Why Join

Whether you are dealing with a parent's diagnosis, a cancer recurrence, or a new prognosis, or would just like to know more about treatment options, we are here for you. Even if there is nothing specific that you need help with, talking with another person who has gone through a similar situation can only be beneficial. Perhaps you will learn something that will be useful later on in your cancer journey or after.

Our one-on-one support program is also a great opportunity for you if you're unsure about joining a support group or would not like to share your information to a larger group. It also provides individualized support, as we choose your volunteer based on your needs and preferences.

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Here are some ways that our volunteers can help you.

Emotional Support 🤗

Cancer is a long, challenging journey that seems endless at times. It can take a toll on our psychological well-being, even if we are not the ones who are fighting cancer. Our volunteers are here to support you in all kinds of situations including, but not limited to, these scenarios -

You just received your own diagnosis and are struggling to come to terms with it
You found out that a close relative was diagnosed
You feel guilty about being diagnosed with cancer
You just realized you were misdiagnosed
You are dealing with your own or a family member's cancer recurrence
You are dealing with the physical and emotional toll that comes with treatment
You struggle in taking over your loved one's duties as they spend most of their time in the hospital
You feel lonely as you spend most of the time in the hospital undergoing treatment
You feel a range of emotions such as guilt while a loved one is being treated
You want to switch or stop treatment, or are conflicted about switching or stopping treatment
You have a relative that wants to switch or stop treatment
Your loved one is terminally ill from cancer
You just lost a relative to cancer
You are in remission and are struggling to adjust to the new life or return to your old one

Feedback and Opinion 💡

Having another person to discuss diagnosis, test results, and treatment options is sometimes immensely useful. Furthermore, medical workers are extremely busy, so asking a knowledgeable person can occasionally be the next best choice. Sometimes, medical delays can happen, and knowing what to follow-up on and treatment preparations can help save you time and ensure that you receive the treatment you need as soon as possible.

We can try to answer questions you ask according to our experiences
We can help you interpret test results and suggest what you should discuss with your doctor
We can inform you about what to expect before and during treatments, tests, and check-ups
We can provide tips on preparing for and recovering from treatments
We can discuss treatment options with you
We can share ways to cope with lifestyle changes

Who Can Join

Our program is currently serving teenagers who have had cancer and teenagers who have a family member (e.g. a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or cousin) with cancer. Our volunteers are of different ages and have varying experiences with cancer. For one-on-one cancer support programs for adults, please visit Cancer Hope or Friend for Life.

Personalized Support

We understand that everyone's ideal match is different and may change over time. Some participants prefer to focus on gaining relevant information and insight, which may require periodically changing volunteers depending on one's cancer status, while others desire one long-term volunteer, who may not have any prior experience with cancer and can just listen to them. While we may not be able to honor all your preferences, we will do our best to match you with a volunteer who you'll enjoy working with, based on factors such as type of experience with cancer (e.g. the volunteer had cancer themselves, his or her father had cancer, his or her brother had cancer, he or she did not have experience with cancer), cancer stage, cancer type, length of experience with cancer, availability, preferred gender, preferred age, and geographic proximity.

At any point in the program, you can ask to switch volunteers, and your volunteer may also recommend you to change to another volunteer when his or her prior experience may no longer be helpful to you. For example, if you just finished cancer treatment and would like advice about returning to a normal life, and your current volunteer is still undergoing treatment, he or she may not be the best person to ask. Instead, we may recommend you to switch to someone who finished treatment at least a few months ago.

While we recognize that a long-term friendship with a volunteer may be important (especially regarding such a delicate topic), we want to cater to your needs as best as we can. If we do not find a close enough match for you, we will give you the option to first speak with our closest match while we continue searching for a volunteer that best fits you (or you can wait until we find one).

Volunteer!

Would you like to help teenagers who have cancer or have family members that have cancer? If so, we're currently looking for volunteers for our one-one-one support program. Whether you've had experience with cancer (from being diagnosed yourself or witnessing a close family member fight cancer) or have never experienced cancer but would still like to help teenagers cope with it, we'd love for you to help out. You would meet periodically with a teenager affected by cancer and share your own experiences, provide guidance and support, and ultimately develop a close connection with them.

Check out our volunteer page for more information!

Sessions

Sessions are extremely flexible to accommodate your availability. Once you are matched, you can discuss with your volunteer when and where you would like to meet and the frequency. We encourage you to video call with your volunteer for an hour every week, but it is not required.

We understand that occasionally, you may like to discuss something with your volunteer that cannot wait until your next scheduled meeting. Some of our volunteers have generously provided a few time slots that are open to everyone in the program. f your volunteer is unable to speak with you earlier, you can book a time with another volunteer through our group calendar (which you will have access to once you join the program).

Privacy

We believe trust is important between participants and their match, and we understand that many participants would like all of the information that they share with Walk with Me to be kept only between the participant and their matched volunteer. All of our volunteers have agreed to not share any information specific to their participant to anyone else, but we do not have the legal capacity to enforce this rule. By joining our one-on-one support program, you agree that Walk with Me is not responsible for the release of personal information by our volunteers, whether done intentionally or on accident.

Concerns

Discussing sensitive topics regarding our health, feelings, and loved ones can be challenging. While all of our volunteers have undergone training sessions provided by healthcare professionals, sometimes their support may not come off as encouraging and non-judgmental as we intended. If you have any issues with your volunteer (whether that be their approach or any of the advice they gave you), do not hesitate to reach out to us at walkwme.info@gmail.com, and we will try to find a workable solution. We may facilitate a discussion between you and your volunteer to resolve the concern, and as a last resort, we may switch your volunteer.

How to Join

We're so excited that you're interested in joining our one-on-one support program! Here's how you can get matched to a volunteer.

Please fill out this interest form, which should only take 5minutes. Please also add "walkwme.info@gmail.com" to your contact list to make sure that you receive our emails in your inbox.
Once you indicate your interest, we will reach out to you in less than a week to schedule a quick 15-30 minute meeting with you to provide more details about participating in our program and answer any questions you might have.
We'll then match you with a volunteer (which can take many weeks) based on the information you provided in the form.

If you do not receive an email from us within a week after you submit the form or have not received a match within three weeks, please contact us at walkwme.info@gmail.com.

Disclaimer

Our one-on-one support program is not meant to replace professional advice from healthcare personnel such as oncologists, surgeons, cancer therapists, and more. Rather, we aim to complement existing resources by empowering you to be informed at every step of the way. We encourage you to be proactive and to always consult your healthcare team for advice and any questions that you might have. Always make treatment decisions at their consent.

Our volunteers in the pairing program are not licensed social workers or medical doctors. By signing up to be paired, you agree that Walk With Me and all of the volunteers are not responsible for any outcomes of the program. While our volunteers have been trained beforehand, we cannot guarantee that any information that they share is factually accurate and up-to-date. Therefore, we strongly recommend you to check with a qualified healthcare provider regarding any ideas (such as potential treatment options) and information that you receive from your volunteer.

Questions?

Email us at walkwme.info@gmail.com!