KALISPELL — In honor of June being Cancer Survivor Month, Logan Health held its first-ever celebration for cancer survivors, while also providing education on how to fight and prevent cancer.
On Saturday, cancer survivors and their families showed up for an afternoon of fun and education in celebration of their battles with the disease.
Jaren Renfro, the cancer program coordinator at Logan Health, says one of the main purposes of this event was to bring people with common experiences together and highlight their victories from battling cancer.
“These people have just endured, you know, some of the most traumatic things that can happen,” Renfro said. “So we want to celebrate their victories, and just celebrate them making it through cancer.”
For survivors like Ellen Keesling, this event helped her and others realize how many resources, such as screenings and support groups, are readily available in and around Kalispell.
“To know that there is help, there are events, there are people who can step into your story. I think that’s a really powerful thing,” Keesling said.
Most importantly, Keesling says the community that this event and others like it have built is crucial to everyone who has battled or is currently battling cancer.
“When you feel like you're alone, it's really hard to battle through this,” Keesling said. “I think that having other people who intrinsically know what it's like to receive a cancer diagnosis. They know how personal it is and how terrifying it can be so having that community of people who really get it, it provides a bond that I think can encourage you and give you hope for the future.”
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