National Cancer Survivor's Day: Patty Steele On Being A Cancer 'Thriver'

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Cancer kills about 600,000 Americans every year.

That's 1,600 a day.

There are 17 million living with or beyond cancer right now.

Sunday is National Cancer Survivor's Day.

Patty Steele has been a rock and roll radio legend in New York for over 30 years. She was diagnosed with breast cancer six years. She has a different take on what it means to be a survivor.

"I frequently don't use the word 'survivor.' I use 'thriver' because I feel in every possible, I am a better, happier, more settled person than I ever was before," Steele said. "Here we are six years on from my diagnosis and wow, I am so incredibly grateful for that experience."

"Wait a minute," said CBS2's John Elliott. "You're saying that cancer made you a better person?"

"In every possible way. It really helped me to center myself and to understand how to deal with fear. How to compartmentalize the things that happened. And I tell my kids this all the time - when things are good, and status quo, you don't learn a whole lot. When you learn, when you grow, is when you're faced with challenges."

Check out her full interview with John Elliott

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