Celebration of Living

DAY OF CELEBRATION FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

On Saturday, June 22, cancer survivors are invited to “drum for joy,” learn healthy eating tips, get a chair massage, and much more, at the Winship Cancer Institute’s annual Celebration of Living being held at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. 


The event, from 8am to 1pm, is free, open to the public and includes continental breakfast and lunch.  The program is packed with workshops, musical performances and hands-on sessions that can help cancer survivors and their loved ones de-stress, build strength or just enjoy the day. 


People who have battled cancer are given the opportunity to share their stories and interact with others who have gone through similar struggles.  Being diagnosed and treated for cancer disrupts normal lifestyles and can cause patients to feel disconnected or even isolated. Celebration of Living gives them a chance to make new connections.


"The Celebration of Living is just that, a celebration. Total strangers come together and share their experiences, the good, the bad, and all that falls in between. In varying degrees we have lived in each other's shoes, and that gives us openness with each other,” explains Edye Bradford, cancer survivor of seven years.


The half-day event offers workshops for the mind and body. Some of the activities offered include light zumba, laughter yoga, equine-assisted psychotherapy and a demonstration of skincare and makeup techniques for cancer patients.  A highlight of the morning is the Survivorship Panel, moderated by Dr. Otis Brawley, Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society, in which cancer survivors share “how they got busy living again,” according to Mary Brookhart, part of Winship’s breast cancer multidisciplinary team, an event organizer and 24-year breast cancer survivor.


 “The focus of this event is on survivorship and how one goes about re-engaging in life after dealing with cancer,” says Brookhart.


Celebration of Living is a team effort put on by the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University and Saint Joseph’s Cancer Survivors Network. The event will be held in the Fellowship Hall of Peachtree Presbyterian Church, located at 3434 Roswell Rd. in Buckhead.


The whole event is free. For more information, go to: winshipcancer.emory.edu