Roswell Park's Online Community Connects You to Other Patients and Caregivers

Cancer can be a lonely place. Sometimes you may need to talk with someone who knows how you’re feeling — someone who is going through a similar experience. Your friends and family want to help, but no one knows how you feel better than people who have gone through it themselves.

Community and support after a cancer diagnosis can make a tremendous difference. Roswell Park’s online CancerConnect® community brings patients and their caregivers together in a warm and friendly circle of communication, to learn from and support one another. It’s a unique place to safely voice ideas and concerns, where you can learn and gain strength from the experiences of others, network, get information, and — most important — realize that you aren’t alone. It's a comfortable, safe, friendly place where you can meet people with similar experiences, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

It’s important to have that resource available whenever you need it, says Faith Addiss, RN, Senior Patient Education Facilitator and the moderator for the site. “What happens if it’s late at night or a Sunday afternoon and you’re feeling confused or alone?” she asks. “With CancerConnect® you can just go online and connect with people who truly understand how you are feeling.

“Community members can post a question about something they’re experiencing or share tips on getting through the day. They share firsthand perspectives on how they handled difficult situations — everything from work and family issues to financial challenges.”

Never miss another Cancer Talk blog!

Sign up to receive our monthly Cancer Talk e-newsletter.

Sign up!

Currently there are more than 60 CancerConnect® groups focused on specific types of cancer, as well as groups that share information and insight into their personal experiences related to:

  • Caregiving
  • Chemotherapy
  • Genetic testing
  • Screening
  • Prevention, health and wellness
  • Supportive care
  • Clinical trials
  • Insurance
  • Nutrition
  • Survivorship

CancerConnect® also features regular news updates, a social-networking component and feature stories on survivorship and wellness.

Our CancerConnect® community is moderated by an RN on our Patient Education staff who monitors posts, answers general questions, directs members to trustworthy sources of information, and shares information about events, support groups and other activities at Roswell Park.

To join the community, you’ll need to register. It’s free of charge and easy to sign up. After you register, you’ll be able to ask questions and share your experiences. You can participate in conversations with our staff and other folks who understand the impact that a cancer diagnosis has on individuals, families, friends and coworkers. Roswell Park physician experts occasionally serve as guest moderators and host discussions on topics important to our members.

Through our partnership with Omni Health Media, all members of the Roswell Park CancerConnect® community can also take part in conversations and events of the national Cancer Connect communities.

We invite you to join us! All you need is an email address. (You’ll be asked to create a user name, so you’ll remain anonymous to others in the community.) Register here by clicking the Join Now button.

Together we can create a community of support and sharing that will make our lives a little richer.