No one likes to talk about the “c-word.”

Beaufort County has one of the highest rates of cancer in eastern North Carolina, and thousands have experienced the disease or know someone who has.

Rather than focus on the dismal numbers, however, Washington’s Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center takes time each year to honor the survivors and their resolve to face cancer head on.

Kristi Fearrington, a social worker at the Cancer Center, said the center hosts a “Survivors Got Talent” talent show every June, sponsored by the Shepard Cancer Foundation and Vidant Beaufort Hospital, and the staff is “spicing it up a bit” this year with a Hollywood theme.

Fearrington said Saturday’s event will include a professional photographer, Hollywood Walk of Fame, refreshments and gifts for survivors, and attendees are invited to wear their red carpet apparel. “Survivors Got Talent” also commemorates the 10^th annual National Cancer Survivors’ Day.

“Beaufort County does have a high incidence of cancer,” Fearrington said. “We don’t focus on that as much on this particular day.”

She said it’s a positive experience for cancer patients and their loved ones to see the staff outside of the center, as it allows them to build relationships in a different, more fun light.

Besides providing support for cancer patients, the center, which has operated for more than 10 years, also places a strong focus on preventing cancer in the first place. The center offers educational courses and pre-cancer screenings to the public, according to Fearrington.

About 10 participants are already registered for the talent show portion of Saturday’s event, and signups are open through Tuesday for those who are interested in performing.

“We prefer to have cancer survivors and/or their caregivers; however, anyone that has been touched by cancer can do an act,” Fearrington said. “When they either attend the event and watch, or if they perform an act, I think it reminds them, ‘Gosh knows cancer is not my whole life.’”

By fighting the statistics and celebrating the successes, Cancer Center staff and the patients themselves are making a difference.

“We really want to celebrate the survivor,” Fearrington said. “Yes, they do have cancer, and that’s not all they are.”

“Survivors Got Talent” will take place June 18 at 1:30 p.m. at Harvest Church, 2020 W. 15^th St., Washington. For more information or to sign up to perform, call 252-975-4308.