 What is CSN?
The
Cancer Survivors Network (CSN) is a place for cancer survivors and those who care for them to share their experiences, information and to support one another. A CSN user can easily find and communicate with people with the same cancer, same stage of the disease, similar treatment and similar challenges. Survivors can hear how others felt when confronted with the condition, personal strategies they used to deal with their situation and even how to work most effectively with their physicians.
The CSN gives you the opportunity to reach others in a way that’s comfortable for you, in the privacy of your own home. “To the best of my knowledge, no service exists quite like this, which is both telephone and web-based, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, that was created by and for cancer survivors and their families,” says Greta Greer, LCSW, CCM, director of survivorship initiatives for ACS.
There’s no cost to anyone who wants to participate. If you don’t have access to the internet, you can call a toll-free number 1-877-333-4673 to listen to discussions among other cancer survivors or family members. You can even call from a pay phone anywhere in the country.
The Telephone Connection
When you call the CSN, you’ll find people who have “been there”. Kevin Thompson, a cancer survivor who helped the ACS create the Cancer Survivors Network, says, “You’ll hear survivors and caregivers discuss in intimate detail their feelings upon being diagnosed and the reactions of families, friends, and co-workers. You’ll hear them discuss how cancer has changed their lives in negative and positive ways, and how they’ve handled difficult situations and found answers to many of their questions.”
The Internet Connection
The CSN’s other component is Internet-based, providing online access to other survivors and caregivers. Just by logging on to www.acscsn.org, you can actually listen to people with common experiences if your computer is equipped with “real audio”. Or you can read the text of the audio discussions. If you choose, you can connect with others online by registering on the web site. When you register, you are encouraged to share your story by creating your own web page, enabling you to reach other CSN users via email – anonymously, if you wish. You can also find information on topics like coping with fears, relationships, insurance and financial, career and estate planning.
Comfort, Humor, and Compassion
Mr. Thompson says, “Only survivors and caregivers can fully appreciate the physical and emotional toll that cancer takes. By being connected to others like ourselves, we learn that we are not alone.”
He continues, “When you become part of the Cancer Survivors Network, you’re humbled by the courage and sheer determination of survivors and caregivers who are not letting cancer take over and ruin their lives. You’re inspired by the unique ways they have found to overcome difficult and sometimes desperate situations. And you are comforted by the humor, compassion and sensitivity of the interactions between survivors and caregivers.”
Para solicitar información en español, llame al 1-800-ACS-2345. Un especialista en información sobre el cáncer le asistirá en español..
Fall/Winter 2003 Updated 9/18/2004
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