On Saturday, June 8, The Valley Hospital’s Blumenthal Cancer Center welcomed more than 200 people to Valley’s 24th annual “Celebration of Life” event commemorating National Cancer Survivors Day. The event, held at the Luckow Pavilion in Paramus, honored cancer survivors, their families and friends and their healthcare professionals.
“Seeing patients outside the medical office and in a setting where they’re having fun with friends and family is incredibly rewarding,” says Chad DeYoung, M.D., radiation oncologist and Co-Director of The Gamma Knife Center. “This is my third year attending this event, and each year is very special. I was especially surprised by the turnout this year. The number of survivors continues to grow and the event gets larger and larger. Knowing that I had a hand in giving someone more of those special moments is something that brings me a lot of satisfaction.”
The day featured speakers that included fellow cancer survivors, Senator Robert Menendez and Robert J. Korst, M.D., Medical Director of the Blumenthal Cancer Center. Attendees learned more about cancer and survivorship while enjoying caricaturists, face painting and refreshments. They also had an opportunity to see and talk with the doctors who helped them along their journeys.
