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National Cancer Survivor’s Day

Dr. Jennifer Arnold leads the Parade of Survivors. Photo by Cindy Swanson

By Heidi Sutton

On Sunday, June 4, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in various locations across the country for National Cancer Survivors Day, a celebration of life for anyone who has been touched by cancer. Locally, the Stony Brook Cancer Center hosted its 13th annual event, made possible by sponsorship from the Stony Brook School of Medicine and Stony Brook University.

The weather cooperated as attendees participated in a variety of outdoor activities, such as the popular dunk-a-doc, bedpan golf, chemo bag toss and face painting, as well as musical entertainment. The day culminated with the Parade of Survivors to the tune of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.”

Dr. Yusuf Hannun

“There is really no activity that I look forward to more every year than what we are doing here today, to celebrate you and to celebrate survivorship,” said Dr. Yusuf Hannun, director of the Stony Brook Cancer Center, to a crowd of survivors, doctors, nurses, family members and friends. “Looking around … I am really humbled to see how this event has been growing exponentially, from very modest beginnings of a handful of dedicated volunteers and determined survivors, to today with over 1,300 [attendees], 300 of them survivors,” he said.

Hannun also took the opportunity to speak about the new 245,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art Medical and Research Translation (MART) building, which served as the backdrop to the event and is scheduled to open by the end of this year. The director stated the new facility “will allow us to serve twice as many patients and their families … and allow us to continue to push back against cancer at all times. We are very excited to move into that building.”

The keynote speaker of the day was Dr. Jennifer Arnold, who is featured on TLC’s docudrama, “The Little Couple” along with her husband, Bill, who is originally from Port Jefferson Station, and their beautiful children, Will and Zoey. The show has served as an invaluable way to break down barriers and educate the public about people with disabilities.

Dr. Jennifer Arnold

Standing at just 3 feet and 2 inches, Arnold was born with a rare type of dwarfism called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, Strudwick type and has undergone over 30 surgeries in her lifetime. In 2013 she was diagnosed with stage 3 choriocarcinoma, a rare cancer that developed after a non-viable pregnancy. She graciously chose to share her fight with viewers of her show.

Now a three-year cancer survivor, Arnold shared her journey and personal lessons learned at Sunday’s event with a dynamic, motivational and inspirational presentation titled Surviving with Grace and received several standing ovations.

“Although I had a lot of life lessons [growing up], nothing taught me more than going through cancer,” said Arnold. “Sometimes life throws a wrench into the middle of your world and you have to be ready for that because life is short, no pun intended.”

“Going through chemotherapy changes you a lot, physically, emotionally, mentally…,” she said. After chemo, “I didn’t go back to normal, but I did go back to life. Truly it takes a village to go through your treatment and survivorship. It’s okay to accept that help.”

Arnold continued, “This is a wonderful life that we have and I am so blessed to be alive and to be able to share my story and I know that many of you in the audience feel the same way. … Whether it’s the fact that you’ve undergone treatment for cancer or whether you’ve had other obstacles in life, I hope that you too can overcome those obstacles and that you can survive with grace.”

By Yusuf A. Hannun, M.D. 

Dr. Yusuf Hannun

Because of major advances in cancer prevention, early detection and treatment, many patients with cancer are enjoying longer lives and maintaining their quality of life, as the number of cancer survivors grows.

National Cancer Survivors Day®, an annual worldwide celebration of life, is held each year on the first Sunday in June. Anyone living with a history of cancer — from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life — is a cancer survivor, according to the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation. In the United States alone, there are more than 14.5 million people living with a history of cancer.

Stony Brook University Cancer Center will host its 13th Annual Cancer Survivors Day this  Sunday, June 4, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cancer Center, located on the Stony Brook Medicine campus.

The event is a celebration for those who have survived cancer and serves as an inspiration for those who have been recently diagnosed. In addition, this event is a gathering of support for families and friends. Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet and mingle with Stony Brook Medicine physicians, nurses and support staff.

The day features inspirational speaker Jennifer Arnold, MD, MSc, FAPP, who will share her story of perseverance, resilience and strength to bring hope to others facing obstacles and difficulties. Dr. Arnold, a three-year cancer survivor, stars in TLC’s docu-drama “The Little Couple” along with her husband, Bill, and their children, Will and Zoey.

All cancer survivors are invited, whether they were treated at Stony Brook or not. In addition to Dr. Arnold’s talk, attendees can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities, such as dunk-a-doc, bedpan golf, chemo bag toss and face painting, as well as musical entertainment and light refreshments. They can also participate in the very moving Parade of Survivors. This event is free but registration is required. To register, visit cancer.stonybrookmedicine.edu/survivors2017 or call 631-444-4000.

National Cancer Survivors Day is just one of many ways Stony Brook reaches out to the community. The Cancer Center has created several initiatives and programs to help make life easier for patients with cancer, including support groups, cancer prevention screenings and the School Intervention and Re-Entry Program for pediatric patients.

As a leading provider of cancer services in Suffolk County, the Cancer Center is on the forefront of research, discovery and cancer care. In the new Kavita and Lalit Bahl Center for Metabolomics and Imaging, for instance, we are receiving international recognition for our pioneering studies in metabolism and cancer. It’s changing what is known about the role metabolism plays in cancer and brings us closer than ever before to understanding how to prevent and treat it.

And next year, Stony Brook Cancer Center will relocate to a state-of-the-art Medical and Research Translation (MART) building that will focus on cancer research and care. This 240,000-square-foot facility will allow scientists and physicians to work side by side to advance clinical cancer research and improve treatment options.

Propelled by these advances, we continue to bring comprehensive cancer resources to you in your community. Our ambitious drive to transform cancer care and research is just one more reason for hope and celebration.

Dr. Yusuf A. Hannun is the Director of Stony Brook University’s Cancer Center, 
Vice Dean for Cancer Medicine and 
Joel Strum Kenny Professor in Cancer Research