Kentucky Cancer Center Builds Community for 20M Survivors

Steve Swift calls Markey Cancer Center his family, and after 21 years of living with bladder cancer, he means it literally.

The central Kentucky survivor was one of hundreds who gathered at Markey's recent Survivorship Celebration during National Cancer Survivors Month. The event honored nearly 20 million cancer survivors nationwide, but its real purpose ran deeper than celebration.

Isolation during treatment is one of the hardest parts of a cancer diagnosis. Katie Brown, who leads social work at Markey Cancer Center, hears it constantly from patients receiving mental health services.

"They just feel so isolated as they are going through treatments," Brown said. "It's hard to feel like when you are in the midst of that people understand what you are going through."

The June 10 celebration aimed to solve that problem by connecting patients with resources and reminding them they're not alone. Swift found exactly that when he joined the Markey community two decades ago.

"Markey has become a huge family for me," Swift said. "All of the patients here are in the same boat as I am."

The Ripple Effect

The community extends beyond hospital walls. Kentucky CancerLink partners with Markey to ensure practical barriers don't prevent people from getting care.

Transportation tops the list of obstacles for cancer patients. Melanie Hunter, the organization's Director of Community Outreach, said they provide gas cards, wigs, head coverings, and rides to treatment.

"Our goal is to really make sure no Kentuckian has to fight a cancer diagnosis alone," Hunter said. The organization also connects people with cancer screenings before diagnosis becomes crisis.

Brown emphasized that the celebration represents something permanent, not just a single June event. The community of survivors, caregivers, and partners surrounds patients every day, from first diagnosis through decades of survivorship.

For Swift and millions like him, that makes all the difference.