Pink Picnic Celebrates Cancer Survivors

BJ's Wholesale Club in Warrensville Heights and the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center at held a Pink Picnic on Tuesday to celebrate cancer survivors and promote breast cancer awareness.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and BJ's will donate money from purchases of specially marked "pink ribbon" merchandise sold at its stores in 15 states. The money will go to 13 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers.

The Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center at Hillcrest Hospital is the local recipient of donations. In February, BJ's Charitable Foundation gave the center a $34,950 check from money raised last year.

Hillcrest Hospital employees Dr. Henry Blair, a radiation/oncologist, and Michelle Maniglia of the surgery department were guest speakers at the Pink Picnic.

Maniglia, a two-year cancer survivor, was diagnosed in September 2009 with stage 2 breast cancer.

"After two weeks of being in shock, I pulled myself together," she said.

She underwent chemotherapy treatments every other Friday for four months, losing her hair halfway through. Despite the difficulties, she tried to keep going with her normal life as much as possible and even was a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding.

"I did not feel my best that night, but I stuck through it," Maniglia said. "I kept going with my life and through all of this I continued to work."

After finishing treatment, she had a mastectomy and then a surgical reconstruction.

"All of this was very hard mentally and physically to go through," she said. "Sometimes things just happen, but it's part of life and I got through it."

Maniglia said continuing her regular lifestyle was a way to fight the cancer.

"Live your life, do what you can do when you feel well," she said.

On the medical side, Blair also offered hope in the form of statistics showing how many more people are becoming cancer survivors. There were 3 million in 1971, 9.8 million in 2001 and it went up to 11.7 million in 2007.

"Think of any other condition, to increase the number of survivors by 20 percent in just six years," he said.

Blair added that new equipment available at Hillcrest Hospital allows doctors to more precise, enabling them to focus treatment where it is needed and increase dosage.