Cancer Patients, Survivors to Participate in 12th Annual Celebration of Life

Thursday, 11 June 2009
Contact: Barbara Moreno (619) 686-6216

An event designed to educate, inspire and empower cancer patients, their families and the public will be held on Sunday, June 14 at Bloch Cancer Survivors Park at Spanish Landing Park. More than 4,000 people are expected at this year's 12th Annual Celebration of Life, which is free to the public. The event provides valuable information on cancer prevention, treatment, clinical trials and support services available throughout San Diego County. There will also be free cancer screenings.

"Our intent is that cancer patients will go home with information that will be helpful in their battle with cancer, filled with hope and optimism and inspired by speakers and the successes of other cancer survivors they meet at the Celebration of Life," said Barbara "Bink" Cook of the organizers from Cancer Survivorship: San Diego!

Cook has been involved with the event since it was first held in 1997. She got involved after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. July will mark 17 years that she's been cancer free.

"The (original) idea was to bring every cancer-related organization, including medical facilities, support groups and research institutions together in one place," Bink said.

Bink said the event is gratifying for her, especially knowing that many people come year after year. But there will also be many first-timers, including ovarian cancer survivor Peg Ford.  Her cancer was found following an accidental fall.  She began having symptoms including swelling in her abdomen and fatigue, which at first she thought were related to the fall.  But when she went to a gynecologist, a large mass was discovered.

"I had a very rare form of cancer," Ford said. "I was lucky. It was Stage 1. There is no screening test for the early detection of ovarian cancer. I am the living example of timely referrals and that's really what my passion is now, because if cancer is diagnosed early, recovery rates go up."

Ford will be one of the models in a fashion show at the event that will feature cancer survivors.

The Celebration of Life will include family activities, a health fair and complimentary therapies, yoga and acupuncture. Thirty health care professionals will be on hand, as well as a dentist who will donate her time to do free oral cancer screenings and doctors from UCSD and Kaiser Permanente will perform free skin cancer screenings. The information will also be provided in Spanish.

Also, for the first time, American Airlines has donated two tickets, which will be raffled off to registered participants.

The group is looking for volunteers to helping to organize with setting up on Saturday and clean-up on Sunday.  The event is free and open to the public. Anyone interested in going is asked to register online at www.cancersurvivorshipsd.com.

"Knowing that we are doing something free, it's a service and a way to say, ‘I'm surviving with cancer and living each day and making the day count,'" said Bink.

The Port of San Diego waives the park use fee associated with an event of this size. Cancer Survivors Park was conceived by Richard and Annette Bloch as a way to disassociate cancer from death and was inspired by Richard's successful treatment and recovery from what was thought to be terminal cancer.

San Diego is one of only sixteen cities selected by the Bloch Foundation for installation of a Cancer Survivors Park. The park is located at 4100 N. Harbor Drive, across from San Diego International Airport.

---