Jess Swinehart doesn't have to look far to find a reason for living.

On Saturday, her reason was right in front of her in the form of three growing boys, happily eating barbecue.

"My sons and my husband keep me going. I have to stay alive for them," said Swinehart, of Lancaster, who is battling several different kinds of cancer throughout her body.

Cancer survivors and their families gathered at the 11th Lancaster Cancer Center's family picnic under a pavilion at Greenfield Corporate Center.

"We're here to celebrate life and the lives of those that you love," said Dr. Peter DeGreen, a member of the physician team who treats many of the cancer survivors at the picnic.

"Cancer is a family disease," added DeGreen's wife, Charlotte. "Today is not only for patients but for their families as well."

Along with patients and their families were nurses, doctors and volunteers, all enjoying the clear September day. Children were running around, eating ice cream, getting their faces painted and hitting piñatas.

Watching the fun was Dora McAlpin, a patient at the center for 24 years. Diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 55, McAlpin just celebrated 60 years of marriage to her husband, Bob, who was at the picnic with her.

"You have to have faith," said McAlpin, of Millersville. "When you get something like cancer, you either fall apart or you say 'Lord, it's in your hands.' "

She credits the center and her doctor with helping her make the best of the situation. "He [DeGreen] makes you feel like you're going to get through this.

"That and faith," McAlpin said. "You simply have to have something to hold onto."

McAlpin is enjoying retirement with her family, which includes two daughters, several grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Mindy DeGreen, the doctor's daughter-in-law, said the center tries to involve families as much as possible and keep a "community atmosphere," one that "isn't hospitallike."

"It's homelike," DeGreen said of the center, where she is a patient advocate.

"Everyone understands what's happening, and we're there not only on a medical side but an emotional side as well."

DeGreen said this picnic was the biggest one the Cancer Center has hosted, with about 300 people attending.

"I know almost everyone here," said DeGreen, laughing. "That's the great thing about the center — you're not just a number."

The center tries to figure out the best way to help patients and families deal with cancer. "It's about family values," DeGreen said. "We're a lucky group. The people in the center are here because of their families and because they want to live."

Swinehart and her husband, John, were finishing up their watermelon, as their sons stood close by.

"I'm still here because the good Lord keeps you around for as long as you're supposed to be here. You just don't ever give up," Swinehart said, looking around at all the people struggling through life just like her.

"You put your best foot forward. Tomorrow is always another day."

Mandy Stoltzfus is a Sunday News staff writer. E-mail her at mstoltzfus@lnpnews.com.