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 CEO Helen H. Miller, LCSW writes about the importance of supporting caregivers of people with cancer in the latest issue of Oncology Nurse Advisor. The article provides tips on how oncology nurses can help caregivers of people with cancer receive emotional and practical support.

Read the article.

CancerCare helps anyone affected by cancer, and offers specialized services for caregivers, including online, telephone, and face-to-face support groups—completely free of charge.

Learn more about how we help caregivers of people with cancer.

Lung cancer survivor Phyllis Sobel and her team of fellow survivors, “For Our Heroes,” were honored with the “Anne Koebel Top Fundraiser Award” for raising more than $18,445 in support of our free services.

Team "For Our Heroes"

This year’s Top School Team was Molloy College, made up of 70 Molloy College athletes. Congratulations also to our Top Corporate Team, Team Marks Paneth & Shron, LLP, who raised over $10,000.

Molloy College's Baseball Team

You can still support our walkers through Dec. 31 by making a contribution online at our Walk for Hope site,  www.cancercare.org/lungcancerwalk

View more photos from the Walk on our Facebook page.

To learn more about how we help people affected by lung cancer, visit our lung cancer diagnosis page or www.lungcancer.org.

Thanks very much to this year’s generous sponsors, walkers, volunteers, in-kind donors, vendors, friends, and community partners for making this event such a success. See you next year!

• “Caring for Your Bones When You Have Breast Cancer” on Friday, October 7
• “Progress in the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer” on Thursday, October 13
• “Current Perspectives on Early Stage Breast Cancer” on Friday, October 28

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.

But when the melanoma recurred and he began chemotherapy, “the psychological burden of my treatment became too much to bear [and] I simply couldn’t manage,” says Jonah. That’s when he found CancerCare.

“My counselor at CancerCare helped me gather the pieces of my life and start to reassemble them.”

Today, more than three years later, Jonah continues to manage his diagnosis with support from his friends and family, as well as the support he receives from his oncology social worker at CancerCare. His is one of the many inspirational stories we hear from people every day at CancerCare.

“The way I see it, dealing with cancer is like navigating whitewater rapids,” says Ann, another CancerCare client who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma seven years ago. She sought out CancerCare to help deal with her feelings of loneliness and isolation.

“When you have someone to share it with, you’re in a canoe. No matter what it’s like, you face it together. When you do it alone, you’re in a kayak. Yes, your friends may be running along the shore, waving from time to time, but sink or swim, you’re out there on your own.”

Today, Ann serves as a mentor to others who have been diagnosed with multiple myeloma thanks to the support she found through CancerCare.

Read more about our inspiring clients in CancerCare’s “Stories of Help & Hope.”

How has CancerCare helped you better cope with a cancer diagnosis? We’d like to hear from you.

Tell us your story and inspire others. 

Support groups are available online, over the telephone, or in-person, and all are moderated by CancerCare’s professional oncology social workers.

Online support groups are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and telephone support groups connect people for regularly scheduled, one-hour sessions. Face-to-face support groups are offered at our offices in New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Learn more about CancerCare’s free support groups.

Visit our bone health resource page, www.bonehealthandcancer.org,  to learn about how to care for your bones when you have cancer.

Our free resources on these pages include Connect Education Workshops such as “New Advances in Bone Health for People Living with Cancer” and “Caring for Your Bones When You Have Breast Cancer”, as well as publications such as “Caring for Your Bones When You Have Cancer”.

You can listen to this program on the telephone or via live streaming through the internet.  This workshop is the last of the four-part series, The Ninth Annual Cancer Survivorship Series: Living With, Through and Beyond Cancer.

This free series is made possible by support from the National Cancer Institute and LIVESTRONG and offers cancer survivors, their families, friends and health care professionals practical information to help them cope with concerns that arise after treatment ends.  

The faculty for the July 12 program includes:

• Richard Dickens, MSW, Survivor Perspective, Blood Cancers Program Coordinator, Mind/Body/Spirit Project Coordinator, CancerCare
• Merle H. Mishel, RN, PhD, FAAN, Kenan Professor, School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• David Spiegel, MD, Jack, Sam and Lulu Willson Professor in the School of Medicine, Associate Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine

This workshop is free – no phone charges apply.  However, pre-registration is required.  To register, and for more information, simply go to the CancerCare website, www.cancercare.org/connect_workshops.

If you missed Parts I, II or III of the series, they are available as podcasts, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: 

• Part I: Chemobrain: The Impact of Cancer Treatments on Memory, Thinking and Attention
• Part II: Weight Changes After Cancer Treatments: Why Is It Happening and What Can I Do About It?
• Part III: Stress Management for Caregivers: Taking Care of Yourself Physically and Emotionally

While many young adults are focused on things like education, careers, or dating and starting a family, young adults with cancer may find themselves confronting different concerns, such as where to get the best medical care or how to pay for expensive treatments.

Miller’s article provides tips on how health care professionals can help young adults cope with a cancer diagnosis, and offers valuable resources young adults can turn to for support.

Read the article.

CancerCare provides free, specialized services for young adults affected by cancer, including counseling, support groups, and educational workshops.

• The Importance of Taking Your Pills Everyday on Schedule offers tips on how patients can adhere to their doctor’s instructions and remember to take their pills.
• Colorectal Cancer: The Importance of Screening and Early Detection describes the screening tests that are available to detect and also prevent colorectal cancer.
• Coping with Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma (PTCL) offers helpful tips for managing the practical and emotional concerns people may have after being diagnosed with peripheral t-cell lymphoma (PTCL).
• Update on the Treatment of Liver Cancer details the different types of liver cancer, their treatment options, how to manage side effects, and the importance of communicating with your health care support team.
• Latest News in Blood Cancer Research presents the latest research in the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.

Three of these new publications are in Spanish:

• Lidiando con las nauseas y vomitos inducidos por la quimioterapia (Coping with Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting) (CINV)) offers tips for coping with nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy treatment.
• Mieloma multiple: Obtenga el maximo de sus citas medicas (Multiple Myeloma: Making the Most of Your Medical Appointments) explores ways to improve communication with your health care team.  
• Sobrellevando el mieloma multiple (Coping with Multiple Myeloma) offers tips for managing multiple myeloma so that patients can feel more in control of their diagnosis.  

Stay up-to-date on new publications by signing up for CancerCare E-News, CancerCare‘s free monthly email newsletter.