The 38th annual National Cancer Survivors Day was June 1. This year, the focus was on celebrating cancer survivors, raising awareness and inspiring hope for the future. According to the American Cancer Society, as of 2022, more than 432,500 cancer survivors live in Virginia.
VDH is also highlighting the important role timely cancer screening can have on in improved outcomes among cancer survivors. Programs like Every Woman’s Life (EWL), offer life-saving services. EWL provides free breast and cervical cancer screening services to Virginia women who are uninsured or have low income.
A person is considered a cancer survivor from the time of diagnosis through the rest of their life. However, after treatment has ended, cancer survivors may experience
- long term physical and emotional side effects,
- financial hardships,
- increased risk for secondary cancers
- other health problems as a result of their cancer diagnosis and treatment.
There are a number of resources available to cancer survivors and their caretakers to help address needs they may experience during their survivorship journey.
- CDC Cancer Survivors: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/survivors/index.htm
- National Cancer Institute: Cancer Survivorship: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/survivorship
- American Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.org/
- Patient Advocate Foundation: https://www.patientadvocate.org/
- Cancer LINC: https://cancerlinc.org/
- ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation: https://www.askccf.org/
To learn more, visit the Virginia Cancer Plan.