Celebrate Life was founded March 22, 1999 by Michele Sexton, a breast cancer survivor. The mission of Celebrate Life is to assist, educate, support and encourage newly diagnosed cancer patients. Survivors maintain membership with the group after treatment to provide support to new patients and share their personal journey to healing.

Meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of each month at the Episcopal Church of the Annunciation, 304 Cosby Highway, Newport, Tennessee at 7:00 P.M. Date and times of the meetings are reported in the Newport Plain Talk newspaper and both local radio stations WLIK and WNPC. There are no meetings on the fourth Thursday of November as that is Thanksgiving Day, so we have a Christmas Party on the first Thursday of December.

We have many informative speakers such as Radiation / Oncologist Dr. Joseph Meyer, Oncologist Dr. Russell Devore, a social worker, a dietician, a counselor, an acupuncturist and many others. We also have a "Pampering Night" and a picnic during the summer.

Celebrate has received grant money from the Susan G. Komen Foundation to assist breast cancer patients. We also have received grants and donations from other sources to assist patients of all other cancers. We assist patients in Cocke and Jefferson Counties. Grant money and donations are used for transportation assistance, medicine, supplies, utility bills and any other special needs a cancer patient may face during treatment. We also have some money designated to help with supplies for our meetings. We have an outreach program called "Manna from Heaven" which supplies snacks to the chemotherapy and radiation waiting rooms at Morristown Regional Cancer Center in Morristown, TN. This program is funded by our group members and the parishioners of Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Newport, TN.

For more information, please contact Michele Sexton at 865-654-0486 or Gail Sutton at 423-623-3730.