Resources

American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society is the granddaddy of all cancer websites. One of the most useful pieces of literature is “Caring for the Patient with Cancer at Home – A Guide for Patients and Families,” which can be found online or ordered at no charge.
www.cancer.org

Cancer.net
Oncologist-approved cancer information from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
www.cancer.net

National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute has great general cancer information and a comprehensive clinical trial database.
www.cancer.gov

CancerCare
CancerCare is a national nonprofit organization that provides free, professional support services for anyone affected by cancer. Their services include information, counseling, support services, and financial assistance.
www.cancercare.org

Caring4Cancer
General information about diagnosis, treatment, managing side effects, nutrition, financial support, and overall wellbeing. Also a community section with message boards, patient stories, nurses Q&A and more. They have great e-newsletters.
www.caring4cancer.com

Lance Armstrong Foundation
In addition to great information they have a complete cancer survivorship notebook available for no charge. The Lance Armstrong Foundation unites people to fight cancer believing that unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything.
www.livestrong.org

Disease Specific Sites

Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation
Patient services, disease information, and advocacy on behalf of those fighting leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma.
www.lls.org

Lymphoma Research Foundation
Here you can learn about the latest research findings and get help searching for clinical trials that relate to your lymphoma diagnosis. The Lymphoma Support Network can help you connect with a peer who is also living with lymphoma.
www.lymphoma.org

National Ovarian Cancer Coalition
The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC) provides education, support and hope for women with ovarian cancer and their families. NOCC has established itself as an important national advocate for patients and families facing ovarian cancer. Services include a toll free information and help line, a comprehensive online ovarian cancer resource, informational literature about the disease, its symptoms and risk factors, treatment and care issues, and peer-to-peer support.
www.ovarian.org

Prostate Cancer Foundation
Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in America, affecting 1 in 6 men. The older you are, the more likely you are to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Although only 1 in 10,000 under age 40 will be diagnosed, the rate shoots up to 1 in 38 for ages 40 to 59, and 1 in 15 for ages 60 to 69.
www.prostatecancerfoundation.org

Bone Marrow Transplant Info

National Bone Marrow Transplant Link
This site is designed to help patients, their caregivers, and families understand and deal with the emotional and practical aspects of transplants and post-transplant concerns. What you will find here are answers to common questions, an enormous amount of information and support, and links to other useful web resources. They also produce three very helpful publications: “Resource Guide for Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant – Friends Helping Friends;” “Survivors’ Guide for Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant – What to Expect and How to Get Through It;” and “Caregivers' Guide for Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant – Practical Perspectives.”
www.nbmtlink.org

BMT Info Net
Blood & Marrow Transplant Information Network is a not-for-profit organization dedicated exclusively to serving the needs of persons facing a bone marrow, blood stem cell or umbilical cord blood transplant. Founded in 1990 by bone marrow transplant survivor Susan Stewart, BMT InfoNet strives to provide high quality medical information in easy-to-understand language, so that patients can be active, knowledgeable participants in their health care planning and treatment. Their publications have been praised by leading patient advocacy and medical professionals. A team of highly qualified medical experts reviews all medical information that appears on their website to ensure its accuracy. Helpful publications include, “Bone Marrow and Blood Stem Cell Transplants,” “Auto Stem Cell Transplants,” “Across the Chasm – A Caregiver’s Story,” and “Finding the Money.”
www.bmtinfonet.org

National Marrow Donor Program
Bone marrow and cord blood transplants are a life-changing treatment for people with leukemia, lymphoma and many other diseases. For many patients, a transplant may be the best — and only — hope for a cure. The NMDP connects patients in need of a transplant with potential donors. Through their Registry, they provide searching patients access to more than 11 million donors and cord blood units around the world. When patients learn they need a transplant, they turn first to their families to find a donor. But 70% of those patients won’t find a suitable match in their family. They depend on bone marrow or cord blood donors like you.
www.marrow.org

Clinical Trials

National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute has great general cancer information and a comprehensive clinical trial database.
www.cancer.gov

National Clinical Trial Registry
U.S. National Institutes of Health is a registry of federally and privately supported clinical trials.
www.clinicaltrials.gov

Managing Treatments

Cancer Symptoms
The Oncology Nursing Society's cancer symptoms website. Learn about and manage each of eleven cancer treatment-related symptoms that patients commonly experience: anorexia, cognitive dysfunction (such as “chemo brain”), depression, dyspnea (difficulty breathing), fatigue, hormonal disturbances, mucositis (mouth sores), neutropenia (low white blood cell count), pain, peripheral neuropathy (tingling and numbness in hands and feet), and sexual dysfunction.
www.cancersymptoms.org

Chemo Care
Chemo Care is a source fsor chemotherapy, side effect and drug information. Content is provided by Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center and presented by champion figure skater and cancer survivor Scott Hamilton.
www.chemocare.com

Staying Connected

Free, personalized websites to connect loved ones during treatment and recovery. Allows friends and family to subscribe to your page so they are notified when you post updates. You can also post photos and guests can leave messages.
www.caringbridge.org
www.carepages.org

Caregiver Support

Lotsa Helping Hands
Lotsa Helping Hands is a simple, immediate way for friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors to assist loved ones in need. It’s an easy-to-use, free, private group calendar, specifically designed for organizing helpers, where everyone can pitch in with meal delivery, rides, and other tasks necessary for life to run smoothly during times of medical crisis, end-of-life caring, or family caregiver exhaustion. It’s also a place to keep these “those who care” informed with status updates, photo galleries, message boards, and more.
www.lotsahelpinghands.com

Share the Care
Both a book and online resource for organizing a caregiving group.
www.sharethecare.org

Online Support

Association of Cancer Online Resources
ACOR offers access to 159 mailing lists that provide support, information, and community to everyone affected by cancer and related disorders.
www.acor.org

HodgkinsDisease.org
Online support specifically geared toward those with Hodgkin’s Disease and their caregivers. This has been my primary online support for years and has a great number of individuals who have a wealth of information and are tremendous support.
www.hodgkinsdisease.org

My Crazy Sexy Life
An online forum where you can post questions, join groups and connect with other “crazy sexy cowgirls (and dudes).” Created by Kris Carr, author of Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips and Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor.
my.crazysexylife.com

Magazine

Cure Magazine
Cancer updates, research, and education. An excellent source of information. Free subscription for cancer patients.
www.curetoday.com

For Young Adults

Planet Cancer
Young adults with cancer slip into a lonely no-man’s land. Too old for the community of a children’s hospital, they still don't fit in with the over-50 community that overwhelmingly populates adult cancer wards. Because young adults with cancer are a relatively small group, the difficulty of finding peer support is increased exponentially, forcing many to deal in isolation with issues specific to this age and stage of life. Services include an online community, weekend retreats, articles and more. Planet Cancer exists so that no young adult will have to endure such isolation again.
http://www.planetcancer.org/html/index.php

Re-Mission Video Game
A free Windows PC-based video game that takes place inside of a body fighting cancer. Colonies of microscopic cancer cells replicate, attack and damage healthy organs. You undertake challenging missions and rapid-fire assaults on malignant cells, wherever they hide. “It’s the world’s smallest battlefield, yet the stakes have never been higher.”
http://re-mission.net

My Favorite Facilities

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
http://www.seattlecca.org/

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
http://www.fhcrc.org/

MD Anderson Cancer Treatment Center – Houston
http://www.mdanderson.org/

Travel Assistance

Corporate Angel Network
They arrange free air transportation for cancer patients traveling to treatment using empty seats on corporate jets.
www.corpangelnetwork.org

Angel Flight
Free air transportation for patients with medical and financial needs.
www.angelflight.com

Stylish Goodies

Healing Threads
The Healing Threads hospital gown collection is a sophisticated, dignified and comfortable line of recovery wear and adaptive clothing that was specifically designed to be worn during and after medical treatments. The complete line of stylish hospital gowns and coordinating pants brings fashion and function together to make your recovery experience as comfortable and dignified as possible.
www.healingthreads.com

Lazy Girls Designs
If you feel like making your own personalized hospital gown, here’s a free pattern to get you started:
www.lazygirldesigns.com/hospitalgown.php

Motion Sickness Bags
No, it’s not fun to think about, but there might come a time when you become nauseous. And trust me, there’s nothing like needing to get sick and having nowhere to go to completely freak you out. That’s when people start traveling with buckets or large ziplock bags. Or you can keep a bag designed for just such an emergency with you.
www.redebag.com
www.sicksaver.com

How Others Can Help

American Red Cross
More than 4.5 million patients need blood transfusion each year in the U.S. and Canada. That breaks down to one person every two seconds. Only 37% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, and less than 10% actually do. One pint of blood can save up to three lives. Check givelife.org for an American Red Cross blood drive, or Google “give blood” to find other donation centers near you.
www.givelife.org

NMDP umbilical cord blood donation information:
http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Donate_Cord_Blood_Share_Life/index.html

Food

Super Suppers
Pick up freshly prepared take-and-bake entrees, sides and desserts in their Grab ‘n Go case, or come in and assemble your own meals. Delicious and easy. Eat tonight or freeze for later. Some locations offer gift certificates, delivery and fundraising programs to help your loved one.
www.supersuppers.com

Home Bistro
Fully prepared meals shipped to your home. Gift certificates and monthly sampler plans are available.
www.homebistro.com

The Honeybaked Ham Company
They have more than just delicious ham. Turkey, pork, beef, side dishes and desserts are among the other offerings available in their online store. Their spiral cut ham is perfect when feeding a large group. Gift certificates are also available.
www.honeybaked.com

Fundraising Events

These are our favorite fundraising events that we have participated in and supported:

Livestrong Challenge
Walk, run or bike to support the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
http://www.livestrongchallenge.org/site/c.frKPI1PAIoE/b.3920225/

Relay for Life
Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length.
http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/

Team in Training
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training is the world's largest endurance sports training program. The program provides training to run or walk marathons and half marathons or participate in triathlons and century (100-mile) bike rides. Since 1988, more than 380,000 volunteer participants have helped raise more than $900 million.
http://www.teamintraining.org/

Light the Night
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light The Night Walk is an annual event to raise funds for cures. It’s the nation’s night to pay tribute and bring hope to thousands of patients and their families. Anyone can take part—children, adults and seniors are all welcome. This is a casual walk with no fitness requirements where participants walk with lit balloons – white for survivors and red for those walking in support.
http://www.lightthenight.org/

Lymphomathon
The Lymphomathon is a non-competitive 5K walk where survivors, family, friends, community and corporate teams walk in honor and in memory of those whose lives have been touched by lymphoma. Funds raised by participants support the Lymphoma Research Foundation’s mission of eradicating lymphoma and serving those touched by this disease.
http://www.lymphoma.org/site/pp.asp?c=chKOI6PEImE&b=2266241

Great Non-Profits

Stand Up To Cancer
Working with the top experts in cancer research, Stand Up To Cancer is forging a new way to develop breakthroughs that will end cancer. They’re putting together the best and the brightest minds in cancer research – those on the edge of accomplishment – investing in their projects and taking the bureaucratic obstacles out of their way. They are building interdisciplinary “Dream Teams” of scientists, clinicians, technicians and other experts, who will focus on a specific cancer problem.
www.standup2cancer.org

Alese Coco Fight 2 Win Campaign
This foundation raises money to fund research grants specifically for Hodgkin’s Disease. Their focus is scientific research into the cause of Hodgkin’s, new treatments for patients with relapsed or refractory disease, and improving the care of patients with HD. Fight2Win.org was established in honor of Alese Coco, who lost her battle with Hodgkin’s in 2007, at the age of 23.
www.Fight2win.org

Art for Life
Provides art programs for children in hospitals and cancer treatment centers.
www.artforlife.org

Therapy Dogs International
Therapy Dogs International, Inc. (TDI) is a volunteer organization dedicated to regulating, testing and registering therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers for the purpose of visiting nursing homes, hospitals, other institutions and wherever else therapy dogs are needed.
www.tdi-dog.org

Gilda’s Club
Located in 21 cities across North America, Gilda’s Club offers free support and networking groups, lectures, workshops, and social events in a non-residential, home-like setting. Gilda’s Club is named in honor of Saturday Night Live comedian Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989. Gilda dreamed that all people affected by cancer would have access to the same kind of emotional and social support that she received during her illness.
www.gildasclub.org