Hundreds of patients and their families filled the Rockefeller Research Laboratories Auditorium this summer for a program marking National Survivorship Day.
Harry Smith, anchor of CBS's The Early Show and the event's keynote speaker, gave his perspective on the role of families and caregivers in the lives of people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Sharing a personal story, he spoke of his mother's breast cancer diagnosis, the many years she lived following treatment, and the impact the disease had on him as her son.
Also on the program were Memorial Hospital Physician-in-Chief Robert E. Wittes; Mary McCabe, Director of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Survivorship Program; Penny Damaskos, Coordinator of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Post-Treatment Resource Program; and three cancer survivors, Oscar Strongin, Lauren Peyton, and Christopher Lukas.
"Harry Smith eloquently addressed the fact that a cancer diagnosis has profound effects that often reach well beyond the patient," observed Ms. McCabe. "National Survivorship Day pays tribute to cancer survivors and acknowledges the involvement of their families, friends, and healthcare providers."
A reception and raffle followed the program. The raffle included gift certificates from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Integrative Medicine Service and a gift certificate for dinner for two provided by The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Dream Team.
