Welcome Message

13th Annual Christmas Get-Together

December 3, 2000

Reynaldo O. Joson, MD

Greetings (Good Morning/Good Afternoon)!

Mabuhay sa inyong lahat!

Welcome to the 13th Annual Get-Together of the Cancer Crusaders Club.

Thank you for accepting our invitation and joining us in this very very important once-a-year gathering. Important because it is a grand healing and revitalizing session for all of us.

I am very happy to see all of you today.

Today, I see a lot of new faces. These are the new cancer crusaders. Those of us who are attending this gathering for the first time, please stand up to be recognized. Let's us all welcome the new cancer crusaders by giving them a big round of applause.

Today, I also see a lot of old faces. These are the veteran cancer crusaders. Can I also ask the veteran cancer crusaders to please stand up to be recognized? Let's us all give the veteran cancer crusaders three cheers. Hep, hep, hurray! Hep, hep, hurray! Hep, hep, hurray!

We started our Cancer Crusaders Club in 1988.

It's now year 2000.

It's now the 13th year since we started in 1988.

During the past 13 years, while new things have propped up and changes have occurred, there are also things that have steadfastly remained the same and useful.

Example of a new thing that have propped up - techonology - before we used simple TV to show our past get-togethers, now we are using LCD projector.

Example of changes that have occurred - our venue - before we used the old conference room beside the hospital canteen, since 1991, we are using this Tangco Hall.

Examples of things that have steadfastly remain the same and useful:

1. Those who were with us in 1988 may have grown old, but they are still with us and useful in helping other cancer crusaders.

2. We may have aged but the spirit of the Cancer Crusaders Club is still with us and we continue to empower other cancer crusaders.

3. The vision-mission of the Cancer Crusaders Club has remained the same and it has provided sustainable psychosocial support to cancer patients.

It's now year 2000, the dawn of the new millennium.

Since the Cancer Crusaders Club is now on its 13th year of existence and since it is now year 2000, the dawn of the new millennium, just a week ago, I decided to come up with a production on the history of the Club and to plan out activities for the next 5 years.

Here now is the slide-presentation on the history of the Cancer Crusaders Club.

Hope you like it.

Rey Joson