Living With a Diagnosis

Kate Bowler is a Duke professor who was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer at 35 and was later declared cancer-free. Her weekly podcast is a set of honest conversations about living when life does not go to plan. Her site also offers free guides, blessings and discussion materials on illness and grief. She calls her aim giving you permission to feel human.

Suleika Jaouad was diagnosed with leukemia at 22 and went through more than three years of treatment, including a bone marrow transplant. She wrote the memoir Between Two Kingdoms and the New York Times column Life, Interrupted. The Isolation Journals sends free weekly creativity prompts and has built a community around making something out of hard times.

Stacy Wentworth is a radiation oncologist and cancer survivorship specialist. Her weekly newsletter looks at the beliefs and stories that surround cancer and how they shape patients, families and treatment choices. It is written for patients and caregivers as well as clinicians. Read it when the well-meant advice from friends starts to pile up.

Professional oncology social workers at CancerCare offer free counseling and support groups by phone, online and in person. The help is open to people with cancer, caregivers, loved ones and the bereaved. They also run education workshops and help people find financial and practical assistance. The line is 800-813-HOPE.

The Cancer Support Community runs a free helpline for anyone affected by cancer. It is staffed by navigators and resource specialists, many of them licensed social workers. They help callers find local support groups, treatment information and financial help, or simply listen. Calls are taken in English and Spanish, with phone translation in many more languages.