Cancer Survivors Plaza - Dallas, TX
Posted by: 
Raven
N 32° 47.155 W 096° 47.740
14S E 706436 N 3629705
Located in downtown Dallas, this small urban park is one of the many "Richard and Annette Bloch" Cancer Survivors Plazas found throughout large US metropolitan cities.
Waymark Code: WMMGQQ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/18/2014
Views: 25
Dallas' "Richard and Annette Bloch" Cancer Survivors Plaza is located on Bryan Street, between Pearl and Olive Streets.
This unique small urban park has three enclosed overpasses crossing over it and connecting some nearby modern buildings in each direction. Two nice art pieces are prominently displayed among the green spaces, benches and concrete pathways: one is a bronze sculpture by Victor Salmones titled "Cancer... There's Hope" (by the SW corner of the plaza), and the other 5,000-pound Kugel Ball created by Josef Kusser at the Northern ege of the park. The plaza also incudes some handsome aluminum trellises near the sculpture, as well as inspirational plaques placed throughout the area.
This plaza is one of many founded by Richard and Annette Bloch throughout large US metropolitan cities (Richard is the co-founder the H&R Block tax preparation firm). As best described by the Oncology Times several years ago: (
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"Twenty-six years ago, Richard Bloch was diagnosed with lung cancer and given three months to live. Ever since then, Mr. Bloch — the “R” of the H&R Block tax-preparation firm — has been spreading his message that “cancer does not mean death.”
To draw attention to his message, Mr. Bloch and his wife, Annette, started the R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, initially holding “Cancer Survivors Day” rallies to draw public attention to cancer patients as survivors. [...] More recently, the Blochs have been building cancer survivors parks in major cities around the country [...]
Each of the parks includes the same three basic elements:
* The first is sculpture designed by local and regional artists that portray the theme “Cancer…There is hope.”
* Second is a “Positive Mental Attitude Walk,” built around a series of plaques engraved with inspirational messages such as “There is no cancer from which someone has not been cured” and “Cancer is the most curable of all chronic diseases.”
* The third element is a “Road to Recovery Walk,” which includes more plaques describing basic strategies for beating cancer.
Among the messages: “Eat a well-balanced diet to maintain an effective immune system” and “Find a qualified physician who believes you can be successfully treated….Do everything your physician suggests, and do everything you believe might help that your physician says will not hurt. You are the boss. This is your life.”