Being understood by someone who has lived with cancer can give a tremendous amount of hope to others for maintaining quality of life and survival. While friends and family members can be caring and compassionate, no one can truly understand the challenges of having cancer like someone who has been there. Cancer Connection volunteers have experienced cancer and provide one-on-one, long-term emotional support to cancer patients and their families. Our volunteers are matched with individuals according to type of cancer, treatment method, age, gender and family situation. This unique relationship, strengthened through compassion and respect, allows the patient to talk openly, share concerns and express fears without hurting or overburdening loved ones.

Connection volunteers attend an intensive training program designed to prepare them to help their matches cope with the emotional, psychosocial and spiritual aspects of the cancer experience. The training is interactive and is led by our professional staff with the help of physicians, nurses, psychotherapists and experienced volunteers. During the training workshop, volunteers share their own cancer experience with other cancer survivors. They learn the importance of a listening presence and practice skills in active listening. Volunteers are taught to be open to discussing the faith dimensions of cancer but are taught never to impose their own faith tradition on a match. Instead, they are urged to nurture each person's own individual faith resources.