Rehabilitation institute honors Ebert

CHICAGO, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Participants of a Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago gala say movie reviewer Roger Ebert is an inspiration for surviving multiple bouts with cancer.

Medicine Ball gala guest Ellen Tully said the noted movie critic should be the target for emulation for his ability to survive his ongoing medical fight with both salivary gland and thyroid cancer, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Sunday.

"He's somebody for everyone in Chicago to emulate because he keeps going and going," Tully said at Saturday's annual ceremony.

Institute Chief Executive Officer Joanne Smith echoed that statement, saying the Sun-Times writer was more than just a cancer survivor.

"This goes beyond survivorship. If there was a word called 'thrivership,' then we could coin it. His ability to flourish is the embodiment of our program," she said at the Chicago History Museum event.

The Sun-Times said the event to raise money for the institute's cancer rehabilitation program took in nearly $1 million.