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.

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.

The United States is the most diverse country in the world, which can present a challenge to the health care professional. Miller’s article offers tips on how oncology nurses can provide the most effective care to each patient, regardless of his or her background, culture, race, ethnicity, and beliefs.

Read the article.

CancerCare’s professional oncology social workers help anyone affected by cancer—completely free of charge.

Learn more about how we help.

Do you have questions or concerns about being a cancer survivor? Submit your question to CancerCare.

CancerCare oncology social worker Maria Chi, LCSW will answer questions through the month of August in the “Ask CancerCare” section of our website. Questions are submitted anonymously, and responses to selected questions will be posted on the “Ask CancerCare” section of our website.

CancerCare offers free, professional support services on post-treatment survivorship including our recent Connect Education Workshop, “Survivorship and Workplace Transitions,” and free publications such as After Treatment Ends: Tools for the Adult Cancer Survivor.

Visit our website to learn more about CancerCare’s free resources for post-treatment cancer survivors.

The article’s content is excerpted from CancerCare’s recently updated, three-part CML fact sheet series. The series explores topics such as:

• Finding Emotional Support for Long-Term Illness
• Managing Practical Concerns Raised by CML
• Medical Treatments for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Read the article.

World-renowned experts in treating CML recently answered listeners’ questions during CancerCare’s free Connect Education Workshop, “Living with CML: Current Perspectives on Survivorship.” Listen to a podcast of the workshop.

Learn more about CancerCare’s free, professional support services for people affected by leukemia.

Erin Columbus, LMSW spoke about effectively moderating support groups in an online environment.

Nicole DiMartino, MSW offered solutions for managing and coping with the emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis in adolescents.

Richard R. Dickens, LCSW-R spoke about the cancer experience in older adults, and how relaxation and mind/body techniques can help people cope with the emotional and physical challenges of cancer and treatment side effects.

Carolyn Messner, DSW presented on global health issues and how to improve the sharing of knowledge and expertise with colleagues at home and abroad.

Kristy Case, LMSW presented on the importance of post-treatment care for breast cancer survivors.

“For many people, the emotional impact and stress of a cancer diagnosis doesn’t end once they’ve finished with their treatment,” noted Case.  “It’s important for patients and their families to work with their health care team before their treatment ends to ensure that their emotional and practical needs are addressed and to create a smoother transition into post-treatment.”

CancerCare CEO Helen H. Miller, LCSW wrote about the importance of post-treatment care in a recent issue of Oncology Nurse Advisor magazine.  Read the article.

Upcoming CancerCare Connect^® Education Workshops will address issues for patients and caregivers following the end of treatment, as part of its 9th Annual Series on Cancer Survivorship, featuring cancer experts from around the country in a live one-hour conference that can be listened to over the telephone or via live stream from CancerCare‘s website.

The next workshop, Stress Management for Caregivers: Taking Care of Yourself Physically and Emotionally, will take place Tuesday, June 14. Pre-registration for these free workshops is required.  To register, and to learn more, visit www.cancercare.org/connect.

CancerCare offers specialized services for post-treatment survivors and their loved ones, including support groups, counseling, and free publications. Learn more.

Here are some examples of what people are writing about CancerCare’s free professional services:

My counselor Kathy helped me to learn what I thought was impossible, how to live again.

To say that I am grateful for all that CancerCare has done for me does not begin to convey my feelings. It is a place of warmth, with a caring, dedicated staff that put their hearts into everything they do. The work that they do so well makes a difference in so many lives.

Cancer can destroy your spirit but a place like CancerCare gives you the hope and faith you need to survive.

Please visit our page on CharityNavigator’s website to post a review of your own.

Coping with Multiple Myeloma offers tips for managing multiple myeloma so that patients can feel more in control of their diagnosis.

Multiple Myeloma: Finding Resources and Support provides information on local and national resources that are available for people coping with multiple myeloma.

Multiple Myeloma: Making the Most of Medical Appointments explores ways to improve communication with your health care team.

These fact sheets can be ordered free of charge from CancerCare’s online order form. Our newest Connect^® Booklet, Advances in the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma, is also available to order through the form.

Learn more about CancerCare’s resources for people coping with multiple myeloma, including our “Door to Door” program that provides individual grants of up to $600 annually to multiple myeloma patients for covering transportation costs such as gasoline, parking and tolls, and taxi, bus or train fare to and from their medical care.

Visit www.cancercarecopay.org or call 1-866-55-COPAY (6729) to learn more about eligibility requirements, diagnoses and treatments covered, and how to apply for assistance. 

Learn more about CancerCare’s free, professional support services for anyone affected by gastric cancer.

Many patients may hesitate to discuss financial matters with their health care team, Miller notes, even though their ability to cover  medical costs is key to complying with their treatment. 

Miller advises oncology nurses and other health care providers to talk openly with their patients about financial resources that might benefit them. The CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation, for example, provides qualified individuals with up to $10,000 per year in co-payment assistance for certain cancer diagnoses and treatments. The Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition (CFAC) is a searchable database that directs patients to other sources of financial assistance, locally and nationally.

Read the full article for more resources.