Information about our programs. 

If you or a loved one are living with cancer, you are not alone. Three out of four families are affected by cancer. It's a difficult time. Dealing with treatment and its side effects can be a struggle for both patients and families. Juggling family, professional and financial responsibilities can be overwhelming. Coping with the emotional burden can be exhausting.

Too often the practical and medical issues push the psychological issues aside. Patients often keep their deepest fears and worries to themselves, reluctant to share thoughts of hopelessness with family members who are supporting and caring for them. Family members will keep some of their deepest emotions to themselves as well, protecting the patient from feelings of anxiety, despair, and even anger.

 

There is good news: Cancer Support Community can help.  It's a place where both patients, family members and loved ones will find support, education and hope. Our support groups address emotional issues for patients and caregivers. Educational workshops answer important questions in a non-clinical setting. Stress management programs enhance health and well being. Every program is offered free of charge.

This is a community where support and friendship inspire hope. It provides a home-like environment where people with cancer, their families, and friends can come to gather information, support, and learn tools that may be helpful in fighting cancer. Research has shown that people who receive social support --- in addition to standard treatment--- can have longer, less anxiety-laden lives than those without such a core, supportive community. All programs are free of charge.

Click here for dates and locations of the Programs and Events.

 

support

The comfortable, homelike environment at Cancer Support Community makes sharing and mutual support easy. There are several different groups that can provide much needed emotional support to cancer patients and their families. All groups are lead by licensed therapists.

Weekly Support Groups for Cancer Patients offer people with cancer an opportunity to share thoughts, feelings, and information. Together, people with cancer experience warmth, understanding, and support and can explore new ways to deal with the stress cancer often brings.

Weekly Support Groups for Family and Loved Ones offer those supporting a person with cancer the opportunity to discuss common issues. Together, friends and family can learn new ways to not only cope with their individual stress, but new ways to support their loved ones living with cancer.

Monthly Networking Groups offer the opportunity for both cancer patients and loved ones to come together and share issues common to a particular diagnosis or stage of treatment. Some monthly groups offer the opportunity to combine education or stress management with emotional support.

What participants and family say about Cancer Support Community Programs

education

Cancer Support Community has the support of many individuals and organizations within the St. Louis medical community who volunteer their time and resources to lead educational and stress management programs.

Monthly Educational Programs are presented by the most respected oncology experts from the greater St. Louis medical community. Special educational series and programs cover such topics as pain management, fatigue, nutrition, or advances in cancer treatment. Special programs may focus exclusively on a particular diagnosis.

Stress Management Programs offer tools to help manage and reduce stress, and often focus on a specific technique such as relaxation and visualization.

Gentle Movement Programs such as Yoga and NIA offered weekly, can help restore flexibility after surgery, gently rebuild muscle strength and endurance after treatment and reduce stress levels.

Cancer Support Community's Calendar is published four times a year and offers a wide variety of other programs

hope

Cancer Support Community is part of a international organization. It is the largest support program in the country devoted solely to providing emotional support, education and hope to people living with cancer. Studies have shown that there are three primary stressors common to cancer patients and their families:

• feeling alone

• feeling a lack of control over their lives

• feeling hopeless

Programs at Cancer Support Community are specifically designed to address these areas of stress for anyone dealing with cancer. Support groups help those living with cancer express and deal with their emotions and feel supported at a time when they can feel very much alone. Educational and stress management programs help patients and family members gain information and learn skills that help restore a sense of control.

In communities all across the country, for more than 25 years, Cancer SupportCommunity has helped cancer patients and their families enhance their health and well being, and find hope.