LIVESTRONG Day is the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s one-day initiative to unite people affected by cancer in raising awareness of cancer issues on a global level and in communities across the country. LIVESTRONG Day is October, 2, 2010.

Lance Armstrong was 25 years old when a doctor told him he had a 40 percent chance of surviving the aggressive testicular cancer that had already spread to his lungs and brain. The doctors whom Lance consulted in October 1996 were immediately focused on treating his cancer and saving his life, and rightfully so, but like anyone who has experienced cancer, Lance would soon encounter the long-term decisions and concerns. What about my career? How will I tell my mom? Will I have to sell my house? Will I be able to have children? Can I survive chemotherapy? Those are just a few of the issues that cancer patients confront as they try to survive and to ensure their lives will have enduring quality. The LAF offers support in ways that Sunflowers to Roses values by improving the quality of life for those living with, through and beyond cancer. The LAF promotes education, prevention and early detection to reduce the impact of cancer nationally.

Lance Armstrong started the LAF to “give back.” Now the LAF’s LIVESTRONG SurvivorCare program educates cancer survivors about new treatments in development, helps patients navigate the insurance system, offers counseling and support groups, and provides help with the practical challenges of cancer, such as transportation and child care.

According to the latest numbers from the National Cancer Institute, one in three Americans will suffer cancer in their lifetime. Today, more than 10 million Americans are cancer survivors. That is more than the total population of New York City. It is for these people that Sunflowers to Roses was created; it is the reason we support the LAF.

Sunflowers to Roses got its start by supporting the LAF’s Peloton Project and was part of the team that helped to raise $7 million in 2005. Sunflowers to Roses promoted the Kansas City Sunflowers to Roses ride as a grassroots fundraising ride before the Ride for the Roses in Austin, TX.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation

The Lance Armstrong Foundation's LIVESTRONG ARMY