World Cancer Day 2025: People with cancer are ‘united by unique’

Editor’s note: The Union for International Cancer Control leads World Cancer Day every Feb. 4 to raise awareness about cancer, encourage its prevention, and mobilize action to address the global pandemic.

By Mayo Clinic staff

World Cancer Day's new campaign, "United by Unique," celebrates the stories of every person affected by cancer. "Every experience with cancer is unique, and it will take all of us, united, to create a world where we look beyond the disease and see the person before the patient. This World Cancer Day, let's come together to rewrite the future of cancer care — one where the needs of people and communities come first," states the campaign website.

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center customizes care to each person's unique cancer and needs. We also work with community members and researchers to ensure that Mayo Clinic's cancer care, research and clinical trials serve the needs of people living in our communities, lessening their cancer burden.

More than 130,000 people from around the world and all walks of life come to Mayo Clinic annually to receive diagnoses and treatments tailored to their exact needs and cancer types.

This World Cancer Day, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center celebrates and recognizes the unique experiences of each person we care for. Here are some of their stories:

Pokémon party at Mayo Clinic Children's Center brings joy, lasting memories

Five-year-old Arthur Heyer has been battling neuroblastoma since he was 2½ years old. His love for Pokémon has been his superpower, lifting his spirits as he battles what no child should ever have to face. With the help of Make-A-Wish Minnesota, Arthur was able to celebrate life and his passion for Pokémon with a party for his friends.

Innovative therapy helps one man with cancer pay it forward

After putting off a colonoscopy for decades, Brian Principe was diagnosed with colon cancer that had spread to his liver. After standard chemotherapy and hepatic artery infusion pump chemotherapy, his tumors have shrunk, and he is helping others get the screening they need to prevent the disease.

Focus on hope: Brescia's story

Hodgkin lymphoma derailed 20-year-old Brescia Dover's plans to become a professional photographer. Mayo Clinic's Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Program helped her get her plans back on track. She is now cancer-free and owns her own marketing agency.

Kirk Mathers found a lasting way to thank his care team: He got inked

After learning that an egg-sized growth on his foot was sarcoma, Kirk Mathers sought care at Mayo Clinic. He later decided to honor his cancer experience and his care team with a series of tattoos that continue to spark conversations.

Teamwork and a new nickname inspire patient through pancreatic cancer treatment

After a pancreatic cancer diagnosis and multiple cardiac arrests during treatment, Walter "Dick" Whetstone was told he had just months to live. At Mayo Clinic, he found help, hope and a new nickname based on his love for Clemson University in South Carolina.

Sally Blackwell 'no longer on the sidelines' after life-changing surgery for rectal cancer

Sally Blackwell experienced constipation and lack of weight gain while she was pregnant with her second child. After her child’s birth, her symptoms worsened but were dismissed as hemorrhoids. Then, at 33, she was diagnosed with rectal cancer at Mayo Clinic. The lifesaving care she received inspired her to become a social worker at Mayo Clinic.

Father of five on life after cancer: 'Everything feels so good and rich and valuable'

A swollen lymph node led Gary McCracken to Mayo Clinic to find the source of his cancer. The Head and Neck Surgery team in Rochester used exploratory robotic surgery to find the source — his tonsil — and removed the tumor and surrounding lymph nodes. After chemotherapy and radiation, he's now fully recovered and traveling the country with his wife.

Learn more

Read more stories from people who visit Mayo Clinic for their cancer care.

Join the Cancer Support Group on Mayo Clinic Connect, an online community moderated by Mayo Clinic for patients and caregivers.

Check out the free cancer resources offered by the Stephen and Barbara Slaggie Family Cancer Education Center at Mayo Clinic.