Mesothelioma Survivors Celebrate Life on National Cancer Survivors Day

• Nancy Meredith
• For Your Family

Mesothelioma survivors are encouraged to join the nearly 14 million other Americans, and millions more around the world, who have survived cancer on Sunday, June 2, 2013, to observe the 26th annual National Cancer Survivors Day.

The day is a CELEBRATION for those who have survived, an INSPIRATION for those recently diagnosed, a gathering of SUPPORT for families, and an OUTREACH to the community, according to the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation who sponsors the day. We encourage all mesothelioma survivors to take the time out to celebrate with your family and others.

“When most people hear the word ‘cancer,’ they automatically think the worst,” says Foundation spokesperson, Laura Shipp in a press release announcing the day. “But the truth is that more people are living longer and better quality lives after cancer than ever before. National Cancer Survivors Day is an opportunity for these cancer survivors to come together and celebrate this new reality in cancer survivorship. There is life after cancer. And that’s something to celebrate.”

The American Cancer Society reports the average survival time for people with mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by past asbestos exposure, is between 4 and 18 months. However, between 5% and 10% of mesothelioma patients will live at least 5 years after diagnosis. The five-year survival rate for lung cancer is 16%, according to the National Lung Cancer Partnership.

The National Lung Cancer Partnership celebrated its ten-year anniversary last year, and to mark its next decade it announced its bold, new vision: double the overall five-year lung cancer survival rate, currently at 16%, to 32% in the United States by 2022.

We honor these special mesothelioma survivors who have battled the cancer and have been able to move on with their lives despite the challenges they face every day: Jan Egerton, a nearly 15-year survivor from England, Lou Williams, 10-year survivor of Australia, and Don Smitley, 18-month survivor from Pennsylvania. You can read more about these mesothelioma warriors through “Faces of Mesothelioma.”

Women cancer survivors are asked to attend the National Women Survivors Convention, which will take place this year in Nashville, TN, August 22 – 24. It’s a fabulous opportunity to learn, network and celebrate with other women survivors.

To find out more about National Cancer Survivors Day visit the Foundation’s website.