Cancer Hope Network

Sometimes support doesn’t have to come in the form of medical advice. Sometimes it helps simply to talk with someone who understands. The resources on this page offer opportunities to connect with others for listening, encouragement, shared experiences, and support.

After my first experience with cancer as a young adult, I received training to become a mentor for others who had a similar diagnosis or treatment experience—or who simply needed someone to talk to who could relate to what they were going through. My role wasn’t to provide medical advice. It was much more about listening, validating what someone was feeling, sharing experiences when appropriate, and offering encouragement.

All these years later, as I found myself struggling in different ways, it finally occurred to me to reach out to the same organization—not as a mentor this time, but as someone who needed one.

I wish I had thought of it sooner.

They connected me with a woman who did for me what I had once done for others. She was a survivor. She listened. She encouraged me. Most importantly, I came away from our conversations feeling like I wasn’t alone in what I was experiencing.

Yet another angel. 😊

The organization is called Cancer Hope Network, and it has been a phenomenal resource for me. You can contact them and explain what you’re hoping to talk about with another survivor, and they will do their best to find an appropriate match. In my experience, my contact information was shared with my match, who then reached out to arrange a conversation.

Project 31

The woman I connected with through Cancer Hope Network introduced me to another resource called Project 31.

This one is newer to me, so I don’t have as much personal experience to share yet. From what I’ve learned so far, they offer opportunities to connect with others, including two Tuesday sessions each month—one with a faith-based focus and another centered around an informational topic that is not faith-based.

I’m planning to check them out myself and will update this page as I learn more. For now, I wanted to share the resource in case it provides another opportunity for support and connection for someone who needs it.

Sometimes being strong means being the person who listens. Sometimes it means realizing that you need someone to listen to you.