We’ve Been There. We Get It. We’ll Walk Your Path With You.
Cancer is difficult, and while you have a wonderful team of doctors and other healthcare professionals supporting you, you may still be looking to speak with someone who’s been there and can walk your cancer path with you. At Cancer Hope Network, we get it, and we have a network of people who get it, too.
Our Peer Mentors are a listening ear who can provide empathetic support and give you the freedom to show up exactly how you are in each moment, moving at the pace that works for you. Let us help pair you with a trained Peer Mentor volunteer who can replace your fear with hope. Request a free and confidential match below or read on to learn more.
Peer support at any stage.
“You have cancer.” No matter the stage or diagnosis, those three words can stop time in its tracks. But you don’t have to face it alone. Talking with someone who’s been there can make a cancer diagnosis, going through treatment, supporting a loved one, or adjusting to life post-treatment just a bit easier.
Cancer Hope Network has been providing free and confidential peer support for cancer patients and the people who love them since 1981. Ours was the first one-on-one peer mentorship program of its kind for cancer patients and their loved ones, and we were the model for many similar programs that exist today. With nearly 500 trained survivor and caregiver volunteers who’ve faced 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 – are based on a shared diagnosis, similar treatments, or shared life experiences and can include one visit, or many.
Our Programs Team, made up of social work and healthcare professionals, follows each connection between Peer Mentor and client from beginning to end, providing oversight, resources, and support.
Mentorship and hope from people who understand
Our support is available for cancer patients and survivors at any point in their cancer journey. From the whirlwind surrounding diagnosis through the side effects of treatment, and beyond.
A cancer journey 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 Peer Mentor volunteers have been there. They’re here to help you navigate your cancer journey and to walk every new phase of that path with you.
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
Cancer clinical trials save lives, drive innovation, and improve the quality of care for future generations. But for patients and caregivers going through cancer, they can also be yet another frightening unknown.
Cancer Hope Network’s Talking About Clinical Trials (TACT) Peer Mentors are specially trained to provide support to patients who are either considering or currently participating in a clinical trial. Our TACT Peer Mentors are trained to constructively and safely share their experiences and to answer questions about the process of participating in a clinical trial.
TACT connections are not focused on specific therapies and/or diagnoses. Rather, they are focused on the decision-making process surrounding clinical trials. We believe that many of the questions, concerns, and fears patients have about clinical trials are universal and that speaking with someone who has been there can help eliminate barriers to participation.
Our TACT volunteers are here to share their insights, experience, and a listening ear.
(Click to read stories of CHN peer mentors who have participated in clinical trials.)
