Cancer Survivor Park

Omaha Cancer Survivor Park
Omaha Cancer Survivor Park is located at 1111 N. 105th St. in Omaha, Nebraska. The park is a visual reminder of the journey people take who have cancer and is meant to inspire those who face the journey.
History
On March 29, 1978 Richard Bloch was told the new nobody wants to hear, he had cancer. Through this traumatic experience came a great idea. He wanted to create a park to combat, what he believed to be the second greatest correctable cause of cancer, relating death to cancer. Bloch believed that many have been brought up to believe that the diagnosis of cancer means death. And some believe that treatments are worse then death. This gave Bloch the idea of a Cancer Survivors Park. It would not only encourage current patients to have the will to fight, but would give healthy people, the will to fight when they are diagnosed. The Bloch Foundation wanted to do something to tribute the living. The Richard and Annette Bloch Foundation funds parks built across the country to fulfill its mission to encourage, inspire and celebrate surviving cancer. Currently there are 22 parks across North America. Each park is unique to the city it is built in, but each have three elements in common. The first element is that each park has a sculpture, called “Cancer: there is Hope”, created by a Mexican sculptor Victor Salmons. The sculpture has eight life size figures going through a maze, representing the journey one goes through cancer. The second element in the park is a "Positive Mental Attitude Walk" containing fourteen plaques. Four of the plaques are inspirational and ten plaques contain suggestions for fighting cancer. And the third element in the park is a "Road to Recovery" that consists of seven plaques explaining what cancer is and some actions to take to overcome the disease. Other then the three components each park across the United States is totally unique, being designed to complement the local environment. Currently there are 22 parks across the United States.

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