Twenty-four cancer survivors who collectively have lived with the disease
for 281 years attended Illinois Valley Community Hospital’s annual
Cancer Survivors Day breakfast Friday morning (June 1) at the First Congregational
Church in Peru.
The group heard a talk by breast cancer survivor Megan Cullinan, who read
selections from a blog she started when she was first diagnosed with the
disease two years ago.
Like many people, Cullinan said she thought cancer was something that couldn’t
happen to her. She added that she made it through the treatment process
“only with a lot of help from my family, friends and co-workers.”
The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation defines a survivor as anyone
living with a history of cancer from the moment of diagnosis to the remainder
of life. Following Cullinan’s remarks, individual cancer survivors
were invited to share how long they had lived with the disease. Responses
ranged from a few months to 34 years surviving all types of cancer including
breast, skin, prostate, colon and thyroid.
Darrell Data provided musical inspiration for the event, which was emceed
by Joan Fernandez, IVCH community outreach coordinator.
National Cancer Survivors Day will be observed nationally in 2018 on Sunday, June 3.