Resources
Here are a number of helpful links, websites and patient-education resources.
BIDMC Patient and Visitor Information
Getting to BIDMC
» Accessibility
» Maps and Driving Directions
» Public Transportation
» Parking & Valet Service
» Getting Around BIDMC
Patient Information
» CarePages
» Preparing for Your Stay
» During Your Stay
» After Your Stay
Visitor Information
» Visiting a Patient
» For Your Convenience
BIDMC Support Groups and Blog
BIDMC Support Groups
We can connect you with support groups here at BIDMC, or in the community, if you are newly diagnosed with breast cancer, undergoing treatment, or if you have finished treatment. Please call 617-667-2661 for more information.
Living with Breast Cancer Blog
Hester Hill Schnipper, LICSW, OSW-C, chief of oncology social work at BIDMC, writes this informative blog for women with breast cancer.
Support Organizations
CanCare
» Website: www.cancare.org
» Phone: 888-461-0028
Cancer survivors of more than 50 different types of cancer volunteer to provide emotional support to those currently facing a battle with cancer. CanCare matches patients with volunteers for one-on-one emotional support based on a variety of criteria including cancer site, treatments, age and gender.
Cancer Hope Network
» Website: www.cancerhopenetwork.org
» Phone: 877-HOPENET or 908-879-4039
Cancer Hope Network provides free, one-on-one support to people undergoing treatment for cancer, and to their families. This organization trains volunteers who have recovered from cancer, and matches them with cancer patients currently undergoing a similar experience.
Cancer Support Community
» Website: www.cancersupportcommunity.org
» Phone: 888-793-WELL or 202-659-9709
The Cancer Support Community provides professional programs of emotional support, education and hope for people affected by cancer at no charge, so that no one faces cancer alone.
Lotsa Helping Hands
» Website: www.lotsahelpinghands.org
» Email: info@lotsahelpinghands.com
An easy-to-use private group calendar designed for organizing family and friends who want to help.
National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers
» Website: www.caremanager.org
» Phone: 520-881-8008
Offers listings of geriatric care managers who can help coordinate and/or oversee the care of older adults.
Education and Support
American Cancer Society
» Website: www.cancer.org
» Phone: 800-227-2345
Provides patient education and support for research, early detection and treatment for people with cancer.
Breastcancer.org
» Website: www.breastcancer.org
A nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the most reliable, complete and up-to-date information about breast cancer. The mission is to help women and their loved ones make sense of the complex medical and personal information about breast cancer, to make the best decisions for their lives.
Cancer.Net
» Website: www.cancer.net
» Phone: 888-651-3038 or 571-483-1780
Cancer.Net, formerly People Living With Cancer (PLWC), brings the expertise and resources of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the voice of the world’s cancer physicians, to people living with cancer, and to those who care for and about them. All the information and content on Cancer.Net was developed and approved by the cancer doctors who are members of ASCO.
Cancer Survival Toolbox
» Website: www.cancersurvivaltoolbox.org
» Phone: 888-650-9127
The Cancer Survival Toolbox is a free, self-learning audio program developed by leading cancer organizations to help people with cancer better meet and understand the challenges they face.
Fertile Hope
» Website: www.fertilehope.org
» Phone: 866-965-7205
Fertile Hope is a national, nonprofit organization providing reproductive information, support and hope to patients with cancer and to survivors, whose medical treatments present the risk of infertility.
Kids Konnected
» Website: www.kidskonnected.org
» Phone: 800-899-2866 or 949-582-5443
Kids Konnected provides friendship, understanding, education, and support for children who have a parent with cancer, or who have lost a parent to cancer.
Mautner Project, The National Lesbian Health Organization
» Website: www.mautnerproject.org
» Phone: 866-MAUTNER or 202-332-5536
The Mautner Project focuses on the health of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women who partner with women, and their families, through advocacy, education, research and direct service.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
» Website: www.nccn.org
» Phone: 215-690-0300
The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives.
National Lymphedema Network
» Website: www.lymphnet.org
» Phone: 800-541-3259 or 510-208-3200
The National Lymphedema Network, an international nonprofit organization, offers education and guidance to patients with lymphedema, healthcare professionals, and the general public. The NLN provides information on the prevention and management of primary and secondary lymphedema.
The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults
» Website: www.ulmanfund.org
» Phone: 888-393-FUND or 410-964-0202
UCF provides support programs, education and resources, free of charge, to benefit young adults, and their families and friends, who are affected by cancer, and to promote awareness and prevention of cancer.
Recommended Books
After Breast Cancer, A Common-Sense Guide to Life After Treatment -- Updated Edition, by Hester Hill-Schnipper, New York: Bantam Dell, Division of Random House, Inc., 2003, 2006.
Diagnosis: Cancer -- Revised and Updated, by Wendy Schlessel Harpham, New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1998.
After Cancer Treatment: Heal Faster, Better, Stronger, by Julie Silver, John’s Hopkins Health Press, 2006.
Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book, 4th edition, by Love, Lindsey, and Williams, 2005.
Living Beyond Breast Cancer: A Survivor’s Guide for When Treatment Ends and the Rest of your Life Begins, by Weiss and Weiss, 1998.
Living Through Breast Cancer, By Kaelin, 1996.
Raising an Emotionally Healthy Child When a Parent is Sick, by Paula Rauch, M.D. and Anna Muriel, M.D., M.P.H., 2006.
The Breast Cancer Survivor’s Fitness Plan, by Kaelin, Coltrera, Gardiner, and Prouty.
The Cancer Recovery Eating Plan: The Right Foods to Help Fuel Your Recovery, by Daniel Nixon, M.D., 1996.
Will I Get Breast Cancer? Questions and Answers for Teenage Girls, by Carole Vogel, 1995.
Your Health
Visit the Your Health section of the BIDMC website for information about specific topics, including the following:
» In-Depth Report on Breast Cancer
» Conditions in Depth: Breast Cancer
» Screening for Breast Cancer
» Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
» Breast Cancer
» Breast Biopsy (animated)
» Sentinel Node Biopsy
» Surgical Procedures for Breast Cancer
» Mastectomy/Lumpectomy (animated)
» Breast Reconstruction
» Breast Reconstruction (animated)
» Chemotherapy
» When a Breast Cancer Clinician Becomes a Patient
