Women facing ovarian cancer benefit from continuous supportive care. A support group provides the opportunity to spend time with other women coping with the same concerns, discussing the implications of this disease in practical aspects of daily life, and sharing experiences with those going through similar experiences.
Support groups provide a setting for participants to exchange thoughts, feelings, and resources to help each other. Some find talking in a support group one of the best ways to learn more about how others deal with the decisions and issues of ovarian cancer treatment.
The majority of support groups for women with ovarian cancer take place in larger cities. In those areas where there are no ovarian cancer support groups available, a cancer support group in which there are participants with other diagnoses can also be very helpful as some issues are relevant regardless of the type of cancer.
Individual hospitals may run their own ovarian cancer or general support groups which meet regularly.
If you know of a specific support group which Ovarian Cancer Canada should know about, please contact us at info@ovariancanada.org.
An excellent source of information for general support groups in your area is the Canadian Cancer Society. You can call the Canadian Cancer Society toll free at 1-888-939-3333
Increasingly, people with cancer are looking for other kinds of support group options and as such there are now phone and online support groups.
Caring Voices
In collaboration with the Caring Voices program at Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ovarian Cancer Canada is developing online forums and chats which are available for women with ovarian cancer across Canada.
Go to www.caringvoices.ca and click on Gynecologic Cancer
Information Line 1-877-413-7970
This line is staffed by an individual from Ovarian Cancer Canada who is trained to handle any queries you may have about ovarian cancer. If we are unable to help you with your specific request, we can certainly point you in the right direction. If you are directed to voice mail, please leave your name and number and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
We are not trained medical professionals. If you have a medical problem, that requires specific medical advice, please contact your physician.
You may also contact us by email at info@ovariancanada.org
We welcome emails from all over the world but give priority to Canadian women and their families. It may take some time to respond to your particular query, but we will try to get back to you as quickly as possible.
Clinical trial queries are one of our most frequent requests. Please check out the Clinical Trial information page for more information.
Networking is a way to create support around you.
If you would like to connect with another ovarian cancer survivor and share experiences that only another cancer survivor is likely to understand there are a number of options:
- CancerConnection (www.cancer.ca), a program of Canadian Cancer Society provides trained peer support and will match you with another woman with ovarian cancer to talk with.
- An excellent online resource is the ACOR Ovarian Cancer List serve. It is based in the US with participants from around the world who discuss many aspects of ovarian cancer. Go to www.acor.org.
- Caring Voices provides an online community for ovarian cancer survivors. You can learn about upcoming survivorship events, take part in chats and discussions with other ovarian cancer survivors.
Partners, family members and friends of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer may need support. Local cancer peer support agencies, if available in your area, often offer programs for caregivers. Sometimes cancer centres offer programs as well through the psychosocial department. The following sites offer online support for you as a caregiver: