MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Patient Oswald Peterson stands next to his oncologist Catherine Shu with his arms around her shoulder, both smiling at the camera.
After many years in remission, lung cancer survivor Oswald Peterson (right) reunited with his oncologist, Dr. Catherine Shu (left), to share his story with other cancer survivors and thrivers.
Two women sit side by side smiling at the camera during HICCC’s Cancer Survivors Month event, celebrating community and resilience.
Held during Cancer Survivors Month, “Thriving Through Cancer and Beyond” attendees gathered to honor milestones, resilience, and the strength of their community.
Dr. Catherine Shu speaks while gesturing with her hands during a conversation with her patient Oswald, who sits beside her and listens with a smile. They are seated in front of a projection screen in the Irving Cancer Research Center auditorium.
When Oswald arrived at Columbia in 2017 with stage IV lung cancer, his outlook was uncertain. But after starting immunotherapy with Dr. Catherine Shu (left), he had no evidence of cancer just months later.
Four women are pictures seated in the Irving Cancer Research Center auditorium, listening closely during the Cancer Survivors Month event hosted by the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Cancer survivorship begins at the moment of diagnosis. Survivors and their loved ones came together for a day of hope and healing at Columbia’s Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. 
Dawn Hershman, MD, MS, FASCO, speaks at the podium during the HICCC’s inaugural Cancer Survivors Month event, wearing a bright pink cardigan and glasses as she addresses the audience.
Dawn Hershman, MD, MS, FASCO, HICCC deputy director, shared her research on how approaches like acupuncture and massage are improving quality of life for patients, helping manage fatigue, insomnia, and pain.
At the Lipstick Angels exhibitor table, a volunteer gives a seated attendee a hand massage, with the group’s banner and materials displayed in the background during the inaugural Cancer Survivors Month event hosted by the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Attendees explored exhibitor tables highlighting organizations dedicated to survivor wellness. Lipstick Angels, a nonprofit specializing in oncology-sensitive beauty and self-care, pampered attendees with hand massages, aromatherapy, and light makeup.

Thriving Through Cancer and Beyond

At Columbia, survivorship begins at the moment of diagnosis and continues through every step of healing—from mind to body to spirit.
Oswald Peterson was 49 when he learned he had stage IV lung cancer. Doctors told him he had only weeks to live. That was in 2017.

Today, Oswald shows no evidence of disease. Thanks to a cutting-edge immunotherapy regimen given by his team at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC), he has defied the odds and continues to thrive. “I was given a death sentence,” he says. “But thanks to Dr. Catherine Shu and her team, I’m still here. My recovery was only an inch short of resurrection.”

Connected Through Community

Oswald shared his story alongside Dr. Shu, his oncologist, at the HICCC’s inaugural Thriving Through Cancer and Beyond event, where nearly 100 cancer survivors and thrivers, caregivers, and loved ones came together to honor the strength and resilience of those living with and beyond cancer. Hosted by the HICCC’s Patient Family Advisory Council, the gathering invited participants to learn more about the many ways survivorship extends beyond treatment —through community, integrative care, and emotional support.

The evening offered workshops and presentations focused on the mind, body, and spirit connection in healing. Guests practiced calming breathwork to ease scan-related anxiety, tried gentle dance designed for people in recovery, and learned practical self-care strategies like aromatherapy and Chi exercises.

HICCC physicians and researchers highlighted the growing role of integrative therapies in cancer care. “Our job is not just to treat the disease,” said Dawn Hershman, MD, MS, FASCO, deputy director at the HICCC, “but to support our patients in a way that allows them to finish treatment and thrive throughout it.”

Care That Restores

Organizations like CancerCare, SHARE Cancer Support, and Lipstick Angels—who treated guests to hand massage and aromatherapy—offered resources that affirmed survivorship as a whole-person experience. “In moments when people often feel their most vulnerable,” said Samantha Mendez, New York program manager at Lipstick Angels, “we’re there to offer care that restores a sense of dignity, confidence, and empowerment.”

For Oswald, that message rang especially true. He credited his survival not only to medicine, but also to the community and integrative care that sustained him through treatment. His message to others: “Live in the moment. Find joy wherever you can. There’s always a reason to have hope.”

“Our job is not just to treat the disease, but to support our patients in a way that allows them to finish treatment and thrive throughout it.”
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