For Young Adults
Disclaimer: These resources are regularly reviewed to ensure that links still work correctly and the resources listed continue to be helpful to our visitors. If you find that a link isn't working or information is incorrect or if you'd like to have your own organization listed here, please email thedirectory@lls.org.
Because we want to be sure that our visitors find the most relevant resources, we've listed these organizations in order of relevancy from most specifically relevant to most generally relevant to the topic of this page.
LIVESTRONG
Contact: (866) 467-7205 or (877) 236-8820
Population served: Young adult cancer patients and survivors (ages 15 to 40), their caregivers, families and friends in the United States
LIVESTRONG provides practical information and tools for cancer patients in addition to its work in the fields of advocacy, public health and research.
- Survivorship Center of Excellence Network (a collaborative effort of LIVESTRONG, cancer centers at leading medical institutions and their community affiliates) provides direct survivorship services
- SurvivorCare program offers help dealing with the cancer experience through counseling and referrals to local resources: free and confidential one-on-one support, telephone or online support groups, bereavement resources, financial issues and insurance concerns
Surviving and Moving Forward: the SAMFund for Young Adult Survivors of Cancer (the SAMFund)
Contact: (866) 439-9365
Population served: U.S. residents between ages 17 and 35 who have finished cancer treatment
The SAMFund provides grants and scholarships to young adult survivors to help supplement money that was lost during treatment. The grants and scholarships help pay for transitional expenses such as education, living, job search and lingering medical bills.
- Provides grants toward independent living (moving expenses, rent and utilities assistance, car insurance, public transportation passes and legal expenses)
- Provides grants for educational development (tuition, books, computers, standardized tests, travel to schools for interviews, study abroad, tutoring)
- Provides grants for professional development (vocational training, travel to job interviews, professional apparel, resume and interview skill development)
- Applications in the form of letters of intent are reviewed annually
Kids Konnected
Contact: (800) 899-2866
Population served: Children, ages 3 to 19, who have a parent diagnosed with cancer or have lost a parent to cancer in the United States
Kids Konnected provides friendship, understanding, education and support for kids and teens who have a parent with cancer or have lost a parent to cancer.
- Provides a call center for children/teens where they can speak to a youth leader or clinical social worker
- Offers support groups at limited locations
- Provides information and resources for parents on how to talk to their children about cancer
- Offers an Email-a-Therapist option
Cancer Support Community
(Formerly known as The Wellness Community)
Contact: (888) 793-9355
Population served: Cancer patients and families worldwide
Cancer Support Community is dedicated to providing free support, education and hope to people with cancer and their loved ones.
- Provides professionally led support groups online and in person at select locations for patients, teens and caregivers
- Offers an online resource library of educational materials
- Provides online relaxation and guided imagery exercises for stress management
- Provides disease and wellness information
I'm Too Young for This
Contact: (877) 735-4673
Population served: Young adult cancer patients or survivors, under age 40, in the United States
Its mission is to empower young adults affected by cancer by ending isolation, improving quality of life and providing meaningful survivorship.
- Provides a listing of support organizations including Web networking, online forums, chat rooms, young adult blogosphere, coping literature, books, magazines and other media
- Provides events and support services through local chapters
- Offers music and art advocacy
Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCF)
Contact: (888) 393-3863
Population served: Cancer patients (ages 15 to 35) and their caregivers in the United States
Its mission is to enhance lives by supporting, educating and connecting young adults and their loved ones.
- Offers support and self-help groups
- Offers Survivors and Loved Ones' Network, a peer-to-peer support connection of survivors, parents and other young adults affected by cancer
Working Against Cancer (WAC)
Contact: (626) 914-2914
Population served: Children, adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer in the United States
WAC helps individuals navigate their way through the upheaval that accompanies a cancer diagnosis in order to become self-reliant individuals with independent, productive lives.
- Provides a national mentoring program matching young oncology survivors with screened, trained and supervised mentors who are cancer survivors and recognize the psychosocial concerns of patients and survivors
Vital Options International, Inc.
Contact: (800) 477-7666
Population served: Cancer patients worldwide
Vital Options International is a cancer communication, support and advocacy organization with a mission to facilitate a global cancer dialogue.
- Provides The Group Room, a weekly cancer talk show, via radio and Internet, in which patients worldwide may participate
- Offers websites in French and German
- Provides podcasts, resource links and treatment center listings specifically for young adults
HelpPRO
Contact: (800) 652-0155
Population served: People in search of mental health services in the United States
HelpPRO provides the public with a way to identify and access the services of mental health clinicians and organizations.
- Provides assistance in identifying mental health clinicians either through their website tool or through a representative reached at their toll-free phone number
- Provides detailed information on thousands of mental health professionals, their services and their organizations
- Includes information about the professional's particular areas of expertise, accessibility, insurance accepted and much more
- As an expression of gratitude to U.S. returning soldiers, hundreds of the therapists listed in HelpPro, provide one free hour of counseling each week to them and their families. To identify these therapists, please go to the "Advanced Search" section of the website and select this under "free services"
Give an Hour (GAH)
Population served: The United States military troops and their families who are affected by the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and are in need of mental health services
Give an Hour is a community-focused organization that provides military troops and their families with free mental health services through licensed mental health professionals who donate their time and expertise. The participating mental health professionals offer a wide range of services including individual, marital and family therapy, substance abuse counseling, treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and counseling for individuals with traumatic brain injuries. In exchange, individuals who receive services will be given the opportunity to give an hour back in their own communities through volunteer opportunities.
- Provides a "Basic Search" tool, which allows the user to choose from a short list of fields to identify providers in the area
- Provides the "Guided Search" tool, which asks a series of questions to help find providers in the area that best suit the user's situation
The National CML Society (NCMLS)
Contact: (877) 431-2573
Population served: CML patients, their families and caregivers in the United States
The NCMLS mission is to provide educational resources, access to CML specialists/experts and a network of others to share personal experiences.
- Provides extensive glossary of CML terms and CML information
- Provides assistance researching and helping find financial assistance
- Provides peer matching program and has a Counselor Advisor to assist in locating mental health resources
- Provides resources for the caregiver, including ways to connect with other caregivers
- Provides CMLConnection, a listing of support groups
Patient Resource Publishing
Contact: (816) 333-3595, ext. 26
Population served: people diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers in the United States
Patient Resource Publishing produces a free resource guide and offers a companion website, MyCancerAdvisor.com, which is a portal of web information. The primary objective of both is to empower the community in the fight against cancer.
The Patient Resource Cancer Guide assists to empower and prepare newly diagnosed and newly restaged cancer patients in becoming their own advocates. This guide, which may be ordered via telephone or through the website, provides:
- Encouraging stories of survival
- Detailed sections about treatment options and clinical trials
- Patient-focused information regarding cancer treatment facilities
- List of organizations that are resources for cancer-specific information
The website MyCancerAdvisor.com provides:
- Current medical journal articles about cancer advances, including clinical trials
- Information on some disease-specific cancers
- Links to videos on different topics
