“Stay positive, I know it helps.”
“What steps would you suggest I take to support my dad through all of this?”
“I am a new member of this group.”
These conversations are occurring online, at any time of day, in a community most people would not want to join: A group of cancer patients.
Dana-Farber has made it easier for patients to have conversations with one another through Cancer Connect, a platform for a wide range of moderated, web-based communities. Patients, caregivers, survivors, families, and friends can log on, day or night, to express their thoughts, pose questions, or read what others have to say.
Those who join the community may participate in more than 60 disease-specific national groups – such as lung cancer, breast cancer, or leukemia – in a private, confidential, safe, and secure environment. In addition, they can join Dana-Farber local groups to “meet” other Dana-Farber patients and trade advice on topics ranging from chemo side effects to parking.
Cancer Connect offers groups on other related topics, such as caring for an adult or child with cancer, clinical trials, and survivorship. It also features discussions led by expert doctors and other professionals.
As a patient once said, “When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I thought, ‘Why me?’ But once I began treatment, I thought, ‘Why not me? Every day I was surrounded by people in my shoes.”
CancerConnect re-creates this experience, online, anytime.