says. “We want to unite to show that life after a cancer diagnosis can be meaningful and productive. Despite the adversities, cancer survivors face each day with courage and dignity and serve as an inspiration to all of us.”
According to Thomas, the idea behind the carnival focus is to “have everybody involved.” As a result, there will be no speakers or set agenda. Instead, participants will be treated to fun, interactive games and activities, including Bingo and a “prize walk,” a cakewalk-like activity.
There will be a variety of prizes – including cakes – that can be won or chosen.
A highlight of the afternoon will likely be the “Dunk the Doctor” booth featuring several physicians who treat cancer patients. There will also be craft, journaling, complimentary therapy and photo areas. Refreshments will include cake and snacks, and door prizes will be awarded every half-hour.
Each cancer survivor will receive a National Cancer Survivors Day T-shirt as well as a marigold seed pack so “they can plant their own victory garden,” Thomas says.
An educational area called the “Wellness Corner” will highlight services that complement cancer care including Food & Nutrition, the Centers for Health & Fitness, pet therapy and massage.
“We want to have everybody involved and having fun,” says Thomas. “Surviving cancer is an attitude about life and living each day to the fullest.”
More than 11 million cancer survivors are expected to participate in observing the worldwide 23rd National Cancer Survivors Day. The program started in the United States but is now observed in countries as far away as Australia, Italy and Malaysia.
A “survivor” is anyone living with a history of cancer – from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life.
The Moore Regional Hospital National Cancer Survivors Day celebration is free and open to cancer survivors, their families and friends, and to the physicians and other health-care personnel who treat cancer patients. For more information about attending or for directions, call (800) 213-3284 toll-free.
