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GREENSBORO — Melissa Vogelsinger underwent her final breast cancer treatment more than two years ago, but she chooses to keep the disease in her day-to-day life.

The Summerfield woman has dedicated herself to being “living proof” of survival for women who are struggling through chemotherapy and radiation as well as the emotions that come with cancer. She gained hope from a breast cancer support group.

“A person on the other side of cancer is just as important as a doctor,” Vogelsinger said. “You’re terrified. ... You just want to believe you can live.”

On Sunday, survivors and their families celebrated at Cone Health Regional Cancer Center’s 11th annual Cancer Survivors Day. They gathered at the Greensboro Cultural Center to enjoy healthy foods, steel drum music, massages, a butterfly release and more. They learned Tai Chi and Latin dancing together.

Survivors wore a pink, orange, green or other colored ribbon to promote awareness of the type of cancer they had battled.

“Seeing all these survivors here, it’s uplifting,” said Lou Pontillo of High Point.

Doctors treated him for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, for four years. His wife, Toni Ann Pontillo, said the struggle showed her what a strong person she was.

“When you love someone it’s easy,” she said. “And you pray. You pray a lot.”

Like Vogelsinger, she wants to help cancer patients. Pontillo is a licensed nail technician who volunteers with the national “Look Good ... Feel Better” program. At High Point Regional Cancer Center, she and cosmetologists help women deal with the appearance-related effects of cancer treatment.

Vogelsinger said cancer patients who take advantage of programs offered by hospitals and organizations deal with their disease better.

In addition to remaining part of the support group, she rejuvenated the “Reach to Recovery” program in Guilford County. The American Cancer Society uses it to pair newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with volunteers who are survivors. Vogelsinger trains the volunteers how to be good listeners and interact with the women.

Vogelsinger and Terry Moore-Painter, a Cone Health chaplain, ended the event by releasing two boxes of butterflies.

The butterflies symbolized the transformation that surviving cancer has.

Vogelsinger said the day she walked into the support group meeting three years ago was a life-changing event. The survivors looked healthy and not only talked about their cancer experiences, but everyday topics women chat about.

“I want people who’ve come through cancer to be living proof for others,” she said.

Contact Jamie Kennedy Jones at 373-7088 or jamie.kennedy@news-record.com