Welcome to the Cancer Resource Center! We are here to provide support and resources whether you are newly diagnosed, in treatment, or a long-term survivor. We won’t tell you what to do because every situation is different. However, we promise to listen, answer your questions, and guide you to the resources that are most likely to be useful.
It is common for people to reach out and say, “I don’t really know what I need.” That’s normal. Going through cancer is a process. How you feel - and what you need - will change over time. Know that we are here for you today, and we will be here for you next month and next year.
Many resources are available on this site and we encourage you to explore the services we offer - including free wigs and head coverings through our boutique, support groups, 1:1 and peer to peer support, and wellness classes to name a few.
Also, be sure to check out our Cancer By Type section for more information related to specific cancers.
Resource Links:
- Jasper: A Smart Platform for Your Cancer Care
On a good day, dealing with cancer is complicated. On a bad day, it can feel impossible. For every day, Jasper is here to help. Organize your schedule, lists, and needs—all in one place. - Smart Patients: Patients Share Stories; Research Clinical Trials; Find Information.
- PALS SkyHope provides free air transportation when medical care is more than two hours from home. Free flights are to and from medical treatment, diagnosis, surgery, second opinions, clinical trials, and more. Visit www.PALSSkyHope.org and click “request a free flight.”
- Medicine Assistance Tool: Provides a search engine for many of the patient assistance resources that the biopharmaceutical industry offers.
- Cancer Care : Various online support groups (including a Spanish Speaking group), financial assistance and more.
- Inspire: An online community where members can share their experiences.
- Stupid Cancer: Stupid Cancer offers a lifeline to the adolescent and young adult cancer community by connecting them to age-appropriate resources and peers who get it.
Downloadable Resources:
- CRC Services Brochure
- Practical Advice When the Diagnosis is Cancer
- Finding the Right Counselor
- Chemo Brain
Hospicare & Palliative Care Services and the Cancer Resource Center both share a common goal to be accessible to diverse populations throughout our community. CRC supports people living with and affected by cancer and Hospicare provides end-of-life care and grief support. Both are nonprofits serving several counties in central New York.
Throughout the year, we’ve connected faith leaders with our resources through programming such as webinars, and promotional outreach via digital and print materials. Perhaps most valuable, are the two Community Conversations that we hosted with faith leaders. Our goals were to listen to the needs of the faith leaders and to help bridge the gap between faith and healthcare.
“Hospicare is proud to be a part of the ecosystem of organizations committed to a better, more just world, from health care to human services to the arts to the environment and so many more. That ecosystem – so vital to our survival as a people and as a planet — is strengthened when organizations collaborate” said Joe Sammons, Executive Director of Hospicare.
Our organizations were fortunate to have Aleah Thomas, Diversity and Inclusion Programming Assistant at CRCFL leading the project. Aleah provided the glue that we needed to keep momentum through the year.
“I am so grateful for this opportunity to collaborate with Hospicare’ said Aleah. “It has been so rewarding to work together to achieve the same goal of reaching underserved communities.”
Together through this partnership, we have reached out to dozens of faith communities throughout Tompkins and Cortland Counties and we look forward to these relationships deepening.
Kim Pugliese, Executive Director of CRC said “We are so grateful to both Aleah and Hopsicare for the opportunity to collaborate on this outreach project. The opportunity to be more inclusive and reach populations who wouldn’t traditionally think to connect with us for support is invaluable. I know from personal experience how hearing “you have cancer” can make the floor drop out from under you. We want to make sure that NO ONE faces cancer alone….and that everyone can have access to resources to make that journey less overwhelming or isolating.”
It is our hope that these initiatives are only the beginning of a long lasting relationship between our organizations and communities of faith.
We would love to share more information with you and your congregants! We are happy to speak briefly during your in-person or virtual services during your announcements period. If live engagement is not feasible at this time, we are happy to send brochures for your bulletin or send digital materials to include in your e-newsletter. If you would like us to connect with your organization, please contact us.
For more information on our organizations you may visit crcfl.net and hospicare.org. Our teams are ready to serve you!
If you need Boost or Ensure:
- The best resource for nutritional supplies is The Oley Foundation. Through their website, you can request various nutritional supplements and supplies.
While Oley does get some Ensure/Boost products, they mostly receive tube feeding formula and supplies. You do have to pay for shipping.
- After joining the website and creating a username and password, sign in.
- Click 'STORE' all the way to the right on the blue banner, then
- from the drop down menu that says 'All Categories' select 'Supplies - Oral Supplements'. From there you can specify which brand you prefer.
If you can use Ensure, the company that makes it (Abbott) has a patient assistance program. You have to qualify financially, and be 100% dependent on the product, and there is an application process. However, if you do qualify, they usually send you a 3 month supply: Abbott Patient Assistance
- Call Nestle (800) 422-2752 and request coupons.
- There is a closed Facebook group called G-PACT: Supply Depot that is for people to donate and request medical supplies.
We do not accept medical supplies. If you have medical supplies to donate, below are some possible options:
- Oley Foundation
- Beechtree Center For Rehabilitation and Nursing
318 South Albany St, Ithaca
info@beechtreecenter.com or (607) 273-4166 - There is a closed Facebook group called G-PACT: Supply Depot that is for people to donate and request medical supplies
- The nursing school at TST BOCES uses them for practice (not nutritional supplements):
- Ithaca Free Clinic or Friendship Donations Network
(nutritional supplements only)
- If all else fails, you can check with emergency vets or pig farmers to see if they can use them (nutritional supplements only)
For Caregivers
About one-third of our clients don’t have cancer themselves. They’re family members and friends of a person with cancer and they call us because they want to be helpful. They also have their own stresses and challenges.
If you are taking care of someone with cancer on a regular basis and are interested in receiving some support by phone, or other types of assistance, please contact Monica Vakiner at 277-0960 or monica@crcfl.net. We are here for you as we are here for your loved one with cancer.
Caregiver Group
- Join us for our Caregiver Group on the second Tuesday of each month from 5:30-7:00 pm at the Cancer Resource Center
Caregiver Resources
Good Sources of Information
- National Cancer Institute: When Someone You Love is Being Treated for Cancer
- National Cancer Institute: When Someone You Love has Advanced Cancer
- National Family Caregivers Association
- CancerCare: Caring for Your Loved One with Cancer
Suggested Books for Caregivers
Models of Sharing Care
- Lotsa Helping Hands
- Share the Care
- Take Them a Meal
- CaringBridge (an excellent method of sharing information with family and friends)
Online Support Groups
The following are online resources to consider when you are looking for a place where you can vent your feelings, seek emotional support and information, and make a connection to people who are experiencing many of the same challenges that you are. One note of caution – please take care to respect the privacy of your loved one, share information and your perspective only with receptive audiences, and be cautious about medical information you find online.
- Caregiver.com: For, About and By Caregivers-many resources, including an online message board where caregivers can share resources, etc.
- Family Caregiver Alliance: Caregiver.org – The Caregiver Online Group is an un-moderated group for families, partners and other caregivers of adults with disorders such as Alzheimer’s, stroke, brain injury and other chronic debilitating health conditions. The group offers a safe place to discuss the stresses, challenges and rewards of providing care for a loved one.
- Inspire.com and WhatNext.com: Give individuals a way to connect, ask questions, and offer support without the need for discussions to take place in real time.
- There are also many cancer specific online groups where caregivers can find cancer-specific message boards or discussion groups such as Breastcancer.org and CancerForums.net“
- Well Spouse Association: A nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization that advocates for and addresses the needs of individuals caring for a chronically ill and/or disabled spouse/partner. They offer peer to peer support and educate health care professionals and the general public about the special challenges and unique issues “well” spouses face every day.
Helpful Articles
- Living with Cancer: Becoming a Caregiver (Susan Gubar, New York Times)
- 4 Self-Care Tips for Caregivers of Cancer Patients (Kat Koehler in CaregiverStress.com)Local Resources
- When a Loved One has Cancer: Communicating and Coping An informative and brief article on coordinating the care for your loved one with cancer from CareDiary)
- Living with Loss After Caregiving
Local Resources
- Tompkins County Office for the Aging: Resources for Caregivers in Tompkins County
We have reference books you can use here at the center, an extensive lending library, and a limited number of cd’s. Categories of books and cd’s for lending include: cancer in general, breast and other cancers, complementary/alternative medicines, side effects, nutrition, care giving, mind and body, biographical, social/environmental/political, exercise and relaxation, end of life, humor and inspirational, as well as issues impacting family/children/friends.
The library is available during all hours we are open (as long as it’s not being used for a support group or meeting.) If you would like to confirm its availability prior to coming in, just give us a call. Otherwise walk-ins are always welcome. You can browse our collection of more than 600 titles online, as well. And as always, all services we provide are free of charge.
National Cancer Organizations
We’re a local organization that serves women and men with all types of cancer. There are also national organizations that focus on specific types of cancer, specific issues, and specific populations.
For People with all Types of Cancer
American Cancer Society
CancerCare
Cancer Support Community
LiveStrong
National Cancer Institute
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
For Young Adults
Stupid Cancer
Genetic Issues
FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered
End of Life Issues
Sharing your Wishes
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
Hospice Foundation of America
Specific Populations
The Mautner Project: The National Lesbian Health Organization
The LGBT Cancer Project: Out with Cancer
National LGBT Cancer Network
Redes en Acicon: The National Latino Cancer Research Network
The National Children’s Cancer Society Latina’s Contra Center
The Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training
African Women’s Cancer Awareness Association
Male Cancer Awareness Campaign
Mommy and Me Cancer Foundation: Moms with Cancer
Specific Types of Cancer
Bladder
Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network
Brain
American Brain Tumor Association
National Brain Tumor Society
Breast
Breastcancer.org
Living Beyond Breast Cancer
National Breast Cancer Coalition
Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Childhood Cancers
Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation
Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation
Colorectal
Esophageal
Esophageal Cancer Awareness Association
Kidney
Gynecologic Cancers
Foundation for Women’s Cancer
Women’s Cancer Network
Head & Neck Cancers
Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer (SPOHNC)
Oral Cancer Foundation
Lung
The Lung Cancer Alliance
American Lung Association
Leukemia & Lymphoma
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Lymphoma Foundation of America
Multiple Myeloma
International Myeloma Foundation
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
Ovarian
National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC)
Ovarian Cancer National Alliance (OCNA)
Pancreatic
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN)
Prostate
National Alliance of State Prostate Cancer Coalitions
Prostate Cancer Foundation
Us TOO!
Skin
American Melanoma Foundation
The Skin Cancer Foundation
Thymic
Foundation for Thymic Cancer Research
Thyroid
Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.
Urologic