Emotional Support for Cancer Patients
Our One-on-One Cancer Support Page
Emotional Support Opportunities
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Cancer Patient Support
Receive one-on-one support from a cancer survivor.
Caregiver Support
One-on-one support for caregivers of cancer patients.
Support Groups
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Every cancer journey is unique. Your support should be too!
One on One Cancer Patient Support
Whether you or a loved one is facing a cancer diagnosis, CanCare is here to help!
CanCare can connect you with a trained cancer survivor or cancer caregiver volunteer to listen, provide relatable experience, and offer empathy, encouragement, and guidance through your cancer journey.
The Power of Peer Support in Cancer Care
Peer support, or one-on-one cancer support, is a powerful and effective way of helping people who face similar difficulties or challenges in life. It is based on the idea that people who have gone through or are going through similar situations can offer unique perspectives and understanding.
Benefits of Having a CanCare Volunteer by Your Side
Cancer survivors with similar experiences or challenges help each other cope, learn, and grow. Having a survivor by your side after you’ve heard the words, “You’ve got cancer” can offer benefits such as emotional validation, social connection, practical guidance, and role modeling. One-on-one cancer support from a CanCare volunteer can also empower people to take charge of their own well-being.
Impact of One-on-One Cancer Support on Volunteers and Clients
This kind of support can have positive impacts on both the person who gives and receives support. Volunteers who give support can gain a sense of purpose, self-esteem, and confidence by sharing their knowledge and skills with others. They can also learn from the clients who receive support and enhance their own coping strategies and resilience.
Our clients who receive support can feel less isolated, stigmatized, and hopeless by connecting with others who understand their struggles. They can also access valuable resources and information that can help them overcome their challenges and achieve their goals. We know how important it is to have someone in your corner that has been where you are.
Requesting One-on-One Cancer Support
One-on-one cancer support begins with a request by a person with a cancer diagnosis, a cancer caregiver or loved one, or by a healthcare provider.
Once a request is submitted, a match is made within 3-4 business days after receipt of the request by CanCare staff. A CanCare team member will reach out to you if for any reason there is a delay in making a match.
Matching Process and Criteria for One-On-One Support Volunteers
If you are facing a cancer diagnosis, you will be matched with a CanCare survivor volunteer with a similar cancer type, stage, treatment method, age and gender. If there are other specifics you are seeking in your support volunteer, please note that on your request form and we will do our best to find the best match.
The Unique Understanding of CanCare Survivor Volunteers
As survivors themselves, CanCare volunteers have the unique ability to relate to and empathize with clients currently undergoing their diagnosis. This bond gives clients an outlet to discuss their personal feelings and cancer experiences that might otherwise be hard to express.
Matching Caregivers with Caregiver Volunteers
If you love someone with cancer, CanCare will match you with a caregiver volunteer based on the nature of the relationship with the care receiver (ie. Husbands caring for wives are matched with other husbands, siblings caring for a parent are matched with other siblings), cancer type, stage, and age.
How is support received?
Most of our support volunteers provide support over the phone and/or through a combination of email and text. CanCare volunteers provide support to clients in all 50 states and we have volunteers in 27 different states. Though one-on-one cancer support often takes place over physical distance, the emotional connection experienced often creates a feeling of closeness. Some connections are more local. If you and your one-on-one cancer support volunteer want to meet in person, you can talk about it together.
How long does the support last?
The length of time that a one-on-one support connection lasts, depends on the client and volunteer. We know that the cancer journey often happens in many different chapters and CanCare volunteers are available for the entire journey. We want you to have a survivors or caregiver by your side for however long you need us. We hope that at some point in your journey you, too, may consider becoming a CanCare volunteer.
CanCare Volunteers as Emotional Support Providers
CanCare volunteers are not licensed therapists, but regular people who have walked the cancer journey. Their purpose is to provide emotional support to clients during their cancer journey by meeting clients where they are, providing hope and encouragement, listening and comforting, helping to diminish fear and anxiety, helping the client (cancer patient or caregiver) ask more relevant questions of their healthcare team, helping clients communicate effectively with family and friends and embodying the values of CanCare to others– be supportive, courageous, compassionate and inclusive.
Topics for Discussion in One-on-One Cancer Support
- Diagnosis, including what led up to the diagnosis. Feelings about the diagnosis, how the diagnosis has changed your life so far, how the people around you are responding, what does it mean for work, lifestyle, relationships, and faith
- Forming a Healthcare Team and Addressing Concerns
What’s important to you in a doctor, how much information do you want, what questions do you have, how comfortable are you asking questions of your doctor, what fears, concerns do you have?
For caregivers – In addition to the above, do you have a different approach than your loved one, do you want more or less information than their loved ones, how are you dealing with that? - Making Treatment Decisions and Handling Differences
What factors are you weighing up, what do you want to do, what do the people around you want you to do, are you in agreement or disagreement with your family, what are your fears, concerns? - Starting Treatment and Dealing with Side Effects
How did it go, was it what you expected, how do you feel? - Navigating Treatment Journey and Changing Needs
Be aware that often the effects of treatment are cumulative – you may need more support the further along your treatment path you get. What’s changing? Are you dealing with any side effects?
For caregivers — What are you noticing in your loved ones, how is that affecting you? - Emotional Challenges During Treatment Outcomes
Typically, at various points in treatment there are checks to see if the treatment is being effective. This can be a highly anxiety-provoking process. Share your feelings with your volunteer. - Adapting to Changing Treatment Plans
You may need to revisit the factors you considered in making treatment decisions. In addition, share any feelings you may have about having to change course, expectations that weren’t realized, new hopes. - Emotional Journey at the End of Treatment
What feelings do you have about the end of treatment? Maybe you feel victorious, maybe you just feel tired. Often the end of treatment is also the beginning of the emotional journey of feeling the impact of what has happened in the cancer journey. Share whatever you are feeling with your volunteer. - Embracing the Caregiving Role and Addressing Fears
Explore what being a survivor means, what does having had cancer mean. Do you have any fear around recurrence, ongoing screenings, etc. and how are you dealing with those feelings?
CanCare's Commitment to Providing Support
We are committed to providing you with the best possible support at CanCare.
CanCare's History and Dedication to Life-Changing Connections
CanCare has been creating life-changing connections for those facing cancer and their loved ones for more than 30 years. Wherever you are in your cancer journey, CanCare is committed to connecting you with a voice of hope.
Testimonials
One on One Support FAQs
CanCare support is available to anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer, as well as those who care for someone who loves someone affected by cancer. No matter if you need cancer support in Texas or if you're located anywhere else in the country, CanCare is here to help you!
Check out some of our specific support pages for more information:
Caregiver Support
Breast Cancer Support
Prostate Cancer Support
Texas Cancer Support
Brain Cancer Support
Texas Breast Cancer Support
All of CanCare’s support services are free to cancer patients and caregivers thanks to the generous support of our donors.
CanCare will match you with a cancer survivor or caregiver with similar cancer and treatment history. If there are other specifics you are seeking in your support volunteer, please note that on your request form and we will do our best to find the best match.
CanCare has volunteers who, combined, have experienced over 50 different types of cancer.
Some of our cancer survivors include:
Breast Cancer Volunteers
Colon Cancer Volunteers
Lung Cancer Volunteers
Pancreatic Cancer Volunteers
Texas Cancer Volunteer
Matches are generally made within 2-3 business days after receipt of the request. A CanCare team member will reach out to you if for any reason there is a delay in making a match.
To request a match, complete our match request form. The more information you provide on the request form, the better match our CanCare team members will be able to make. If you have any difficulty completing the form or would like to speak to a CanCare team member, you can call us at 346-421-5777.
For survivors, we match based on type and stage of cancer, treatment, and age. For caregivers, we match based on the relationship to the care receiver (e.g., caregiver to spouse or caregiver to parent) and cancer type. Providing us with this information enables us to find the closest match available.
Yes. We offer emotional support to both cancer patients and their loved ones. Please have your loved one complete the request for support or call us at 346-421-5777.
Most of our support volunteers provide support over the phone or online. If you and your support volunteer want to meet in person, you can talk about it together.
Yes. This can be particularly helpful when you are trying to make decisions about treatment, e.g., a mastectomy vs lumpectomy + radiation. In this situation, a person may request a volunteer who chose a mastectomy and a second volunteer who chose a lumpectomy with radiation. If you wish to request more than one volunteer, please call us at 346-421-5777.
Yes, we offer online support groups for Survivors, Caregivers and Stage IV cancer patients. If you are interested in participating in one of these groups, email us here (and be sure to include which of the three groups you want to join) for the meeting information. You can also submit a prayer request by visiting our Prayer Request page or emailing us at prayer@cancare.org.
CanCare stands apart from traditional psychotherapy or counseling by offering a sense of community. We have a passion for providing one-on-one emotional support with a carefully-matched volunteer caregiver or cancer survivor. These survivors are not licensed therapists, but regular people who have walked the cancer journey. We know how important it is to have someone in your corner that has been where you are.
Yes. Your information will only be shared with your support volunteer.
You may call the CanCare office at 346-421-5777 or email us at support@cancare.org. We know the toll the treatment process can take on a person physically, mentally, and emotionally. From phone calls and one-on-one visits to support groups, we are here for you. We’re so committed to assisting you every step of the way, CanCare offers emotional support even up to a year after your treatment is completed.
Join a Virtual Support Group
Cancer Caregiver Online Support Group
2nd Thursday of each month | 12PM Central
At our support group for cancer caregivers, you will hear from one of our CanCare volunteer caregivers and have an opportunity to share your journey with other caregivers – through listening and/or sharing.
Email us here to receive the zoom meeting link and passcode.
Stage 4 Cancer Online Support Group
3rd Friday of each month | 12PM Central
Join us to hear from one of our CanCare volunteer survivors of stage IV cancer and have an opportunity to share the journey with others living with a similar diagnosis.
Email us here to receive the zoom meeting link and passcode.
Cancer Survivors Online Support Group
2nd Tuesday of each month | 4PM Central
A support group for anyone living with a cancer diagnosis at any stage.
Email us here to receive the zoom meeting link and passcode.
Quick Links
Get Support
CanCare will connect you with a cancer survivor with similar cancer history.
Prayer Requests
Request prayer for yourself or a loved one facing cancer.
Messages of Hope
Read stories of hope and encouragement from CanCare Clients and Volunteers.
Helpful Resources
Get the help you need from cancer support resources across the country.