Cancerversary
An important date regarding a person's fight against cancer
Example
Tomorrow is Tom's cancerversary of his last day of treatment
Wow, can I take him out for lunch to celebrate?!
Related Slang
Friendversary | Friendship anniversary |
Annivorcery | Anniversary of a divorce |
LC | Let's celebrate |
AIDS | Acquired immune deficiency syndrome |
HIV | Human immunodeficiency virus |
MD | Medical doctor |
EMR | Electronic medical record |
AMA | American Medical Association |
A cancerversary is a date that represents a milestone in regards to a person's battle with cancer. It may be when a person was diagnosed, started a new treatment, found out that his cancer was in remission, or had his last treatment.
The term comes from the combination of "cancer" and "anniversary." It gained popularity in the mid-2010s as people began to more publicly celebrate the victories and defeats that come with battling cancer, especially on social media.
Most people that have not had cancer or experienced a loved one getting cancer will probably not be familiar with the term. However, it is typically a big deal for the person battling it because it represents a moment that forever changed his or her life.
Loved ones usually celebrate cancerversaries in a way that is appropriate for the milestone. For example, a cancer survivor's family and/or friends may go out to dinner to celebrate the cancerversary of the person's last treatment much the same way as a wedding anniversary or birthday. Or a person may take time to reflect on the cancerversary on which he was diagnosed to appreciate how it has changed him, for better and for worse.