Cancer Survival Hits 70% as Support Community Transforms

When Lora Hays started working at Cancer Support Community in Indianapolis in 1999, she led bereavement counseling in a room where grief lived inside its four walls. Today, that same space is Emma's Art Studio, filled with vibrant colors and the sound of healing.

The transformation mirrors a national shift. The American Cancer Society's 2026 report reveals that seven in ten people now survive their cancer diagnosis five years or more, up from just half in the mid-1970s.

Lora, now the clinical director and executive vice president, has witnessed this change firsthand over 27 years. "There's more hope than there was before," she told FOX59. "I see a lot more people having really successful outcomes."

Four years ago, Lora became part of the statistics herself when she was diagnosed with a rare sarcoma. After spending two decades helping others through cancer, she suddenly found herself needing the same support she'd been providing.

"It was an out-of-body experience to be diagnosed," Lora said. "Sometimes I'm trying to keep my therapist hat on and be that therapist that they need, but every once in a while I find myself taking that off and being a patient."

The experience taught her something crucial: cancer can be isolating, but healing doesn't have to be.

Why This Inspires

As survival rates climb, the focus has shifted from simply surviving to truly living again. When the appointments slow down and the scans spread out, the real work begins.

Cancer Support Community offers everything from counseling and support groups to massage, cooking classes, and fitness programs. All services are completely free for patients and caregivers alike.

The center runs entirely on generosity and volunteers who simply show up and ask what needs to be done. One volunteer comes through regularly just to replace the high light bulbs in the building.

FOX59 photojournalist Anthony Mobley discovered the center by chance in 2022 after he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. His wife Cherrone received her own breast cancer diagnosis while sitting in the hospital with him. Both are now doing well and grateful for the community they found.

Lora says the conversations at the center have changed along with the statistics. "Usually people are like, 'OK, I got diagnosed, I don't know what to do!' And you can learn so much from other people," she said. "Being able to ask those questions of people who are ahead of you in the journey is amazing."

The center encourages anyone affected by cancer to pull in and ask for help, just like Anthony did when he spotted the building while leaving work one day.

After 27 years of serving others and four years of her own cancer journey, Lora feels a deeper connection to everyone who walks through the doors: "I feel this unity now with everybody who comes in."