When battling cancer, often the caregivers are just as important as the medical doctors.

Acknowledging this, Vidant Beaufort Hospital and the Shepard Cancer Foundation hosted a reception honoring caregivers on Tuesday at the Washington Civic Center.

The event included catering by The Bank Bistro & Bar, a painting project with Wine and Design, therapeutic massages and a photo booth.

Jennifer Lewis, community health nurse at Vidant Beaufort, said the reception was put together with social worker Kristi Fearrington at the helm, and was meant to give caregivers an opportunity to relax and experience something positive.

“She did a great job,” Lewis said. “It was a floating reception, so people could just kind of breeze in.”

For Lewis and her daughters, the reception held a special meaning.

“For me, it was a bit of a celebration because my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer, and he has had a really tough year with treatment and had to have a couple of big surgeries, and he is now in the monitoring phase,” she said.

Lewis said she also wanted to include her daughters in the event because they have been caregivers in their own way. When Lewis had to be with her father at appointments, she said the girls had to take on leadership roles at home.

“I thought, ‘You know what? They kind of deserve this fun night, too,’” she said. “This is for you, too.”

Caregivers in the United States spend an average of 24.4 hours per week caring for a loved one, according to a study conducted by AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving. Twenty-three percent of the study’s respondents, however, reported giving 41 or more hours of care.

“It means a lot to be supported,” Lewis said.

Before her father’s diagnosis, Lewis said she always heard how good the Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center was, and she has learned firsthand the truth in that statement over the past year.

“I unfortunately had to find out how wonderful the Cancer Center was,” Lewis said. “I said, ‘They’re great. Everybody was right.’”

“It’s just great to see that continuity of care,” she added.