Published on August 20, 2008

Celebrating the lives of survivors August 23

Contact Name:  Lauren Elsensohn
Contact Phone:  831-625-4505
Email:  lauren.elsensohn@chomp.org 

MONTEREY, Calif. — Cancer affects so many lives that there are very few who can say that they have not been touched by it. Whether you have cancer, survived cancer, or want to show support, you are invited to be among the more than 1,000 persons expected to attend Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula’s annual celebration of hope and survivorship. The 13th annual Cancer Survivors’ Day celebration-of-life event is on Saturday, August 23, 2008, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Monterey Fairgrounds. It’s free and sponsored by Community Hospital’s Comprehensive Cancer Center in association with the American Cancer Society.

This year’s featured speaker is Chuck Obeso-Bradley of Hollister. A survivor whose surgery and radiation treatments left him cancer-free, Obeso-Bradley used golf as an important part of his recovery. You won’t want to miss his story, especially the part about hitting a hole-in-one on the historic 17th hole on the Pebble Beach fairway.

After making opening remarks, Steven Packer, MD, Community Hospital’s president and CEO, will be joined by Bradley Tamler, radiation oncologist and master of ceremonies. Guests will enjoy a fun-filled atmosphere that will include a barbecue lunch, with local physicians at the grill, salads, cake, ice cream, and more; as well as music, dancers, clowns, face painting, therapy dogs, an inflatable slide, group photos, and the Hands of Life art project.

Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, founded in 1934 and located at 23625 Holman Highway in Monterey, has grown and evolved in direct response to the changing healthcare needs of the people it serves. It is a nonprofit healthcare provider with 205 staffed acute-care hospital beds and 28 skilled-nursing beds, delivering a continuum of care from birth to end of life, and every stage in between. It serves the Monterey Peninsula and surrounding communities through 15 locations, including the main hospital, outpatient facilities, satellite laboratories, a mental health clinic, a short-term skilled nursing facility, Hospice of the Central Coast, and business offices. Learn more about Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula at www.chomp.org.