Links to Selected Internet Resources
This page does not provide all of the resources cited in Things I Wish I'd Known, nor does it
list every appropriate internet resource you might investigate for a particular topic. It does offer responsible short-cuts if you are facing an urgent information requirement. The items for which there is a descriptive paragraph are not (yet) addressed in the book and are provided for your additional information.
Informational resource links below precede links for activities to help your healing both before and after caregiving ends. Key groupings of links array resources for:
♦ General Information / Support and Information about Particular Cancers
♦ Directories of Comprehensive Cancer Center Programs
♦ Verifying Physician Creditials
♦ Second Opinion or Clinical Trials Resources
♦ Financial and/or Legal Help
♦ Patient or Caregiver Support
♦ Children
♦ Young Adults
♦ Communications and Coordination Tools
♦ Career Issues
♦ Caregiver and Survivor Healing
Scroll down to find the links that are of immediate relevance to you. After you address your immediate need through use of one or more of these links, we hope you'll purchase the book for more comprehensive support and encouragement from caregivers who have "been there and done that." They share both their practical suggestions and their emotional reactions in a rich tapestry of experiences.
For General Information / Support and Information about Particular Cancers: (Please note that some of these sites also address the more specific topics listed below; some are cited more than once because the link takes you to the specific segment of the site relevant to the topic in the title.)
American Society of Clinical Oncology
Association of Cancer Online Resources
Particularly useful is PDQ (Physician Data Query), the NCI's comprehensive cancer database. These provide explanations for patients and for physicians, describing the variant of cancer and explaining the standards for care. This site also provides a glossary of terms and a link for finding clinical trials.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
National Cancer Institute Community Cancer Centers Program
The National Cancer Institute has been working since 2007 to create a network of NCI certified community cancer centers. The program’s website says that this growing network of 30 community hospitals in 22 states (as of 2012) intends to bring current scientific developments, evidence-based medicine, and highly coordinated care to the 85 percent of cancer patients who are treated in their local communities, including underserved rural, suburban and inner-city locations. Sharing of best practices will include collaboration with NCI programs and related organizations such as the NCI Cancer Centers Program, The Cancer Genome Atlas, the NCI Community Networks Program, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. Originally launched as a three-year pilot program in 2007, funding has been extended through at least 2012.
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PANCAN)
For Directories of Comprehensive Cancer Center Programs:
National Cancer Institute Office of Cancer Centers, listed alphabetically or by state
National Cancer Institute Community Centers Program (see above)
For Verifying Physician Credentials:
American Board of Medical Specialties
For Second Opinion or Clinical Trial Resources:
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Registry
For Financial and/or Legal Help: Before you know whether you need financial help, you'll want to go to the website for the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which provides a valuable list of questions to ask in order to learn about the various cost factors associated with a particular diagnosis and treatment. Once you've done that, resources for gaining financial or legal help are available on the ASCO site but specific links include:
CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation
The HealthWell Foundation provides financial assistance to eligible individuals to cover coinsurance, copayments, health care premiums and deductibles for certain medications and therapies. If you've been prescribed a medication and your insurance company covers it, but you still cannot afford the coinsurance or copayment required, the Foundation may be able to help you by paying for part of your costs associated with the medication. Also, if you are eligible for health insurance, but cannot afford the insurance premium, they may be able to help with your insurance premium. When you click on the link and go to their home page, click on the Patient link to learn how to proceed in getting help. Please note that not all cancers are covered; the list of those that are included is available on the General Information page, on the Diseases and Medications under the heading "Open Funds."
Partnership for Prescription Assistance
Individual pharmaceutical company Patient Assistance Programs.
Ask your oncologist for information that will allow you to apply for financial aid, or at least find out the name of the maker of the preferred drug for your treatment.
The SAMFund awards scholarships and financial grants to young adult cancer survivors who have completed treatment. This link takes you to the information page regarding criteria for applying for such an award.
For Patient or Caregiver Support:
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
The NCCS is a fairly broad support organization focused on living with cancer. Many of their publications are free and focus on such topics as emotional issues in cancer, understanding your insurance, financial issues, taking charge of your care, life after cancer, end-of-life issues, and caring for the caregiver. If you go to the tab for publications, you'll find TEAMWORK: The Cancer Patient's Guide to Talking with Your Doctor. This free booklet (which may be available in your cancer center's resource room or library) provides detailed questions to ask at each stage of treatment, as well as a good glossary of terms that you'll hear in "doctor-speak" and want to translate into patient-friendly terms.This booklet also provides useful guidance in how to describe symptoms, such as pain and fatigue, to your medical team in language that they'll understand and describes medications and techniques that your doctor may recommend to counter each.
The Cancer Knowledge Network (CKN) describes itself as "Canada’s most widely read cancer education portal, providing valuable, practical resources for people living with cancer, the doctors who treat them, and the loved ones who care for them." The site offers a wide range of freely accessible information, research findings, practical information, first-person accounts, and other useful materials, all carefully selected by experts. Caregiver stories are particularly compelling.
For Children:
For Young Adults
This site is particularly helpful for teens and young adults. It provides a variety of resources and sources of information and support. In its own words:
Stupidcancer.org empowers young adults affected by cancer through innovative and award-winning programs and services. We are the nation's largest support community for this underserved population and serve as a bullhorn for the young adult cancer movement. Our charter is to ensure that no one goes unaware of the age-appropriate support resources they are entitled to so they can get busy living.
Young adults, a largely unknown group in the war on cancer, account for 72,000 new diagnosis each year. That's one every eight minutes. It's also seven times more than all pediatric cancers combined. This is not OK!
LiveSTRONG Young Adult Alliance
Cancer in adolescents and young adults (ages 15-29) is often underrecognized and diagnosed at fairly advanced stages. It usually requires aggressive advocacy with the medical system and persistence in pressing for explanations for physical conditions (that may present as constant colds, "permanent flu," or unexplained pain or discomfort) that aren't responding to initial treatments. This site provides information and resources to help in understanding the medical, psychological, and emotional challenges facing this age group.
Team Shan is a nonprofit organization based in Ontario, Canada, which was created in the wake of Shannon Larsen's death of inflammatory breast cancer at age 24. Her mother Lorna discovered that medical professionals didn't recognize Shan's symptoms soon enough to catch the disease while it was still treatable. In response, she created Team Shan with the mission of educating the public, health care professionals, and young women about early detection, risk reduction and prevention of breast cancer. The website includes a helpful literature review and information about public education campaigns conducted across Canada.
This organization serves anyone between the ages of 18-39 who has heard the words, "You have cancer." They offer free outdoor adventure programs (including whitewater kayaking, rock climbing, mountaineering, and surfing) in eleven states, Canada, and South America. Some young survivor "graduates" call it the best week of their lives.
Survive and Thrive Expeditions (Canada)
This organization aims to help young survivors "reflect, refocus, rebuild, and live." To quote from their website, "Many young adults feel they have missed out on some of the best years of their lives and feel intense pressure to 'get on with it' once they have finished treatments. They often jump right back on the path they were following pre-diagnosis just to realize that so much has changed and what they thought was important to them is not so important anymore."
The travel, adventure, and in-depth reflection and exploration of the cancer episode is designed to allow survivors to give themselves permission to reflect on the past while refocusing on their current lives and to move forward with deeper insights about themselves.
For Communications and Coordination Tools:
For Information about Career Issues
Cancer and Careers is a unique resource to help survivors and caregivers to deal with the employment issues caused by cancer. It's goal is to empower and educate people with cancer and their caregivers in the workplace by elminating fear and uncertainty through information, tools, free publications, career coaching, and a series of support groups and educational seminars.
While the site is positioned for survivors, it has significant potential to help caregivers whose careers were interrupted by their tenure as caregivers. Particularly useful is the list of free publications, including a Shoestring Survival Guide.
For Caregiver and Survivor Healing:
Many caregivers and their loved ones benefit from engaging in activities that take their minds off of what they're dealing with in the moment and offer more spiritual endeavors in which they can rediscover themselves. In addition, they find that these kinds of action programs allow them to overcome negative feelings about what the cancer experience may have taken from them and to focus on dealing with their feelings about that experience in a constructive and even nourishing manner.
These resources include:
Equine Facilitated Learning Programs
The Center for America’s First Horse, in Johnson, Vermont, together with EQnimity, offer Equine Facilitated Learning Programs for individuals and groups. In a safe, non-riding, and supportive environment, horses help participants access the wisdom of the human body, tap into their deepest emotions, and learn to communicate in new authentic and effective ways. The experience empowers a person at the deepest levels, feeling renewed in how they move forward in life with new strengths and beliefs.
The Center's website says, "Horses have qualities for which we humans inherently strive. They are truthful & communicate to their herd mates with clarity and precision. Horses are also non-judgmental. They live purely in the moment. Our unique herd of Spanish Mustangs are inspirational and teach us to be better in our relationships with friends, family and co-workers.”
The Center also offers natural horsemanship skills, riding lessons, and training. Prior horse experience, or even a desire to ride, is not required.
Fly fishing retreats create life experiences for cancer survivors and caregivers with the focus on renewal, healing, and hope through new friendships, new adventures, and the beauty of nature. The retreats generally take place on weekends and focus on bonding experiences that allow participants to recognize that they have traveled similar paths and are standing in the current of the river together, facing the future. They are inspirational and memorable.
You must have javascript and cookies enabled in order to use this form.