Helping people on a one-to-one basis is one of our most fundamental services. Every cancer and every situation is different. Staff members and trained volunteers offer support and comfort to persons who have cancer or who are otherwise affected by the disease (including family members and caregivers).

We answer questions, make referrals and help clients understand their options. We tailor our services to what you need. Assistance is provided by phone or in-person at our Resource Center (840 Hanshaw Road, Suite 5) and at the Cancer Resource Room on the Campus of Cayuga Medical Center.

It’s best to make an appointment to be sure that someone is available (277-0960), but drop-ins are welcome. Questions can also be e-mailed to info@crcfl.net.

Hours:

Tuesday – Friday, 10:00 am– 4:00 pm. Other hours by appointment.

CRC also recruits, trains, supervises, and schedules volunteers who staff the Patient and Family Lounge at Cayuga Medical Center and provide support to cancer patients and their families at the hospital's main and East campus locations.

Living Well With Cancer is our monthly educational series which focuses on holistic healthcare and cancer prevention. These presentations are always free and open to the public.

Click Here for more info!

Visit our calendar for event and support group schedules.

Mentors listen, extend emotional support, and offer practical advice. They do not provide medical advice.

Looking for support?

Please call the Cancer Resource Center at 277-0960 or fill out this application.

Want to become a mentor?

You should:

• Be mentally and physically able to take on the mentorship role. It’s not about you – it’s about the person you’re helping.
• Adhere to the guideline of not giving medical advice. It’s ok to say what you did. It’s not ok to say what someone else should do.
• Be emotionally prepared to participate in a mentoring relationship.
• Maintain confidentiality.
• Be willing to be an active match for 6 months.

The Cancer Resource Center will provide training focused on listening skills, the mentorship role, confidentiality, problem solving, and how to handle difficult situations.

Are you looking for support or interested in being a Peer Mentor?  Please contact the Cancer Resource Center at 277-0960 and ask for Bert or email him at bert@crcfl.net or fill out this Peer Mentor Application

CRC’s wellness programming includes educational classes as well as exercise and mindfulness support. We also collaborate with Island Health & Fitness to offer Gentle Yoga at no cost and Water Exercise classes for a reduced cost.
Our collaboration with Ithaca Community Acupuncture allows cancer patients to receive low-cost acupuncture treatment.

• Here are current programs we have scheduled.
• Check our calendar of events for the latest information.

We provide wigs, hats, scarves, mastectomy products, and other personal care items to our clients free of charge, with personal assistance from staff or a volunteer. Call our office to schedule an appointment to browse our selection.

Boutique items are given in memory of Emily Virkler and our boutique is supported by the Emily Virkler Memorial Boutique Fund. 

PersonalIssuesBooklet_FacingPgsFINAL3

Facing cancer when there are small children and teens in the household provides unique challenges. How do you tell your children about your diagnosis? When should you tell them? How do you involve their teachers, if you choose to? The CRC Cares About Families Guide (see link below) helps with these issues. We also offer a support group for young adults (under the age of 50). Please contact us for support and resources as you share information with your family and confront the challenges.  

Reading a book together is one way to open a conversation about cancer, talk about the feelings your child may have, and learn some coping strategies. For a limited time, receive a gift book,  thanks to the Saryn Emily Overby Koretsky Memorial Fund. CRC also carries an extensive library collection of books specifically for children.

CRC Cares About Families Guide_v3

CRC Cares About Families Book Gifts

CRCFamLibraryBooks_2020FINAL

For Younger Children

Good Sources of Information

• CancerCare: Talking with your kids about your Diagnosis

• American Cancer Society: Helping Children when a Family Member has Cancer

• American Cancer Society: Helping Children with a Family Member has cancer: Dealing with recurrence or progressive illness

• MacMillan Cancer Support (Great Britain): Talking with Kids about Cancer

• YouTube Video: Telling your Kids you have Cancer

• KidsHealth: What is Cancer

• KidsHealth: What is Chemotherapy

Good resources for a Teen with a Family Member with Cancer

• Rip Rap

• Group Loop

• National Cancer Institute: When Your Parent has Cancer: A Guide for Teens

• NPR: Helping Teens Cope With a Parent’s Cancer

Cornell University and the Cancer Resource Center partner to connect scientists-in-training with the cancer community. Together they host monthly seminars where researchers and patients interact and learn from each other. Some months, a graduate student may give a lay-language presentation about an important aspect of cancer research. Other months, community members describe their experiences of living with cancer. There are also informal activities that promote patient-researcher dialogue, such as lab tours, book clubs, and participation in cancer support groups. 

Cancer Research Seminar

Meets every Wednesday 5:15-6:30pm at Cornell Vet School Classroom 6 (free parking after 5pm). Join with Cornell doctoral students engaged in cancer research and those directly touched by cancer for a discussion about the science of cancer (presented in lay language). Click here for more information, or contact Bob Riter at rnr45@cornell.edu. Open to the public. Light refreshments provided. #CornellCancerPartnership #CancerResearchSeminar

Cornell Support Group

Support group meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month 12-1pm at 321 Weill Hall, Cornell. Open to faculty, staff, students, and retirees with any type of cancer, at any stage of treatment or recovery. This provides an opportunity to meet one another, create a community of support, and learn about the resources available on campus and in Ithaca.

For more info: Monica Vakiner monica@crcfl.net or Bob Riter rnr45@cornell.edu.

For more information about any of the above groups, email info@crcfl.net, or call 277-0960.

Link to YouTube Video.

Link to Cornell Partnership blog.

Our staff and volunteers can help connect you with local transportation services, parking permits, and to the American Cancer Society “Road to Recovery” program.

Local Travel Assistance Resources 

• Gadabout (607-273-1878) is a nonprofit, door-to-door service for people aged sixty or older and for disabled residents of Tompkins County. Service runs from 8:30am – 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Ride reservations must be made no later than 11:00am the business day prior to the requested trip.
• Friends in Service Helping (FISH) provides transportation within Tompkins County for elderly, handicapped, and low-income individuals. This is offered primarily for medical related trips. Please call several days in advance. There is no charge, but donations are accepted. Dial 211 for assistance.
• Ithaca Dispatch has a wheelchair-accessible taxi that can be ordered like any other taxi by calling 277-7777.
• Volunteers from the American Cancer Society Road to Recovery Program (800-ACS-2345) are sometimes available to take patients to treatment and appointments. This program is especially helpful for people who need to travel into or out of Tompkins County. (Gadabout and FISH only travel within the county).
• TCAT (Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit) offers routes 19 and 21, which serve Cayuga Medical Center on a regular basis. Schedules are available on-line at www.tcatbus.com or by calling 607-277-RIDE.
• Zimride is an online resource to share rides to and from Tompkins County.
• Cayuga Lake Limo (607-279-9027) has offered to take cancer patients to Syracuse, Rochester, etc., for reasonable rates. Please call them for cost information.
• OurBus Door To Door offers a single platform so you can book a trip from where you are to where you want to be, using addresses, not transit terminals.

Other Travel Assistance Resources 

• The Cornell Campus to Campus Bus is a useful way to get from Ithaca to New York City. It stops at Weill Cornell Medical Center in NYC, which is adjacent to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. While the bus has resumed running after being suspended due to COVID, we are not able to offer free tickets at this time. We are working on resuming this service and will keep you updated.
• OurBus provides bus service from Ithaca to New York City and many other locations.
• CRC is grateful to Tapan Mitra and his family, whose generous support has created the Community Access Fund.  The fund can help with costs associated with out-of-town diagnosis and treatment for those facing financial hardships due to cancer.
• Angel Wheels to Heal (formerly known as Angel Bus) assists with ground transportation and provides gas cards.

Parking Permits

Note: The transportation resources contained in this booklet are based in Tompkins County. If you live elsewhere, good sources of information are the local County Office for the Aging and/or organizations that serve people with disabilities.