At 12:30 on June 7, the Wong Kerlee International Conference Center began to fill with cancer survivors attending Celebration of Life. They and their family members and friends were joined by physicians and staff who had provided care during their treatment.
During the next hour and a half, the room would be filled with heartfelt laughter, tears, and ultimately inspiration and hope.
Judy Chatigny, MSN, executive director, Loma Linda University Cancer Center, welcomed the audience. She stated that now there are more than 14 million cancer survivors in the United States. She emphasized the importance of gathering and visiting with others who have survived or are living with cancer, encouraging each other and celebrating milestones.
Celebration of Life is an international event held the first Sunday in June, providing celebration for survivors and inspiration for those recently diagnosed. It is also a gathering of support for families and an outreach to the community. The theme of this year’s event was “Inspiring a future of hope.”
Mark Reeves, MD, PhD, director, Loma Linda University Cancer Center, discussed the new future of cancer care. He traced the history of cancer treatment from 1991, when Richard Nixon declared war on cancer. The National Cancer Institute was established at the National Institutes of Health. “For the first time,” Reeves said, “the rates of death from cancer peaked, then went down.” The trend has continued, he reported, with numbers of deaths from cancer becoming lower each year.
According to Reeves, there have been victories in treatment of testicular cancer, leukemia and colon cancer, among others. Research has led to treatments that are more effective with fewer side effects. These include treatments that target individual cancer cells, and focused radiation (proton therapy). Reeves shared that Loma Linda University Health is fortunate to have a powerful tool in cancer treatment — the James M. Slater, MD Proton Treatment and Research Center.
There are now 229,000 patients alive who were diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer. “Twenty years ago, each of these patients would have died,” he said, thanking each of the patients who have altruistically agreed to participate in cancer research.
“Stories are important,” he said, inviting cancer survivor Jeanne Malcuit to share her story. Malcuit was diagnosed with stage 2B breast cancer after discovering a lump in her chest on Father’s Day. While initially she felt as if everything had been taken away from her, “I decided not to sit in a chair,” she said. She began running, completed a half marathon and is now training for a 60-mile bike ride.
Dilys Brooks, MDiv, associate campus chaplain, talked about relying on her Savior and her faith during her own journey back to health after being diagnosed with a heart condition. Brooks was motivated by the love of her family — her husband and her two children.
This year Courage to Care awards were presented by Katie Kroetz, whose uncle Don passed away in 1997 after battling leukemia. Katie’s grandmother, Jan Kroetz, MN, began giving the award to honor exceptional oncology nurses after her son Don's passing. Two nurses, Becki Yartzoff and Lexine Thall, were honored this year with Courage to Care Leadership Awards.
The Celebration of Life event, which celebrated its 24th year at Loma Linda University Health, is sponsored by the Loma Linda University Cancer Center.