| Sharing experiences with other cancer
survivors can be one of our most effective support mechanisms. Just knowing that someone
else has lived through the same experiences can provide enormous emotional support. We share our
stories here in this site, and encourage you to share
yours with others as well. We
believe that sharing experiences with others is part of the healing process.
The internet abounds with other numerous on-line support
groups in the form of newsgroups, forums, and community pages.
Those groups that are sponsored by a particular Internet
Service Provider (ISP) or Internet Presence Provider (IPP) are often moderated by staff
who supervise and direct the conversations. Many of the public newsgroups and forums are
not.
It's important to remember while using these areas of the
Internet that they are open to public view. Your comments can be viewed by anyone online
not just during the time you are online, but also captured by newsreader programs and made
available for search by name, subject, and many other factors. Please keep these facts in
mind when posting.
It is also important to remember that others posting to the
forums or newsgroups are not acting in any medical or other professional capacity. Weigh
any information you read with this fact firmly in mind. Nothing in any newsgroup, forum,
or community should ever take the place of your own medical professionals.
Here are some of our favorites:
A diverse community of support including a segment on
living with cancer. Managed and staffed by exemplary people living successfully with all
types of diseases. Regularly scheduled chats are held on a variety of subjects and
announced through the community home page as well as the newsgroups.
Newsgroups
In order to participate in these newsgroups you will need
to subscribe to them. Use your mail service "help" file and documentation to
determine how to subscribe.
Almost every ISP or IPP offers a forum, a community, a
newsgroup, or a listserve in which its members can talk with each other about areas of
common interest. Many of them, including AOL, CompuServe, and others, have separate cancer
forums. Some are open to the public but most, with the exception of MSN, are closed to all
but their members. Contact the administrator of your ISP/IPP for information on how to
reach a cancer support group. The usual pathway is health/diseases/cancer/
Another way to find newsgroups, forums, or communities is
to go to a news search engine and initiate a search on your key words. One you might want
to try is http://www.dejanews.com
If you have trouble finding a particular support group
please contact us and
we'll try to help you find one.
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