Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is joining people and organizations around the nation who are celebrating cancer survivors on National Cancer Survivors Day. This is the 37th annual observance, which is held on the first Sunday of June. According to the American Cancer Society, as of 2022, more than 432,500 cancer survivors living in Virginia.
More people are surviving and living longer after cancer. A person is considered a cancer survivor from the time of diagnosis through the rest of their life. Even after treatment has ended, cancer survivors may experience long term physical and emotional side effects, financial hardships, increased risk for secondary cancers and 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 about what VDH is doing to address the burden of cancer in Virginia and ways you can get involved, see the Virginia Cancer Plan.