National Cancer Survivors Day is a secular holiday celebrated on the first Sunday in June primarily in the United States of America. The day is meant to "demonstrate that life after a cancer diagnosis can be a reality". Though it is mainly celebrated in the United States, the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation is attempting to grow its popularity in other countries, with some success.

History

The National Cancer Survivors Day was first announced by Merril Hastings at the second national conference meeting of the

National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization cancer advocacy organization based in Silver Spring, Maryland. It is the oldest survivor-led cancer advocacy organization in the country, and works to e ...

in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on November 20, 1987."Origin of National Cancer Survivors Day." National Cancer Survivors Day. COPING magazine. 30 June 2008 . Later, Hastings filed the name as an International Class 042 Service, as well as registering with the

United States Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alex ...

in the name of Pulse Publications. The first National Cancer Survivors Day was held on June 5, 1988.

Events

Local towns, cities, hospitals, and support groups usually host events and celebrations on National Cancer Survivors Day. Celebrations can include parades, carnivals, art exhibits, contests, and testimonies to honor local

cancer survivors A cancer survivor is a person with cancer of any type who is still living. Whether a person becomes a survivor at the time of diagnosis or after completing treatment, whether people who are actively dying are considered survivors, and whether ...

. The 2008 celebration included a commencement by U.S. President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and the

National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...

director. Antigua and Barbuda have included a walk and run as part of their celebrations since 2007."Antigua & Barbuda to Celebrate National Cancer Survivors Day." Antigua Sun t.John's, Antigua15 May 2007. 7 Oct. 2008 .

Expansion

The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation is attempting to expand the holidays celebrations worldwide, with some limited success. Countries targeted include

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

,"TELETOON: Children of Gilda's Club Animate What's on Their Minds!" Marketwire oronto30 May 2006. 9 Oct. 2008 . the Cayman Islands, Antigua,

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

Tobago Tobago () is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger island of Trini ...

, Saint Lucia,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

. Australia,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, and the

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internationa ...

."National Cancer Survivors Day." Department of Health and Human Services: Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 30 June 2008. United States Department of Health and Human Services. 9 Oct. 2008 ."NCSD Around the World." National Cancer Survivors Day. May 2008. The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation. 10 Oct. 2008 .

Sponsoring corporations

Frequent sponsors of the National Cancer Survivors Day include

AstraZeneca AstraZeneca plc () is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, England. It has a portfolio of products for major diseases in areas includi ...

, COPING Magazine, Lilly Oncology, and the R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation.

References

{{reflist 8.^ "National Cancer Survivors Day - June 2, 2019 - Faces of Cancer St Lucia. Theme: Moving On and Up. Activities: Round the Island Tour, Mountain Climbing - Gros Piton (2579'), Beach Picnic - Soufrière."

External links

National Cancer Survivors Day
Cancer fundraisers June observances Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month) Health awareness days