It's not every day laughter fills a room in a hospital.

But at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, the sound of people laughing could be heard far and away, coming from cancer survivors, their loved ones and the staff members who helped them through hard times.

Some 200 people came together in the hospital's Civiletti Conference Center on June 6 for a Cancer Survivorship Celebration.

Marci Cooke, 39, of Towson, believed not surviving wasn't an option after she was diagnosed with colon cancer in July 2008. Six months after her diagnosis, she is cancer-free.

"I think you have to be as positive as you can," Cooke said, "and try to find the sunny and funny side of things rather than dwell on the bad stuff."

Many of the laughs and smiles came in response to a talk given by prostate cancer survivor Izzy Gesell, co-author of "Cancer and the Healing Power of Play," which he wrote with the late Roz Trieber.

Gesell shared his own experiences with the group and talked about the importance of humor to see situations in a different way.

The hospital's 19th annual survival celebration also included a traveling art exhibit and food, but the key moment came when survivors stood to be honored and presented with a carnation and book about the exhibit.

Most also got a hug from a GBMC staff member.

Lou Yeager and Julie Everett were presented with special awards at the event.

Yeager, a Finksburg resident who grew up in Towson, is not only a cancer survivor -- he's still around 24 years after a doctor told him he had six months to live -- but he now also helps about 250 people per month with their own battles with the disease.

Yeager received the Making A Difference Award for his efforts through Catastrophic Health Planners, a nonprofit he founded in 1991 to help patients with the non-medical issues they face.

The Westminster-based organization helps provide services for everything from driving patients to appointments to helping people get medical directives, living wills and wills prepared and in place.

The organization also provides medical equipment, directs patients to counseling professionals when needed and even has provided hay for a patient's livestock while he was unable to care for the animals.

Yeager said that through his organization he began seeing what kinds of things other people need and found inspiration to help.

"Cancer actually was an improvement," he said. "It made me a better person."

Julie Everett, of Parkville, a certified medical assistant at GBMC, took home the Susan Murphy Caregiver Award.

The award noted that Everett often goes beyond the call of duty. This past year, when hospitalization interrupted plans for a lung cancer patient to marry her boyfriend, Everett and another employee arranged a wedding at the patient's bedside at GBMC, including getting a minister, a photographer, flowers and a cake.

Ann Gearhart, 65, of Lutherville, said the oncology support staff helped her have a better attitude as she dealt with a diagnosis of breast cancer in 1994 and ovarian cancer the following year.

"It's a pivotal time in your life ... and they're a part of that journey," Gearhart said of the support staff.

Gearhart said both of her cancers were gone by 1996, and she has continued attending the annual party for 15 years to commemorate her experience.

Sunday's event was also a celebration for the doctors and GBMC staffers who help patients through a devastating time in their lives. Helping people become cancer-free is a triumph for them, too.

Radiation oncologist Dr. Albert Blumberg said that although there are sad points to his job, he loves his work. He talked about the "sacred trust" he and other doctors are given to help save lives.

"I get a real positive feeling ... when I can connect with somebody and help them realize that they're not alone, that there are things that can be done and there is hope for them and their families," he said.

Dee Berlack, 37, said she thought she was going to die when she was diagnosed with breast cancer on Sept. 11, 2009.

"I gave myself one weekend to cry and to sulk, and then, by Monday morning, I realized I had my life to live and my children to live for," said the Owings Mills resident.

Cancer-free since Oct. 15, Berlack is currently undergoing radiation treatment.

"I'm a survivor. I made it," she said. "And life is very good."

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