Ossining Residents Attend Support Connection Event

More than 150 people gathered for ’s eighth annual "Celebrate Life Day" on Sunday, June 3 at Travelers' Rest restaurant.

, the Yorktown-based not-for-profit organization offers free, confidential support services to people affected by breast and ovarian cancer. Each year, it honors cancer survivors for their strength and courage and recognizes the contributions of their families, friends and other caregivers.

The highlights of Celebrate Life Day were several moving and inspirational talks by cancer survivors:

• Support Connection’s co-founder Board President Nancy Heller (Yorktown Heights), a cancer survivor for 26 years; 
• Roslyn Mann (Yorktown Heights) a cancer survivor for 26 years; 
• Gerri Babiarz, a 5 ½ year breast cancer survivor who was one of Support Connection’s Spirit of Hope honorees last year. 

National Cancer Survivors Day is an annual, world-wide celebration of life held in hundreds of communities. Participants unite in a symbolic event to show the world that life after a cancer diagnosis can be meaningful and productive. 

According to the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation, a "survivor" is anyone living with a history of cancer, from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life. 

The "Celebrate Life Day" program also included musical entertainment and lunch. Musical guests were vocalist Courtney Shayne Van Dyke and cellist Matthew Cervoni.

Among the attendees of the annual event were:

• Gerri Babiarz (of Somers) with her friends Dianna Sullivan (Yorktown) Dawn Montague (Ossining) and Drew Korn (Yorktown).
• Jane and Jim Gentile (Yorktown Heights), along wit Jane’s mother Catherine Carpenter, and Jane’s daughters Christine and Jennifer Johnson
• Phyllis Nadelhaft and Carole Smith (Yorktown Heights) and Fran Glassman (Peekskill)
• Dan, Steve and Dawn Cossa, with Dawn’s parents Carolyn and John Miklitsch (all from Cortlandt Manor)
• Carol Bingham and her niece Marisa Roffi (both from Mt. Kisco.)
• Maria Brown and Roseann Ferrari (both from Somers)

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Thanks to Barbara Cervoni for the photos and above information.