National Cancer Survivors Day
Celebrating Life, Raising Awareness, and Inspiring Hope for the Future
On Sunday, June 1, 2025, the community will unite for the 38th annual National Cancer Survivors Day® – a Celebration of Life honoring those with a history of cancer, bringing awareness to the continuous challenges faced by cancer survivors, and inspiring hope for the future.
Cancer affects everyone. Recent global estimates indicate that 1 in 5 people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. More than 18 million people in the U.S. are living with or beyond cancer today, and more than 53.5 million people worldwide have survived cancer in the last five years.
On Sunday, June 1, 2025, people around the world are coming together to acknowledge these cancer survivors, and to raise awareness of the challenges of cancer survivorship, as part of the 38th annual National Cancer Survivors Day® Celebration of Life.
Celebrating Survivorship
National Cancer Survivors Day, observed annually on the first Sunday in June, is a cherished Celebration of Life that highlights the resilience, strength, and courage of those who have fought and continue to fight cancer. Hundreds of cities across the U.S. and abroad will hold celebrations on this day to honor the cancer survivors in their community, raise awareness of the ongoing challenges cancer survivors face, and – most importantly –celebrate life.
“A ‘survivor’ is anyone living with a history of cancer – from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life,” according to the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation, administrator for the celebration.
National Cancer Survivors Day® provides an opportunity for cancer survivors to share their stories, inspire others, and connect with a community that understands their journey. It is a day to recognize the struggles these survivors face and bring attention to the ongoing need for research, resources, and increased public awareness to improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.
“When you talk to cancer survivors and their families, they will tell you that the effects of cancer continue beyond the completion of treatment. Survivors often face ongoing hardships, including significant financial challenges, career setbacks, and long-term physical and emotional struggles,” says Foundation spokesperson Laura Shipp. “On National Cancer Survivors Day®, we want to raise awareness of the many challenges of cancer survivorship and help promote solutions.”
Join the Celebration
The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation is encouraging everyone – cancer survivors, caregivers, healthcare professionals, family members, and friends – to join the worldwide celebration. To find out how your community is celebrating, contact the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation. You can also host a celebration of your own using the resources available through the National Cancer Survivors Day® website, ncsd.org.
Additionally, the Foundation is offering a way for everyone, whether attending a local Celebration of Life or celebrating in their own unique way, to connect with fellow cancer survivors and supporters around the world on Sunday, June 1. You can follow the celebration online by using the hashtag #NCSD2025 and following National Cancer Survivors Day® on Facebook (Facebook.com/CancerSurvivorsDay), Instagram (@cancersurvivorsday), LinkedIn (@cancer-survivors-day/), and X (@survivorsday).
The nonprofit National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation offers free guidance, education, networking resources, and assistance to hundreds of hospitals, support groups, and other cancer-related organizations that host official National Cancer Survivors Day® celebrations. The Foundation’s primary mission is to bring awareness to the issues of cancer survivorship in order to improve quality of life for cancer survivors.
Advocating for Cancer Survivors
As the population of cancer survivors grows, it is increasingly crucial to address their specific needs. In addition to coping with a serious illness, cancer survivors face many additional challenges. These include escalating medical expenses, insufficient insurance coverage, difficulties with employment, and persistent physical, psychological, and financial issues that continue beyond the conclusion of treatment.
The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation – along with NCSD 2025 national supporters Aveo Oncology, Coping with Cancer, GlaxoSmithKline, Immunocore, Incyte, Ipsen, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, Labcorp, Novocure, Onco360, Servier, Springworks Therapeutics, and Syndax – is encouraging people across the globe to stand with these survivors on National Cancer Survivors Day® and bring attention to these challenges of cancer survivorship.
“Since the very first National Cancer Survivors Day® in 1987, we’ve made significant progress in the fight against cancer,” says Shipp. “Surviving this disease is absolutely something to celebrate. However, we at the Foundation believe that cancer survivors deserve to thrive after cancer, not just survive it.”
As National Cancer Survivors Day® approaches, the NCSD Foundation calls on everyone to promote the importance of addressing the challenges of cancer survivorship and improving quality of life for cancer survivors. By doing so, we can ensure that every cancer survivor not only survives but also thrives.
The following is a suggested post for your social media sites:
Cancer survivors deserve to thrive after cancer, not just survive it. Join us as we #CelebrateLife, bring attention to the challenges of cancer survivorship, and commit to improving cancer survivors’ quality of life on National Cancer Survivors Day, June 1. #NCSD2025
National Cancer Survivors Day® 2025 is supported nationally by Aveo Oncology, Coping with Cancer, GlaxoSmithKline, Immunocore, Incyte, Ipsen, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, Labcorp, Novocure, Onco360, Servier, Springworks Therapeutics, and Syndax.
About the Foundation
The nonprofit National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation offers free guidance, education, and support to hundreds of hospitals, support groups, and other cancer-related organizations that host National Cancer Survivors Day® events in their communities. The Foundation’s primary mission is to bring awareness to the issues of cancer survivorship as a means to better the quality of life for cancer survivors.
About National Cancer Survivors Day®
National Cancer Survivors Day® is a poignant, inspiring Celebration of Life led by the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation. It is also a call to action for further research, more resources, and increased public awareness to improve the lives of cancer survivors.
Held annually on the first Sunday in June, NCSD sees thousands gather across the globe to honor cancer survivors and to show the world that life after a cancer diagnosis can be beautiful, meaningful, and triumphant. This day gives people living with a history of cancer an opportunity to connect with each other, celebrate milestones, and share their personal stories of facing cancer. What began as a small grassroots survivorship movement in 1987 is now one of the largest cancer survivor celebrations in the world.
It is also a day to draw attention to the ongoing challenges cancer survivors face. As the number of cancer survivors continues to increase, it’s becoming ever more important that we address the long-term effects of cancer survivorship. Because cancer survivors deserve the best possible quality of life possible after facing this life-threatening disease.
