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Fox Chase Cancer Center Celebrates Life at Survivors’ Day at the Phillies
On June 30th, over 500 cancer survivors—many wearing their Team Fox Chase 50th anniversary t-shirts—took the field for a Victory Lap before a sold-out game at Citizens Bank Park for Fox Chase’s annual Survivors’ Day Celebration. This year’s event was the largest in Fox Chase’s nearly 15-year history with the Phillies: the pregame tailgate, which included survivors’ families and friends, had nearly 1,500 attendees.
“Survivors’ Day is a celebration of life,” says Shawn Kleitz, Fox Chase’s Chief Development Officer. “It’s a celebration of all we do at Fox Chase, and the compassionate care we provide. Survivors come to enjoy the day with each other, and with their loved ones.”
This year, that meant cheering the Phillies—who currently have the best record in Major League Baseball—to a 7-6 victory over the Miami Marlins. Before the game, survivors also had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet Phillies legend Mike Schmidt. The All-Star former third baseman, who played his entire career with the Phillies, is a cancer survivor and an advocate for early detection and cancer screenings. A video Schmidt made with Fox Chase about the importance of these preventative measures was played while the survivors walked the field.
“He was incredibly kind and gracious,” Lisa Bailey, Fox Chase’s Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations, says of Schmidt. “He took a selfie with every single survivor, and he did not stop until the last patient was off the field.”
To kick off the game, one of our survivors—Bryan Rogers, patient of Jeffrey Farma, MD, FACS—threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Rogers had just celebrated his last day of work, capping off a 40-year career in wealth management. Survivors’ Day also capped off a month that had been jam-packed with cancer awareness events at Citizens Bank Park, starting with Strike Out Cancer Night at the Phillies on June 4th and ending with our Survivors’ Day Celebration.
And while there was some rain early in the day, it wasn’t enough to dampen anyone’s spirits—least of all these survivors. “One of the patients remarked, ‘Kind of fitting to have a little adversity today,’” Kleitz laughs.
To see even more photos, click here to view our album on Flickr.
Watch the Survivor Victory Lap video and the Mike Schmidt video.
Fox Chase Cancer Center (Fox Chase), which includes the Institute for Cancer Research and the American Oncologic Hospital and is a part of Temple Health, is one of the leading comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation’s first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase is also one of just 10 members of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center’s nursing program has received the Magnet recognition for excellence six consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. It is the policy of Fox Chase Cancer Center that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment.
For more information, call 888-369-2427