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In this issue
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Q. & A. with award-winning volunteer
Arletha Dabney
Thousands fight back through CPS-3 in the Great Lakes
Q. & A. with dynamic volunteer
Michele Belson
Meet your researcher: Dr. Jinping Xu
Cancer survivor resources
It’s time to reform our health care system
Father's day quiz:
Early detection and prevention
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VOICES photo and video contest!
VOICES in the kitchen
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Cancer survivor resources
 On June 7, National Cancer Survivors Day, the nation celebrated the millions of Americans who are cancer survivors, honoring their strength and courage, and the families, friends, and healthcare providers who are also helping to fight the battle against cancer.
Survivors are involved with many programs within the American Cancer Society.
In 2008, more than 3.5 million Americans participated in Relay For Life, 500,000 of whom were cancer survivors.
Below are two of the many resources the Society offers to cancer survivors and caregivers to help them get well and stay well.
National Cancer Survivors Network
To address survivors’ and caregivers’ need to connect, the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Survivors Network (CSN), the first-of-its-kind web based support service was created by and for cancer survivors and their families, to address their need to connect with the growing community of people winning the battle against cancer.
The Cancer Survivors Network also offers emotional support for cancer patients and their families who have been touched by cancer, to share their experiences and support one another.
Discussion topics covered on CSN are chosen by cancer survivors and family members and reflect issues that typically arise in the lives of people affected by cancer. Topics cover a wide range of subjects such as fears of recurrence, caregiver information, talking about cancer, and more.
The Cancer Survivors Network is a free service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It can be accessed by calling 1-877-333-HOPE or visiting http://www.acscsn.org. The phone component of CSN offers pre-recorded discussions among survivors and family members that users can navigate like a talk-radio show. You can listen to individual stories featuring survivors and caregivers who share their experiences with cancer, from feelings about diagnosis and dealing with reactions from family and friends, to how the disease has changed their lives.
Circle of Sharing
One of the important ways the American Cancer Society is saving lives is by helping people with cancer get well by offering around-the-clock support and guidance through every step of the cancer experience. Because the amount of data and information about cancer can be overwhelming for someone who is newly diagnosed, the American Cancer Society and Microsoft® HealthVault™ have joined together to strategically create and deliver a new social Web application to help people with cancer better organize their health information and make informed health decisions.
This new tool – Circle Of Sharing™ – is now available at www.cancer.org/circleofsharing. Circle Of Sharing allows users to share reliable medical information and resources from the American Cancer Society with their trusted circle of caregivers, family, and friends for a more holistic approach to managing their disease.
Through Circle Of Sharing, people with cancer are now able to:
- Securely store and update their personal cancer information, including diagnosis, staging, treatment regimen, and side effects using HealthVault technology
- Receive links to cancer.org articles directly related to the cancer information they enter into the tool
- Share this cancer information and communicate with people they choose, who are known as "Members"
- Control the level of information shared with Members of their Circle
- Make treatment decisions based on reliable American Cancer Society information, tools, and resources that help them understand their treatment options
- Search for clinical trials
- Search for local resources and programs
For more information about how Circle Of Sharing works, click here or read the frequently asked questions.
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