CLEARFIELD – “Our purpose this evening is to raise awareness,” said John Crissman at the Livestrong Day celebration at Elliott’s Park.
One of over 700 similar registered events occurring this year under the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Livestrong Day is a community event to help raise awareness and community action.
“Sadly, 1547 Americans will die from cancer today. Another 1.4 million will be diagnosed this year … but there is good news, there are 12 million survivors,” said Crissman stating improvements in care, and the Armstrong Foundation’s four strategies to reduce the burden of cancer in the United States.
The celebration of Clearfield’s first “Livestrong Day” saw the dedication of three new flowering crab apple trees and a preexisting pine at Elliott’s Park. A fitting display as the creation of the park was described by Crissman, a cancer survivor, as his own personal “Livestrong Challenge”. The park is named after a chocolate lab that had served as an inspiration through the cancer treatment, but had passed on two years ago.
As well, the dedicated pine also had meaning. Saved from a job Crissman had been working on where it looked like the pine might die, he worked to keep it alive. Describing it as “also have gone through a rough time.” The pine, lit by Christmas lights, was picked to be the “tree of hope.”
“This (Livestrong Day) went off pretty well,” said Carol Turner, Crissman’s fiance.
According to Turner the both of them were satisfied with the turnout for the event, and were uncertain on repeating if next year. If repeated, it would probably be slightly different.