A 25th anniversary is always a festive occasion, and City of Hope’s 25th observance of Cancer Survivor Day is truly something to celebrate. The numbers are a source of joy for all of the attendees — from the patients and former patients to their families and the City of Hope staff. Everywhere you look survivors proudly wear buttons displaying the number of years they have been living as a cancer survivor.

The number of cancer-free years varies from survivor to survivor, and while the buttons with double-digits serve to give hope to the newest patients, the real inspiration comes from the stories attendees share with one another.

Patient-to-patient networking has become an increasingly important part of City of Hope’s survivorship programs. The supportive camaraderie it helps to build is always very much on display on the campus, and especially so on Cancer Survivor Day. Also evident are the close connections between former patients and their caregivers, bonds forged by City of Hope’s signature compassionate care.

Since 1987, City of Hope has been welcoming former patients to come back and celebrate overcoming their fight with cancer. The day always brims with smiles and hugs, hearty laughs and heartfelt tears, but this year’s silver anniversary designation gives an already buoyant event an extra lift: the collective victory of reaching this 25-year mark with City of Hope adds to the shared experience of surviving cancer, for former patients and staff members alike.

The ever-increasing number of survivors is another sign of that shared victory in the fight against cancer. City of Hope’s commitment to the best care and treatment is helping patients thrive and live longer, better lives. The proof may always be in the numbers — both on the survivors’ buttons as well as in the growing “family” of attendees — but the sea of smiles at Cancer Survivor Day always tells the real story of hope and determination.