On Sunday, June 4, 2023 – National Cancer Survivors Day® – people around the world will come together to recognize everyone who is living with a history of cancer, raise awareness of the ongoing challenges cancer survivors face, and celebrate life.
Cancer affects everyone. With more than 18.1 million people living with and beyond cancer in the U.S. today – and nearly 44 million people diagnosed with cancer within the past 5 years worldwide – everyone knows someone whose life has been touched by cancer.
On Sunday, June 4, 2023, people around the world are joining together to recognize these cancer survivors, and to raise awareness of the challenges of cancer survivorship, as part of the 36th annual National Cancer Survivors Day® Celebration of Life.
National Cancer Survivors Day® is an annual worldwide Celebration of Life held on the first Sunday in June. On this day, people in hundreds of cities across the U.S. and abroad will join in solidarity with cancer survivors to raise awareness of the ongoing challenges cancer survivors face because of their disease and to celebrate life.
According to the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation, administrator for the celebration, “A ‘survivor’ is anyone living with a history of cancer – from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life.”
“Over the last few decades, we’ve made great progress when it comes to cancer survival, and that is absolutely something we should celebrate,” says Foundation spokesperson Laura Shipp. “However, surviving cancer is not the end of the story. Cancer changes a person’s health and life forever.
“Cancer survivors face ongoing, often long-lasting, hardships because of their disease. These include long-term physical and emotional side effects, increased risk for second primary cancers and other health problems, and potentially devastating financial setbacks. On National Cancer Survivors Day®, we want to raise awareness of these challenges of cancer survivorship. NCSD is a celebration, but it’s more than that. It is also a call to action for further research, more resources, and increased public awareness to improve the lives of cancer survivors.”
The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation is encouraging everyone – cancer survivors, caregivers, healthcare professionals, family members, and friends – to join the worldwide celebration. To find out how your community is celebrating, contact the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation. You can also host a celebration of your own using the resources available through the National Cancer Survivors Day® website, ncsd.org.
Additionally, the Foundation is providing a way for everyone, whether attending a local Celebration of Life or celebrating in your own unique way, to connect with fellow cancer survivors and supporters around the world on Sunday, June 4. You can follow the celebration online by using the hashtag #NCSD2023 and following National Cancer Survivors Day® Facebook (Facebook.com/CancerSurvivorsDay), Instagram (@cancersurvivorsday), and Twitter (@SurvivorsDay).
The nonprofit National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation offers free guidance, education, networking resources, and assistance to hundreds of hospitals, support groups, and other cancer-related organizations that host official National Cancer Survivors Day® celebrations. The Foundation’s primary mission is to bring awareness to the issues of cancer survivorship in order to better the quality of life for cancer survivors.
As the number of cancer survivors continues to grow, it is becoming ever more important to address the unique needs of this population. In addition to facing a serious illness, cancer survivors must contend with rapidly rising medical costs; inadequate insurance coverage; difficulty finding or keeping employment; and ongoing physical, psychological, and financial struggles that persist even after treatment ends.
The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation, along with NCSD 2023 national supporters 2seventy bio, Alercell, Inc., Astex Pharmaceuticals, Aveo Oncology, Convatec, Coping with Cancer magazine, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, Elekta, Exelixis, Gamida Cell, GE Healthcare, Guardant Health, Hologic, Incyte, Ipsen, Janssen, Novocure, Servier, and Springworks Therapeutics is encouraging citizens across the globe to stand with these survivors on National Cancer Survivors Day® and make a commitment to addressing the challenges of cancer survival.
“The strides researchers have made in treating cancer are remarkable,” says Shipp. “So many people with cancer are living many years beyond their diagnosis. That’s why, now more than ever, it is vital that we work to ensure cancer survivors are not forgotten once active treatment ends. We need to do a better job of addressing the needs of cancer survivors throughout the entirety of their lives.”
Leading up to National Cancer Survivors Day®, the NCSD Foundation urges everyone to spread the message that surviving cancer is not the end of the story. All cancer survivors deserve a good quality of life, for the whole of their lives.
The following is a suggested post for your social media sites:
Surviving cancer is something to celebrate, but it’s not the end of the story. Cancer changes your health and your life forever. Join us as we #CelebrateLife and raise awareness of the challenges of cancer survivorship on National Cancer Survivors Day, June 4. #NCSD2023
National Cancer Survivors Day® 2023 is supported nationally by 2seventy bio, Alercell, Inc., Astex Pharmaceuticals, Aveo Oncology, Convatec, Coping with Cancer magazine, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, Elekta, Exelixis, Gamida Cell, GE Healthcare, Guardant Health, Hologic, Incyte, Ipsen, Janssen, Novocure, Servier, and Springworks Therapeutics.
About the Foundation
The nonprofit National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation offers free guidance, education, networking resources, and assistance to hundreds of hospitals, support groups, and other cancer-related organizations that host National Cancer Survivors Day® events in their communities. The Foundation’s primary mission is to bring awareness to the issues of cancer survivorship in order to better the quality of life for cancer survivors. To learn more, visit ncsd.org.
About National Cancer Survivors Day®
National Cancer Survivors Day® is an annual, treasured Celebration of Life that is held in hundreds of communities nationwide, and around the world, on the first Sunday in June. On National Cancer Survivors Day®, thousands gather across the globe to honor cancer survivors and to show the world that life after a cancer diagnosis can be fruitful, rewarding, and even inspiring. NCSD offers an opportunity for all people living with a history of cancer – including America’s more than 18.1 million cancer survivors – to connect with each other, celebrate milestones, and recognize those who have supported them along the way. It is also a day to draw attention to the ongoing challenges of cancer survivorship in order to promote more resources, research, and survivor-friendly legislation to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.
