5 Things You Missed from the Annual Stand Up 2 Cancer Celebrity Event, Including a Touching Tribute to Chadwick Boseman

"I'm grateful that there's an organization like Stand Up To Cancer doing the work that needs to be done so we can stop losing so many friends and family members to this damned disease,” he said.

McConaughey was just one of many stars who joined the event and shared personal tales of how cancer has affected their lives.

The event was co-hosted by Anthony Anderson, Sofia Vergara and Ken Jeong and his wife Tran Ho.  Co-founder Katie Couric (who lost her first husband to colon cancer) and co-executive producer Reese Witherspoon also shared stories about their experiences with cancer and explained why Stand Up To Cancer's work is innovative and important.

The night featured dazzling performances and touching personal stories. Here are five of the event's most powerful moments.

1. Simone Boseman's Tribute to Actor Chadwick Boseman

Fans were shocked last year when the Black Panther star died of colon cancer at age 43. Anthony Anderson of Black-ish introduced Boseman’s widow, Simone: "Many of us were devastated to learn of Chadwick Boseman's tragic passing after he privately grappled with cancer for several years. The world lost an incredible artist and a true hero. But before he was a public figure, he was a person like you or me: a son, a brother, uncle, cousin, friend, colleague, husband."

The late actor's wife delivered a powerful rendition of the 1938 song I'll Be Seeing You, which has been performed by a long list of legendary singers like Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday. Singing about remembering a loved-one and seeing them in "all the old familiar places" and "in every lovely summer's day," Boseman captured the way that loss can fill your world, and the way that you can move forward without leaving the person you love behind.

2. Sofia Vergara Opened Up About Her Cancer Diagnosis

Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara, one of the hosts of the event, shared her personal story of being diagnosed with thyroid cancer at 28 years old. During a routine visit, the actress's doctor discovered a lump on her neck. After running tests on the tumor, the doctor's delivered frightening news: Vergara had thyroid cancer.

"When you’re young and you hear that word 'cancer,' your mind goes to so many places," Vergara said. "But I tried not to panic and I decided to get educated."

Vergara read every book she could find on her condition. Ultimately, she was lucky to have discovered her cancer early, and she beat the disease with the support of her doctors and family.

3. Stevie Wonder and Common's Powerful Performance

The night closed out with a collaboration between Stevie Wonder and hip-hop icon Common. Common called the stories shared throughout the night by doctors, patients, scientists, and loved ones "just a few examples of the true power of the unstoppable human spirit." The rapper dedicated his performance to everyone who had shared their stories throughout the night "and to all of the cancer patients and survivors whose courage is an inspiration and a light to us all."

Common's verse preached a hopeful vision of the world to come, and spoke to the meaning that life takes on in persevering through setbacks and challenges: "My life is more than survival…The world is yoursdon't let it change you." Speaking over a harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder, Common finished out the night saying, "To all the survivors, and their families, we honor you. We support you. We believe in you. We appreciate you. We love you."

4. Tran Ho's Story About Her Battle with the Disease

Tran Ho sat with her husband, comedian Ken Jeong, and told the story of her diagnosis. "It all happened at once," Jeong said, "I quit my day job, Tran got pregnant with twinstwo beautiful girls, Alexa and Zoeyand then, she found a lump while breastfeeding. Young and with no family history of breast cancer, Ho couldn't believe that she might have cancer. But after testing, she was diagnosed with stage three triple negative breast cancer.

When Ho asked her oncologist if she would be okay, he couldn't answer. "And that's when I knew," she said, "I might not survive this." Ho was forced to confront the possibility of her own mortality, and she feared for her kids and her husband.

But Ho is a fighter. "Tran was just so strong," Jeong said. Just two days before starting chemotherapy, Ho took her medical board re-certification exam and passed with flying colors. Studying and sitting down for the eight hour test right before her cancer treatment was Ho's way of saying, "I'm going to beat this." Now, Ho has been cancer free for thirteen years.

5. Brittany Howard's Powerful Tribute to Her Sister

The Alabama Shakes singer dedicated her performance to her sister Jamie, who passed away as a teenager from retinoblastoma, a very rare form of cancer in the eye. "Jamie might have passed away over twenty years ago, but today, I'm sharing my story because I know that together, our support of Stand Up To Cancer might help save young girls like my sister and millions more," said Howard.

For her song, Howard selected I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free by Nina Simone. Howard chose this piece to celebrate a boundary-pushing artist who used her platform to fight for a better futurefor social justice and equal rights. "Music has always had the power to inspire change," said Howard. Her passionate performance highlighted the night's mission of gathering the most talented artists and scientists to work together together to make a better world for generations to come.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

---