Cancer Survivors, Families and Friends to Unite for 21st Annual National Cancer Survivors Day Celebration

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Midwest cancer survivors, their families and friends will unite to celebrate life during the upcoming 21st annual National Cancer Survivors Day celebration Sunday, June 1, 2008. National Cancer Survivors Day is an annual worldwide celebration that is held in more than 700 communities throughout the United States and Canada.

The celebration will be held from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 1, 2008, at the Mayo Civic Center Auditorium, located at 30 Civic Center Drive S.E. in Rochester, Minn. The free celebration will include lunch at 11:30 a.m., followed by a program to celebrate and honor cancer survivors at 12:30 p.m. Other activities include entertainment, children's games, and door prizes for the entire family. This year's theme is a Mexican Fiesta.

"This celebration of life is for everyone," says Janine Kokal, Mayo Clinic Cancer Education Program nurse educator and planning committee chair. "Whether you're a cancer survivor, a family member, a friend or a medical professional, this event provides an opportunity for cancer survivors to connect with other survivors and reunite with medical staff and families they've met along the way. Having the opportunity to meet other cancer survivors — especially the many long-term survivors — is an inspiring experience for all of us."

This statewide event is sponsored by Mayo Clinic Cancer Center and the American Cancer Society. More than 550 individuals attended last year's event.

Reservations are required by May 27, 2008. To register, call 507-424-4602 or 888-535-4227.

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About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. Doctors from every medical specialty work together to care for patients, joined by common systems and a philosophy of "the needs of the patient come first." More than 3,700 physicians, scientists and researchers, and 50,100 allied health staff work at Mayo Clinic, which has campuses in Rochester, Minn; Jacksonville, Fla; and Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.; and community-based providers in more than 70 locations in southern Minnesota., western Wisconsin and northeast Iowa. These locations treat more than half a million people each year. To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. For information about research and education, visit www.mayo.edu. MayoClinic.com (www.mayoclinic.com) is available as a resource for your health stories.