You Are Not Alone.
Cancer is isolating and frightening. Peer support for cancer patients and caregivers can help change that. For more than 40 years, our team has been connecting patients and caregivers with trained Support Volunteer mentors who understand. Use the buttons below to request a free and confidential match or read on to learn more.
Peer support at any stage.
“You have cancer.” No matter the stage, whatever the diagnosis, those three words can stop time in its tracks. Cancer is scary and isolating. But you don’t have to face it alone.
Our cancer survivor and cancer caregiver mentors are here to help.
Cancer Hope Network has been providing free and confidential peer support for cancer patients and the people who love them since 1981. We were the first in the nation to provide one-on-one peer support. Today, we are the gold standard for oncology-focused one-on-one peer support.
With nearly 500 trained survivor and caregiver volunteers who’ve faced more than 80 types and subtypes of cancer (more than 98% of the cancers that will be diagnosed this year), we stand ready to provide connection and hope. Matches – the connection between a client and a volunteer – may include one visit or many.
Matches are based on a shared diagnosis, similar treatments or shared life experiences.
Our Programs Team is made up of social work and healthcare professionals. They follow each match from beginning to end, providing oversight, resources, and support through the duration of each connection.
Mentorship and hope from people who understand
Patients/Survivors
Our support is available for cancer patients and survivors at any point in their cancer journey.
From the anxious whirlwind surrounding diagnosis…
through the side-effect-filled slog of treatment…
And beyond….. A fight with cancer doesn’t end on the last day of treatment. In fact, the end of treatment is often the beginning of a new normal.
From fears of a recurrence to treatment-induced health problems or a new-found desire to focus on what’s most important, our trained Support Volunteers have been there. They’re here to help you navigate your survivorship journey.
Caregivers
An estimated 1.9 million patients (1) will be diagnosed with cancer this year and for many of those patients, the care provided by their medical team is supplemented by unpaid caregivers. The 2020 National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP Study Report estimates that 6% of the 53 million adult caregivers are providing support for a loved one facing cancer. (2)
Caregiving can be rewarding and fulfilling – and utterly exhausting. “Nothing prepares you for these kinds of situations. There’s no dress rehearsal,” says Rodney, a Support Volunteer who cared for his wife Vera during her fight with metastasizing lung cancer.
Connecting with a Support Volunteer who’s been in a similar situation – or one who’s faced the same cancer as your loved one – is empowering and encouraging. It’s a reminder that you’re not alone.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials save lives. They drive innovation. Cancer clinical trials improve the quality of care for future generations. But for patients and caregivers fighting cancer, they can also be yet another frightening unknown.
Our TACT (Talking About Clinical Trials) Support Volunteers have each been through a clinical trial (some, more than one) – and are here to share their insights, experience and a listening ear.
Through TACT, we connect patients considering participating in a cancer clinical trial with a trained volunteer who’s been through one. A cancer diagnosis on its own can be confusing, terrifying and more than a little daunting. Add to that the opportunity to try a new treatment protocol and it can feel downright overwhelming. Talking with someone who has been through the clinical trial process – facing many of the same questions, making the same decisions and even fighting similar challenges – is empowering.
