Financial Help for Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer

January 27, 2012

CancerCare has launched a new program to provide financial help to women coping with metastatic breast cancer. The program, “CancerCare – Get You There,” provides financial assistance grants for transportation to and from treatment.

To learn more about CancerCare’s financial assistance programs or download an application, visit www.cancercare.org/financial. Or, call 800-813-HOPE (4673).

Metastatic breast cancer is the most advanced stage of breast cancer, which is among the most commonly diagnosed cancers in women. We offer free support services for anyone affected by metastatic breast cancer, including support groups available online and over the telephone.

View all of our resources for women coping with breast cancer. 

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Free Support Groups for People Affected by Cancer

January 12, 2012

CancerCare offers free support groups for anyone affected by cancer, including people with cancer, their caregivers, friends and loved ones, and the bereaved.

A cancer diagnosis can bring many difficult emotions, including fear, anxiety, and a feeling of isolation. Support groups connect you with others in a similar situation who may relate to what you are experiencing.

We offer diagnosis-specific support groups, such as a group for people affected by colorectal cancer, as well as specialized support groups, including groups for men with cancer, young adults with cancer, and parents of children with cancer.

CancerCare’s support groups are led by professional oncology social workers, and are available online, over the telephone, and face-to-face in our offices in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut. To learn more about CancerCare‘s telephone and face-to-face support groups or to register, call 800‑813‑HOPE (4673).

Online support groups are password-protected, and members must go through a registration process. After completing the registration process, members can participate 24 hours, 7 days a week. New online support groups will be offered starting February 1.

View all of CancerCare’s free support groups.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Most Promising Cancer Treatment Advances of 2011

December 29, 2011

New treatment therapies and promising results from a variety of clinical trials over this year are giving new hope to people affected by cancer. Showcased at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), held this past June in Chicago, these advances and breakthroughs in cancer treatments were especially encouraging for people with melanoma, breast cancer, lung cancer and numerous other diagnoses which have been difficult to treat.

CancerCare has compiled these most promising findings in its new booklet, Your Guide to the Latest Cancer Research and Treatments: Highlights from ASCO 2011, available online now. You can also order your free copies from our publications page.

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Posted by Jeanie M. Barnett

Breast Cancer Focus of Free Connect Workshops

October 4, 2011

Leading experts in breast cancer treatment will answer your questions this month during three Connect Education Workshops:

Listen in live by telephone or online. These workshops will also be available as podcasts.

Like all of CancerCare’s services, our Connect Education Workshops are completely free of charge — no phone charges apply. However, pre-registration is required.

Learn more about our free, professional support services for people coping with breast cancer.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Resources for Coping with Ovarian Cancer

September 8, 2011

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, CancerCare’s professional oncology social workers can help you:

  • learn ways to cope with an ovarian cancer diagnosis
  • communicate with your health care team and loved ones
  • find resources in your community
  • and manage the financial challenges of cancer.

CancerCare’s Connect® booklet Medical Update on Ovarian Cancer describes the latest treatments for people coping with ovarian cancer. This publication is based on a CancerCare Connect Education Workshop presented by leading experts in ovarian cancer.

Listen to the workshop.

CancerCare is currently recruiting participants for free support groups for people affected by ovarian cancer. Groups are available online, over the telephone, and in-person at our offices in New York City, Long Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

Register for a support group.

CancerCare has also partnered with L’Oréal Paris and Ovarian Cancer Research Fund to provide a telephone counseling and referral service just for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Call the L’Oreal Paris Ovarian Cancer Research Hope Line to speak with a professional oncology social worker: 1‑877‑OV‑HOPE‑1 (1‑877‑684‑6731)

Learn more about CancerCare’s free services for people affected by ovarian cancer.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Learn More About CancerCare’s Specialized Services for Men, Women, Children, and Families

September 1, 2011

September is the national awareness month for many different cancer diagnoses:

Leukemia

Explore CancerCare’s leukemia resource page to see the free services we offer for people affected by leukemia, which include a recent revision of a three-part fact sheet series on coping with chronic mylogenous leukemia.

Lymphoma

Our free services include an upcoming Connect Education Workshop series on living with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The first workshop will take place Wednesday, September 14 at 1:30pm EST. Register for the workshop.

Multiple Myeloma

CancerCare’s free resources include our new Connect booklet, Advances in the Treatment for Multiple Myeloma. If you have been diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma, you may wish to participate in a free support group for people affected by blood cancers. Learn more and register for this support group.

Prostate Cancer

Register for our upcoming Connect Education Workshop, “Caring for Your Bones When You Have Prostate Cancer” on September 16 at 1:30pm EST.

Ovarian Cancer

Read our new Connect Booklet, Medical Update on Ovarian Cancer. We’ve partnered with L’Oréal Paris and Ovarian Cancer Research Fund on a dedicated telephone counseling and referral service for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. To speak with a professional oncology social worker, call 1‑877‑OV‑HOPE‑1 (1‑877‑684‑6731).

Gynecologic Cancers

Learn more and register for an online support group for people affected by gynecologic cancers.

Thyroid Cancer

Listen to our podcast, “Treatment Update on Thyroid Cancer.”

Childhood Cancers

Learn more about CancerCare’s free services for children diagnosed with cancer. CancerCare also helps children who have a parent, sibling, or other loved one facing cancer. Read our e-booklet, Helping Children When a Family Member has Cancer. 

 

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Strong and Courageous: A Breast Cancer Survivor Shares Her Story

May 13, 2011

In honor of Women’s Health Awareness Week (May 8-14), we’ve invited author and cancer survivor Drenda Lane Howatt to be our featured guest blogger. Diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2008 at age 47, Drenda has been cancer-free now for more than a year.

She chronicled her diagnosis through “status updates” and correspondences with friends and family via Facebook.com, and compiled them to form the book, Strong and Courageous: A Survivor’s Facebook Journey Through Cancer. 

Here is an excerpt from the book, which can be ordered through amazon.com:

Present is Priceless

Sunday, August 2, 2009 at 7:53pm

I have written much about the support I have received as I have stared cancer in the face.

So many people have been by my side.

Some have gone before me. And then came to take my hand and lead me into the darkness. And they held a light onto my path.

Some have walked beside me the entire time. Their presence makes the darkness less scary.

Some are so frightened by breast cancer that they need to hear my story so they can find the differences between us. For if we ARE different, then they are “safe” from breast cancer. And once they feel safe, some are still there, and others are gone.

Some I do not even know. They read my blog, or hear my story from someone close to me, and then they reach out to let me know I am in their prayers.

But some are absent.

Pretty much completely.

And those that are absent make me wonder.

Are they afraid of me now?

Scared to say anything for fear of saying the “wrong” thing?

Afraid that cancer may be contagious?

Afraid of being a bother?

Or, perhaps, not realizing that reaching out does make a difference?

I don’t know the answer.

But their absence does make me realize that I have been “absent” for others before.

And that makes me sad.

Because now I realize, truly, how important it is to be “present.”

And what a difference that those “present” can make.

Priceless.

Learn more about CancerCare’s free, specialized services for women facing cancer.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

NY Academy of Sciences to Host Free Seminar for Breast Cancer Patients in NYC, May 14

May 10, 2011

Coinciding with Women’s Health Awarenesss Week (May 8-14), The New York Academy of Sciences will hold a free educational event on Saturday, May 14 in New York City for people affected by breast cancer and their loved ones.

The half-day event, from 9:00 am – 12:30 pm ET at the New York Academy of Sciences in lower Manhattan, will include interactive panel discussions where leading experts in the treatment of breast cancer will answer the audience’s questions. Also featured are keynote speakers, oncologist Dr. Francis P. Arena, MD and art historian Tanya Manuali Bastianich, co-authors of Reflections of the Breast: Breast Cancer in Art through the Ages (2010, Ibooks, Inc.). Learn more and register.

Learn more about CancerCare‘s specialized, free services for women, caregivers, and family members affected by breast cancer and gynecological cancers.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Support CancerCare’s Team at the EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women in NYC, Apr. 30

April 19, 2011

CancerCare’s team needs your help to reach its fundraising goal at the 14th Annual EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women, to be held Saturday, April 30 in New York City.

Since 2006, CancerCare has been a beneficiary of the EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women. This year, CancerCare’s Team hopes to raise $10,000 in support of our free, professional services for women diagnosed with breast and gynecological cancers.

Many of this year’s team members are CancerCare professional oncology social workers who provide free support services such as counseling and support groups for people affected by cancer. Participating in the run/walk or making a donation is a way to, in turn, support them.

Register to run/walk online today on the CancerCare Team page.  Registration is $35.  If you don’t live in New York City area, you can still support the CancerCare EIF Revlon Run/Walk team by making a donation on the page.

For more information about the walk, and how to join our team, contact team co-captain Deborah Sussman at dsussman@cancercare.org.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

On the Other Side of Sick: The Journey of a Cancer Survivor/Thriver

April 6, 2011

This week (April 3-9) is Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week and we’ve invited guest blogger Michelle Malavet to share her thoughts  on Copelink. Michelle, who is a writer and visual artist in New York City, came to CancerCare for support after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009.

Michelle has just published her first book, Cancerland and The Other Side of Sick, a quick and inspiring read about the journey from “diagnosis to empowerment.” Michelle has donated copies of the book for free distribution to CancerCare clients as a way of giving back for the help she received from our specialized services for young adults.

Read Michelle’s post below, and check out her book at www.othersideofsick.org. 

Want to be a guest blogger on Copelink? Please email jbarnett@cancercare.org.

**

My Little Red Dictionary

by Michelle Malavet

Living on The Other Side of Sick, my life is full of wonderment. I carry a little red dictionary most everywhere I go. I love words, especially words that rhyme, like “ignite” and “light,”  or “cancer” and “answer.”

Whenever I have a question in my life, my pocket-sized companion offers clarity and distinction. It has provided answers to many questions along my cancer survivor/thriver journey, including, “Why me? Why did I get cancer?”

My little red dictionary defines these words as:

why, adv. for what cause.

me, pron. objective case of I.

get, v., acquire; capture; achieve power over.

cancer, n. potentially unlimited growth that expands.

So whenever you ask, “Why me? Why did I get cancer?” consider that you are actually asking:

“For what cause am I? For what cause did I acquire potentially unlimited growth that expands?” 

These are very powerful questions.

Continually answering them has helped me express who I am as a cancer survivor/thriver. One can say that these questions are my journey.

Everyday, I am on a mission to inspire anyone living with cancer to fully express themselves. That is my “why.” That is my cause.

Today I woke up wondering, “What is a miracle?” What to know the definition in my little red dictionary? Please write to me, and share what you discover: mm@othersideofsick.org.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

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