Every year on May 15th, I gather a small group of my family and my closest friends and we spend an evening celebrating. It isn't my birthday or a wedding anniversary, it is the anniversary of the day that I found out I had cancer. To some that seems like a strange thing to celebrate. But to me, that day was the beginning of my survival. I had some rough days, even rough years. There was chemo and many surgeries but it was a starting point and what I may not have realized early on was that each year of survival was an accomplishment in itself and each year that I distanced myself from that day deserved a celebration. It took a long time for me to see that I shouldn't dwell on why this terrible thing happened to me and instead focus on how much I have changed, for the better, since I beat cancer. Being 13 years out this year there is so much I want to give back to the community. I want people to know that there are great things ahead even after a cancer diagnosis and we should always celebrate life.
At PINKAPALOOZA III, there were a group of ladies that came to play trivia. They all wore the same color shirts to support and celebrate their friend who I believe had just finished chemotherapy. By the end of the evening that group was having so much fun that they were dancing on the tables. That moment filled my heart with so much joy. To see a group of friends celebrating a survivor and to see a survivor celebrating her support team of friends, it was beautiful!
We found that when speaking with our many volunteers about the night, the one thing that got brought up the most was how wonderful it was so see these friends enjoy themselves for all of the right reasons. We wanted to bottle that love and let others experience it for themselves.
This year on Saturday, May 11th, we are delighted to announce our first ever Survivors' Jubilee.
A chance to celebrate
This will be a chance for survivors and their support team, friends, or family to come together to celebrate their lives and their love for one another and just let loose and have fun. Whether you have just received a diagnosis or are a 20+ year survivor, we all have a reason to celebrate each other.
A chance to inspire
Over the years we have met some amazing survivors that have turned a horrible time in their life into something beautiful. We will share some of their stories. And we hope to hear some of your stories too!
A chance to give back
We are all coming together to support each other. Every cancer diagnosis comes with its own set of challenges. But we all also share a common experience and we can all help each other through those struggles. Together we are stronger.
This is an evening that Alissa's Hope feels very strongly about. Our goal is not to make a profit from this but to give you an evening you won't forget. We will be serving heavy hors d'oeuvres and have an open bar serving wine and beer. We will have some amazing local entertainers. Comedienne Andi Smith who you might recognize from NBC's Last Comic Standing. Local performer Perry Woods on guitar and Blues Handle will have us dancing in our seats. There will be games and prizes, a few surprises and of course a cake! What would a celebration be without cake?
We will be releasing more details on how to purchase tickets and answering more questions within the next week. We hope that you pass the word on to your family and friends. It is sure to be a night you will never forget.
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