Only one of eight bronze figures remains at Phoenix’s Cancer Survivors Park after thieves stole several statues and damaged another, according to Parks and Recreation Department spokesperson Teleia Galaviz.
Phoenix has no current plans to replace the missing statues at the park near First Street and McDowell Road, Galaviz said.
The remaining statue depicts an older man with his left hand severed at the wrist. The hand once reached forward to guide an older woman, but her figure has since gone missing.
The statues originally depicted adults of varying ages and children passing through a bronze maze representing cancer treatment, according to the Richard & Annette Bloch Family Foundation, which funded a network of cancer survivors parks across the United
States and Canada, an effort that grew from H&R Block co-founder Richard Bloch’s experience with lung cancer.
Two adult figures were stolen from the Phoenix park, one in August 2026 and another in March 2025, Galaviz said on Oct. 8. A child figure was also stolen, although staff members could not determine when.
Another statue was damaged during an attempted theft and moved to city storage, Galaviz said.
The Parks and Recreation Department, which manages the city-owned statues, suspected they were stolen to sell the metal, Galaviz said.
The city filed police reports for the thefts and vandalism, Galaviz said. The Phoenix Police Department did not respond to The Arizona Republic’s request for more information.
It wasn't the first time the statues were targeted for their metal.
A child statue was stolen from the park in April 2011, The Republic reported at the time. Only the bronze shoe that anchored it to the ground remained, former Phoenix police spokesperson Sgt. Tommy Thompson said.
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Rey Covarrubias Jr. is a reporter for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Cancer Survivors Park left with 1 statue after suspected theft
