Patient and Caregiver Support Program

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The Patient and Caregiver Peer Support Program connects you and your caregivers one-on-one with people who’ve been through a similar cancer diagnosis, treatment, and/or caregiving experience, and who understand your challenges and worries. Our volunteers listen, talk, and offer confidential support before, during, and after cancer treatment. All Memorial Sloan Kettering patients and caregivers are eligible to participate.

Speaking with a patient or caregiver volunteer does not take the place of care from your clinical team — it adds to your support network.
 

How We Can Help

All support is:

  • strictly confidential
  • given by trained MSK patients and caregivers
  • based on someone’s personal experience
  • free and available when needed
  • matched based on diagnosis, age, gender, and other factors that may be important to you and your family (to the best of our abilities)

Patients, families, and volunteers often discuss topics including:

  • coping with a cancer diagnosis
  • coping with the demands of caregiving
  • preparing for an appointment
  • navigating family and work-life balance
  • making treatment-related decisions
  • quality of life during and after cancer
  • advocating for your needs
  • navigating the medical system
  • available resources
How to Request Support

Call 212-639-5007 and leave a message with your name and the best time to call you, or email us at patient2patient@mskcc.org.

Any member of your clinical team can also make a referral on your behalf. A match is usually made within 48 business hours, when possible.

How to Become a Volunteer

If you are an MSK patient or caregiver, you can be a member of this valuable program. Patients must be at least one year out of initial diagnosis. Caregivers must no longer be caring for a patient in active treatment. To learn more, visit our Volunteering webpage.

To read survivorship stories of patients and their families please visit Bridges