Survivors celebrate at luncheon on Cancer Survivors Day

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Around 300 people of all ages gathered at The Grove in Lakewood Ranch Sunday afternoon for the Cancer Resource Network’s 25th local celebration of survivors.

It was a chance for people like Carrie Girard, who was first diagnosed with leukemia when she was three, and Jeffrey Davis, who has battled cancer four different times to see that they aren’t going through their battles alone.

“I basically was told I had six months to live,” said Davis.

Davis has been diagnosed with prostate cancer twice, a rare cancer called gist that begins in the digestive system, and most recently lip cancer in 2022.

“It’s a battle, it affects you physically, psychology but I keep plugging away,” said Davis.

Davis has traveled all over the country, getting treatment from specialists who are helping him beat the odds.

A breast surgical oncology specialist, Dr. Heidi Emrani, helps patients fight on a daily basis, showing the importance of this celebration.

“To be able to be a survivor and celebrate that journey on the other side of that is really important and it’s important for patients to realize there is another side of it and they will be survivors,” said Emrani.

Davis is currently in remission and says he is in great spirits and the best shape of his life, even playing pickleball four or five times a week.