HOULTON – Nearly everyone knows someone who has been touched by cancer.

For the fifth straight year, the American Cancer Society has organized a daylong conference to offer support to cancer patients, family members, caregivers and medical professionals.

The society’s fifth annual Northern Maine Living with Cancer Conference will take place Saturday. The free workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Houlton Higher Education Center.

The session is made possible by a partnership between the ACS and Houlton Regional Hospital with support from several local businesses.

The American Cancer Society is a nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization that aims to eliminate cancer as a major health problem by preventing the disease, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer through research, education, advocacy and service.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Hope, Tears, Laughter – Sources of Healing.” Several guest speakers – including Maine humorist Gary Crocker and Julianne Bousquet, an educator and hospital chaplain in Waterville – will address participants.

In concert with the speakers, attendees will encounter numerous vendor exhibits and partake in a panel discussion with cancer survivors.

Susan Clifford, director of communications for the ACS in Maine, said Thursday that people already have registered for the conference, and participants still can sign up at the venue on Saturday.

“This year, the conference is really going to focus on how having a sense of humor and keeping a positive attitude helps so much while undergoing cancer treatment,” she said. “Keeping a positive attitude is important, both for those undergoing treatment and for survivors.”

One of the members of the 2007 planning committee is Jo Ann Dunphy, a cancer survivor and retired elementary school principal who resides in Linneus.

Dunphy has attended the conference and said in a written statement that she has always found it “very rewarding.”

“There is always new information about developments in drug therapies and other treatments,” she wrote. “And the presenters really help instill and reinforce ideas about recovery.”

She added that she has been inspired by others she has met at past conferences.

“Sharing information is just so important,” Dunphy noted. “You have the opportunity to learn and relearn so many things, and that helps keep you on track with recovery.”

To register or learn more about the conference, call the American Cancer Society at 800-227-2345.