Hundreds of pediatric cancer survivors and their family members joined for a day of fun, food, music and inspiration at the sixth annual Les Nelkin Pediatric Cancer Survivors’ Day event hosted by Cohen Children’s Medical Center at Jones Beach.

A highlight of the program included brief remarks made by young adult ambassadors of the hospital’s “Survivors Facing Forward” program.

Zoe Carino, 9, of Westbury, was an infant when she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that forms in the adrenal glands. Following two cycles of chemotherapy, Carino was declared cancer-free in May 2017.

In an emotional speech, she told the cheering crowd, “My goal is to be a pediatrician and a singer. I want to inspire other kids to keep fighting and to be brave.”

Johnny Mendez, 26, of Astoria was diagnosed at the age of 2 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer. It occurs when a bone marrow cell develops errors in its DNA.

After three years of treatment, he was deemed cancer-free. Now a successful analyst at a financial tech company, Mendez urges other young cancer patients to realize that they have a purpose in life.

“The memories of being sick live on forever, and that makes me look at life differently,” Mendez said. “We must spread as much love as possible. Cancer taught me that we have to cherish every day of our lives.”

Gwen Ihm, 13, of Lindenhurst was only 1 ½ years old when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She underwent treatment for 10 months before receiving a bone marrow transplant in 2007.

Cancer-free now for 11 years, Ihm is considering a career in child life in homage to the many hospital workers at Cohen who helped her through the cancer experience. As she said, “This day is a symbol of the fact that we survived.”

Joining in the applause for the cancer survivors who shared their stories was Dr. Charles Schleien, chair of pediatrics at Northwell Health and executive director of Cohen Children’s Medical Center.

When asked about the importance of the day, Schleien said, “Today is the reason why all of us who work in health care come to work each and every single day.”

As a leading center of pediatric oncology, Cohen sees over 200 new cases of childhood cancer every year. This results in hundreds of childhood cancer survivors requiring ongoing care.

The hundreds of people who attended the day’s program are members of Survivors Facing Forward, a program designed to meet the complex needs of survivors.

The day’s event was made possible through the generous sponsorship of Ruth and Harold Nelkin, who lost their son Les to a form of pediatric cancer in 2001.