Snippets

Nearly 800 young breast cancer survivors, their caregivers, and medical professionals from around the world joined nationally acclaimed breast cancer experts for the seventh annual Conference for Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer, held in Arlington, Virginia, in February. The 2008 conference is scheduled for next February in Jacksonville, Florida. For conference details, see www.youngsurvivorsconference.org.

Some new Hallmark greeting cards are not just saying “hello” but encouraging people through real-life situations, including cancer.

“Journeys” is a collection of 176 cards with comments covering a broad emotional range, from celebrating recovery to empathizing with grief. Topics include celebrating a year of being cancer-free and caring for a loved one who is ill. One card reads, “You’re a fighter, a survivor, an inspiration …”

To convey genuine emotions in the cards, Journeys writers conducted focus groups, talked to patients, and drew on personal experiences, Hallmark says. The writers focused on four themes: coping, hoping, healing, and joy.

Journeys cards can be found at Hallmark Gold Crown Stores; for details see www.Hallmark.com/Journeys.

Just as its participants have endured, so has National Cancer Survivors Day—for 20 years, to be exact.

This June 3 marks the 20th anniversary of a day dedicated to celebrating life. National Cancer Survivors Day events will take place in more than 700 communities around the world with everything from parades and carnivals to exhibits and inspirational programs—all honoring the courage and strength of cancer survivors and the people who care for them.

This celebration was started in 1987 when lung cancer survivor Richard Bloch, co-founder of H&R Block, and his wife, Annette, held the first rally for cancer survivors in Kansas City, Missouri.

To locate a survivor day event near you, call the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation at (615) 794-3006, or e-mail info@ncsdf.org.

There’s no shortage of cancer-related events and fund-raisers across the nation in which to take part. Here are just a few:

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The Lance Armstrong Foundation sponsors the LIVESTRONG Challenge, a race in which you can walk, run or ride. Event sites are Philadelphia; Portland, Ore.; and Austin, Texas. To learn more, visit www.livestrongchallenge.org.

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The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network hosts races, health fairs, and education and sporting events across the country. The PANCAN calendar can be found at www.pancan.org/Calendar/index.html.

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The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has added more programs to its popular Team In Training events. Also, the Hike For Discovery program hosts participants in four U.S. hiking venues from the Grand Canyon to Maui. To learn about this program and more, check out www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=4247.

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Susan G. Komen for the Cure hosts a number of events across the country, including the Race for the Cure and the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk. To find events in your area, log onto cms.komen.org/komen/NewsEvents/index.htm and plug in your city and date.

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The American Cancer Society sponsors events including the Relay For Life and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. See the ACS website at www.cancer.org/docroot/PAR/PAR_9_Calendar_Of_Events.asp and search by zip code, city, or state to find events near you.