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CHARLOTTE, N.C. Celebrating Life and Love. This is the theme of Pam McAnulty's June wedding. But, unlike other local brides taking their marital vows, McAnulty's celebration is two-fold. As a three-time cancer survivor, this weekend marked not only the beginning of her life in marriage, but also her seventh annual observation of National Cancer Survivor's Day.

"I coordinated my wedding date with Survivor's Day weekend because it's a very special time for me," McAnulty said. "I wouldnt have it any other way."

The 53-year-old newly wed held her outdoor garden-themed wedding ceremony at the Presbyterian Buddy Kemp Caring House, a community cancer support center that provides counseling and educational programs for cancer patients. Now a volunteer at Buddy Kemp, McAnulty was once an active participant at the center that provided her with the continued support and resources she needed, she said.

"It's the house that has welcomed me and made me feel safe and loved," McAnulty said.

Since her March 2000 diagnosis with liposarcoma, a rare type of cancer that causes reoccurring tumors within deep soft tissue, McAnulty has undergone repeated surgical procedures to remove cancerous tissue and organs overtaken by cell growth. Her most recent reoccurrence was in September 2005, and since that time McAnulty has been in rehabilitation, volunteering twice a week at Buddy Kemp and attending weekly Strides to Strength fitness classes for cancer patients who want to maintain healthy lifestyles.

Now that she has overcome her third episode of cancer, McAnulty is ready to settle down and begin her new life with fiancé Rob Elders. Once high school sweethearts, McAnulty and Elders were reunited by a common friend more than 30 years later.

"Hes not only my first love, but hes also my last love."