Ann Jillian To Speak At Annual Cancer Survivors Event

Three-time Emmy nominee and 1989 Golden Globe-winning actress Ann Jillian will be the keynote speaker at the seventh annual National Cancer Survivors Day festivities to be held June 12 at Stony Brook University’s Cancer Center. Celebrated worldwide, the event reunites cancer survivors and their families with the physicians, nurses and staff who helped them beat the disease.

Jillian, a 25-year breast cancer survivor and longtime motivational speaker, will preach the message of “Surviving and Thriving.” Its crux is that survivors must celebrate their victory by reinventing themselves both personally and professionally, living a rich, fulfilling life after winning their struggle with cancer.

“I have felt the profound presence of love, hope and mercy, even through my experience with breast cancer,” Ms. Jillian said in a press release. “That has strengthened me to ‘accept, adapt and move on,’ and sharing that positive message is my celebration of hope.”

The free event will take place from 11am to 4pm on campus. From Dunk-a-Doc, Chemo Bag Toss, Bedpan Golf and a scavenger hunt are among the outdoor games on site. There will also be a face painting station, yoga sessions as well as live music and light refreshments. Indoors, guests can tour the Cancer Center or view the Lilly Oncology On Canvas paintings.

The “Parade of Survivors” will take place at 2pm, celebrating those for whom the disease is in remission. All cancer patients and survivors, whether they were treated at the Cancer Center or elsewhere, are invited to attend the full slate of events with their families.

Jillian gained fame for her role in the long-running sitcom It’s a Living, which ran from 1980 to 1986. She played herself in the 1988 film The Ann Jillian Story, for which she captured a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV. The film depicted Jillian in her struggle with cancer; treatment for the disease included a double mastectomy.

Other popular film credits include Mr. Mom with Michael Keaton, as well as the biopic Mae West, for which she garnered an Emmy nomination. For her role in the CBS series Ellis Island, Jillian also was on the Emmy ballot for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special.

“National Cancer Survivors Day is a treasured annual celebration as well as a time to bring attention to the many issues cancer survivors face,” said Kenneth Kaushansky, M.D., Senior Vice President, Health Sciences, and Dean, School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. Kaushansky is also a nationally recognized hematologist and cancer researcher. “We are thrilled to have Ann Jillian share her victory, and celebrate with our patients and their personal victories on a day that offers much hope for continued advances in cancer prevention, early detection and treatment.”