Useful Connections

Explore these Websites!

These are some of the wonderful organizations that I discovered which helped support me through my cancer journey.  You may find most of the information is local to my community in Ontario, Canada. My intention is to update or add to this list when possible.  I may have to re-design this page eventually as it is already fairly full.

Hospitals:  Obviously there are many different hospitals across Ontario and hopefully where you live, but I wanted to give a special shout out to the one below.

Stronach Regional Cancer Centre at Southlake

    • If you are a patient at this hospital, you can register for various courses like Brain Fog, MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction), MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy), Pathways to Wellness, Take a Breather, Insomnia etc)  Refer to your healthcare team to get the latest updates on course offerings at this hospital.  Also check with any hospital you are at a patient at to find out if there are courses to support your road to recovery.

Useful Services During Treatment

Peer Support Group (s) & Other resources:

      • Women In Strength – (Program with Dragonfly Wellness) -Peer support group that meets monthly
      • Dragonfly Wellness Retreats-Inspirational weekends created to empower breast cancer survivors (nonprofit organization)
      • Gilda’s Club-The mission of Gilda’s Club Simcoe Muskoka is to provide meeting places where people living with cancer, their families and friends join with others to build social and emotional support as a complement to medical care.  Free of charge and non-profit, Gilda’s Club Simcoe Muskoka offers support and networking groups, lectures, workshops and social events in a non-residential homelike setting.  (Please note there is also Gilda’s Club in Toronto)
      • Cancer Connection (Simply Visit Cancerconnection.ca, register and create a profile part of Canadian Cancer Society offerings)
      • Ontario Online peer support Program “The Big White Wall” is a safe community to support your mental health.
      • CancerChat Canada 
      • Caregiver Support
      • Cancerandwork.ca -Useful site on returning to work after cancer: how to prepare
      • PowerfulPatients.org-To achieve the best possible outcome from a cancer diagnosis, you have to be empowered to ask the right questions, at the right time. But where to start? Start here… (Given my experience is with Breast Cancer this is useful for my Breast friends):  Breast Cancer

Hospices: Have wonderful WELLNESS programs and other services and is not just about Palliative care…they are much much more.  Programs and Services can vary with each hospice.  So check them out..

Special Garments and Lymphedema Cancers-Below are a couple of downloadable documents..

Other Helpful Sites:

      • Womens Centre of York Region-Believes that woman deserves to feel empowered and live to her full potential
      • The Cancer Journey -The Cancer Journey is the first Cancer Coach Training Company in the United States. The Cancer Journey provides both personal cancer coaching services, to the growing population of cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers, and cancer coach training for those who want to serve the cancer community. 
      • Clinical Trials-a database of privately and publicly funded clinical studies conducted around the world