BUFFALO (WBEN) - For the 5th year, Roswell Park is taking part in the Super Bowl advertising frenzy, as the cancer research and treatment center purchased a regional commercial spot that will air during Sunday's big game.
The spot was released at 10 a.m. on Friday. The message, according to Roswell CEO Candace Johnson, is really simple.
"It's to celebrate life, to celebrate those small moments," she said. "Our cancer patients, they ring the Victory Bell - they've just finished their last treatment - maybe they're cancer free, maybe they don't know what the next day holds for them or what the next year holds for them, but life is very precious to them and every moment matters to them."
Yes, the spot is of course meant to bring awareness to the work that Roswell does within the community, and that means their work with cancer patients. However, the message in the spot is certainly applicable to everyone.
"We all look at our screens too much," Johnson added. "My kids barely will yell down the stairs to me when they're upstairs, they'll text me, and from your smile, you know exactly what I'm talking about, so I think it's a message that, while it really rings true if you're a cancer patient, it should ring true for all of us because we should all celebrate life more and take advantage of the little things. We should dance a little more, sing a little more and have a little bit more fun."
The commercial was produced entirely by Roswell's in-house marketing team, and it highlights several of the institute's cancer survivors through their individual journeys. One such patient is cancer survivor Kristy Meyers, who believes this year's message is especially poignant.
"I look at everything differently now, so I believe in celebrating the big things, the small things and everything in between," she said. "(I have) just a different sense of appreciation for each and every day just in the most mundane things - just being able to have a cup of coffee and sit quietly and maybe not having to rush to a doctor's appointment or things like that - I think just an appreciation for normal life."
