Cancer Survivors Day event planned June 6

Smiles, tears, laughter and hugs will be the order of the day when local cancer survivors, their families and friends, hospital staff and volunteers gather to celebrate the 12^th annual National Cancer Survivors’ Day from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 6. A survivor is anyone living with a history of cancer, from diagnosis through the remainder of life.

The celebration, sponsored by UW Medical Center and others, takes place next to Husky Stadium on the shore of Montlake cut on campus. Free parking is available immediately adjacent, in lot E-12 on the south side of Husky Stadium. People attending should bring a picnic lunch and a blanket or lawn chairs. Free refreshments will also be available.

Former TV personality Dick Foley will introduce speakers and entertainers, including children’s entertainer Tim Noah and steel band Quisha Mashis. Fun for children will include face painting, clowns, bubble blowing, carnival games and a treasure hunt with maps.

Information booths will focus on a wide variety of issues of interest to cancer patients and their families, including nutrition, support groups and agencies, and cancer therapies, prevention, and alternative care.

In addition to UW Medical Center and its Service League, sponsors include the American Cancer Society, Cancer Information Service, Cancer Lifeline, Candlelighter’s Childhood Cancer Foundation, Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Evergreen Hospital Medical Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Gilda’s Club, International Community Health Services, Leukemia Society, Northwest Hospital, Overlake Hospital Medical Center, Providence Hospital Medical Center, Swedish Hospital Medical Center, and Virginia Mason Medical Center.

For information on the day’s events, call Julia Cañas, outreach coodinator at UW Medical Center’s Cancer Center, (206) 598-7880. ¶

Laurie McHale