Cancer survivors celebrate life on National Cancer Survivor Day

ZANESVILLE, Ohio — Genesis Cancer Services invited area cancer survivors to celebrate life on Sunday.

The event, which is held on National Cancer Survivor Day, is meant to recognize those locals that are part of the nearly 15.5 million cancer survivors across the United States. One survivor spoke to the group about her battle, and her treatment process at Genesis.

“I couldn’t believe that it had happened to me, and you know, it’s never going to happen to you. But it did. But after I sat down with my surgeon and she went over everything, and I sat down with Dr. Gupta and Dr. Wegner, they made me feel so much more at ease. And it went flawlessly, it really did,” said Annette Warehime, a cancer survivor, guest speaker, and nurse at Genesis Hospital.

Having been a nurse for 32 years at Genesis, Warehime said she had the option to have her treatment completed anywhere but the ability to continue her treatment without missing any work was a motivating factor for her. She was even able to schedule treatments around her lunch breaks so she could work, complete a treatment, and go right back to work.

Warehime added it means a lot to her that the people at Genesis and in this community recognize people with cancer. She says years ago people didn’t talk about cancer, but now the more conversations we have, the more we learn, the more outreach there is, and the more individuals can help each other.

While there are many excellent cancer facilities in Ohio, and specifically in Columbus, Medical Director Dr. Scott Wegner said that they have the capability to treat almost all forms of adult cancer, and the family-like atmosphere is why so many patients come to Genesis.

“So we treat all forms of adult cancer, except for the acute lukemias. We’re a very, very busy center in lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and a lot of blood cancers. You know, we’re a family; we’re a family of people who are caregivers, and also we treat the people that come here as patients as family,” added Dr. Wegner.

“I’m very proud of that team that we have here. I think there is no better team of people caring for people with cancer than there is here. And I think if patients come here they’ll see that too,” said Wegner.

Approximately 400 people attended the event which included lunch, door prizes, a photo booth, and gifts for all survivors.