National Cancer Survivors Day 2024 (US): Celebrating Life After Cancer

National Cancer Survivors Day 2024: Since 1988, the charity National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation has promoted the day in the U.S. and globally on the first Sunday in June, June 2 this year. The NCSD Foundation calls the holiday a “celebration of life” where survivors—anyone who has had a history of the disease from diagnosis to the end of life—gather with friends, families, and supporters to raise awareness, spread information, provide services, and honor other survivors to show that life after cancer can be full and fruitful.

National Cancer Survivors Day: History

The first celebration of National Cancer Survivors Day was held on June 5, 1988. The style of commemoration has always been that of an open network, with local municipalities, hospitals, and other groups all staging such festivities as parades and rallies, individually but concurrently. According to the NCSD website, anyone can register for an event and gain the support of the wider organization. The organization offers a range of resources, including a roster of speakers — medical professionals, major and minor celebrities, authors, and more — who are available to help host events in their respective towns and cities.

NCSD celebrations have also included art exhibits, carnivals, contests, and testimonies by high-profile survivors. In 2008, the fanfare included a commencement by U.S. President George W. Bush side-by-side with the director of the National Cancer Institute.

Generally, official coverage of National Cancer Survivors Day is provided by the magazine “Coping with Cancer.” During the 2020 celebration, as the magazine reported, many events were canceled or changed to online-only or socially distanced versions, but the day still included a drive-through ‘red carpet’ celebration in Louisville, Kentucky, with vehicles all decked out in pink and red; pink corsets and plumage donned in a parade by the New Orleans Pussyfooters in that city; a virtual Ribbon Walk in Fort Wayne, Indiana; and many more unique instances of coming together in solidarity with survivors.

The process for registering your own NCSD event is easy and streamlined on their web page, ncsd.org, so this coming June, why not join the ranks of survivors and allies in your hometown in connection with the wider event? Make it a fun and meaningful day.

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National Cancer Survivors Day: FAQs

Who are some celebrities who have beaten cancer?

It’s a long and illustrious list, including names like Robert De Niro, Fran Drescher, and Olivia Newton-John, among many others.

Who counts as a cancer ‘survivor’?

For the NCSD Foundation’s purposes, a survivor is any individual who has a history with the disease, from first diagnosis to all stops along the remainder of their life.

I’d like to keep in touch by subscribing to “Coping” magazine. How much is a subscription?

You’ll be pleased to know that “Coping” offers free subscriptions to both their print edition and e-newsletter at copingmag.com.

National Cancer Survivors Day: Activities

Attend an event

Chances are, on National Cancer Survivors Day, there will be one or more themed events in or near your town. Go out and show your support!

Register and host an event of your design

Especially if you’re honoring a friend or family member who has been diagnosed in life, creating a brand-new event is a very honorable way of celebrating this important day.

Spread the word on social media

It’s always a good idea to raise awareness online. Perhaps search for an in-depth article and share it with the hashtag #NationalCancerSurvivorsDay.

Five Amazing Facts About Chemotherapy

Never quit

For some chemotherapy patients, the treatment isn’t as overwhelming as you may think, and it may be possible to maintain a lighter work schedule through your chemo.

Variety is the name of the game

Not all chemotherapy is intravenous; some types are administered via skin cream or pill.

A long and winding road

Chemo patients must be prepared for one thing that doesn’t seem fair: some side effects — heart and lung problems, nerve damage, and others — can show up months or years after the original treatment.

but maybe not so bumpy

Side effects like hair loss, fatigue, and others vary widely among patients, with some survivors experiencing few or no side effects at all.

Too much of a good thing

Beware if you’ve been on a regimen of vitamin supplements like A, C, and E, since high doses of those and others can interfere with chemotherapy.

National Cancer Survivors Day: Importance

It affects so many

In the U.S. alone, there are over 16 million cancer survivors. One or more of them may be people who are close to you, or you may be a survivor yourself. Today is for making survivors feel loved and important, as they are.

It’s a step toward beating cancer altogether

Some medical professionals will use the word ‘cured’ interchangeably with ‘in remission,’ but there is still no true cure for cancer itself. However, the more attention the disease is given — as with NCSD celebrations every June — the closer we’ll get to a viable, across-the-board cure.

It’s a fun day, despite the serious reason behind it

When all is said and done, who doesn’t like a parade, a festival, or even — as in the year 2020 — a Zoom call? Smiling faces will always be good therapy for those suffering from illness.