Recommended Resources

Ovarian, Breast, & Other Gynecologic Cancers
National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC): Free resources and support and for ovarian cancer patients and survivors and their caregivers
Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA): Provides programs for ovarian cancer patients and survivors as well as advocacy opportunities
Tell Every Amazing Lady (TEAL): Free resources and support for ovarian cancer patients and survivors and their caregivers
The Clearity Foundation’s Steps Through OC: Six-month program consisting of free professional counseling, education, referrals, and resources for women who’ve been diagnosed ovarian cancer (both in treatment and post-treatment) and their family members and caregivers
SHARE Cancer Support: Free resources and support for women affected by ovarian, breast, cervical, and uterine cancers and metastatic breast cancer (MBC)
Sharsheret: Free support services and resources for women with breast and ovarian cancers and/or the genetic predispositions to them
Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE): Information and resources about hereditary cancer and genetic cancer risk
BRCA Strong: Free resources and educational content for breast and gynecologic cancer patients, survivors, and previvors (someone with a genetic predisposition to cancer who has not yet developed the disease), regardless of genetic predisposition. Provides free mastectomy and and gynecologic surgery care packages, among other programs.
Unite for HER: Free integrative therapies and services for women undergoing treatment for breast or ovarian cancer

Resources for Women of Color Impacted by Cancer
For the Breast of Us: Free resources, community, and support for women of color diagnosed with breast cancer and survivors
Endometrial Cancer Action Network for African-Americans (ECANA): Free information and community for African-Americans affected by endometrial cancer
SHARE Cancer Support’s Breast and Ovarian Cancer Support Group for Women of African Descent: Ongoing monthly or bimonthly virtual support group; pre-registration is required and new participants may join at any time
SHARE’s Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) Support Group for Black Women: Monthly virtual support group facilitated by an oncology social worker

LGBTQIA+ Cancer Resources
Escape: Community for LGBTQIA+ adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients and survivors and their caregivers
FORCE’s LGBTQIA+ Support Groups and Resources: Expert-reviewed resources, peer navigation, and virtual support group meetings for people with inherited genetic mutations that put them at risk for hereditary cancer who identify as LGBTQIA+
OCRA LGBTQIA+ Support Group: Weekly support group for anyone with a gynecologic cancer diagnosis who identifies as LGBTQIA+; hosted by Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance and facilitated by an oncology social worker

Resources for Women With Cancer
Mary’s Place by the Sea: Offers free two-day, two-night stays for women with cancer, and for up to two years after completing treatment, at their retreat center on the Jersey Shore

Mental Health Resources
CancerCare, NOCC, and Steps Through OC (listed above) all provide free professional counseling services for cancer patients, survivors, and/or their caregivers, and several of the other organizations listed in the “Ovarian, Breast, & Other Gynecologic Cancers” section offer support groups. As well, I wrote this blog post about other ways to get free mental and emotional support during and after treatment, such as telephone helplines and peer mentorship.

General Cancer Resources
Cleaning for a Reason: Provides free home cleanings for women, men, and families of children undergoing treatment for any type of cancer
CancerCare: Free education, support services, and resources, and free one-on-one counseling for cancer patients and survivors and caregivers who are residents of New York or New Jersey
Red Door Community (formerly Gilda’s Club NYC): Free support groups, lectures, workshops, resources, and social activities for cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers, based in New York City. Similarly, there are Gilda’s Club locations nationwide; Google to find one in your area.
Triage Cancer: Provides free education on the practical and legal issues that may impact people diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers, through events, materials, and resources

Books
Getting Started
The following three books are great to read when you first get diagnosed as they provide a hopeful, empowering, and helpful overview. However, they are a wealth of information (and inspiration) at any phase of diagnosis and treatment.

Anticancer by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD*
Cancer As a Wake-Up Call by M. Laura Nasi, MD*
Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips by Kris Carr*

Survivorship
Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor by Kris Carr
Anticancer Living by Lorenzo Cohen, PhD and Alison Jefferies, MEd*

Emotional Healing
Love, Medicine, & Miracles by Bernie S. Siegel, MD
Second Firsts: A Step-by-Step Guide to Life After Loss by Christina Rasmussen*

History of Cancer
The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Documentaries
The C Word (available on Amazon Prime)*

I also wrote these guides of recommended books, movies, and podcasts to read, watch, and listen to about ovarian cancer and breast cancer on Everyday Health.

*Favorite books and documentaries

Food & Nutrition
During and immediately after cancer treatment, I had sessions with a nutritionist individually at the hospital where I was treated who specialized in working with cancer patients and survivors. I also had virtual sessions with a nutritionist after my prophylactic double mastectomy about optimal nutrition for surgical recovery. Both the hospital I went to for ovarian cancer treatment and the hospital where I had my prophylactic double mastectomy offered one-on-one nutritional counseling sessions for free for their patients. I recommend inquiring with your hospital to see if they offer this service.

I also did a lot of my own research into what the optimal diet and nutrition is for cancer patients and survivors. But there is so much (often conflicting!) information out there with different sources saying this or that diet is the absolute best way to eat if you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, and what is best really varies so much from person to person, depending on many factors including the particular type of cancer you have. Therefore, I found that working with a nutritionist one-on-one was invaluable, in terms of sorting out fact from fiction and making personalized recommendations tailored to me and my specific circumstances.

Additionally, here are some helpful food and nutrition resources:

The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz — More than just a cookbook, this book is a guide to what and how to eat when undergoing cancer treatment. It includes a lot of information at the beginning about nutrition and healthy diet for cancer patients, and the best part is there’s a chart that breaks down which recipes to eat based on what treatment side effects you’re experiencing. I tried one recipe from this cookbook and it was a bit too time- and effort-intensive for my liking, but if you like to cook — or have friends and family members who like to cook who you can assign these recipes to! — it’s a good thing to have on hand, and a helpful, informative resource in general.

Cook for Your Life: A website of healthy recipes and nutrition tips for people affected by cancer, in partnership with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. You can also sign up for their newsletter to have healthy recipes delivered directly to your inbox.

God’s Love We Deliver: In New York City, this organization prepares and delivers nutritious, high-quality, medically tailored meals to people who are unable to provide or prepare meals for themselves due to their illness. They also provide illness-specific nutrition education and counseling to those who are receiving their meals and their caregivers. While this service is limited to people who live in NYC, if you live elsewhere you can try Googling to see if there are any similar free meal assistance, preparation, and delivery services for people living with cancer in your area.

Instagram: There are some great oncology nutritionists on Instagram, like @oncology.nutrition.rd and @cancernutritionhq, who provide research-based healthy eating tips in their posts while busting common cancer nutrition myths.

Exercise & Fitness
LIVESTRONG Program at the YMCA: Free, customized 12-week exercise program for cancer survivors
Cancer Care @ The JCC: A variety of free, ongoing exercise classes for people undergoing cancer treatment and cancer survivors, including yoga, Nia, and gentle cardio. The Marlene Meyerson JCC, which provides these classes, is located in New York City, but most of their cancer care exercise classes are virtual, except for a gentle water aerobics class, which is held in-person in Manhattan.

Hair Loss
Headcovers Unlimited: Makes really soft, comfortable hats and caps specifically designed for people dealing with hair loss from cancer treatment
StyleEsteem: Fashionable turbans and hair accessories for every phase, from hair loss to regrowth, created by a breast cancer survivor
Chemo Cuts Collective: Free haircuts and head shaves for young women experiencing chemotherapy-induced hair loss at a beautiful salon in New York City

Medication Adherence
I use the Medisafe app (free on iTunes and Google Play) to remind me to take my medications and track that I’ve taken them. There’s also a section to log any symptoms and side effects. I used to keep a written log in a notebook of when I took my medications and what side effects I experienced and when, particularly during treatment and when I was recovering from surgeries. Some people prefer an analog method while others prefer to do this digitally. It’s important to keep track of this kind of information, but use whatever system works best for you!

Surgery Tips
”Preparing Your Home Before Surgery” on Hysterectomy Recovery Diary Blog
”The Day Before” on Hysterectomy Recovery Diary Blog — Last-minute pre-op prep at home and what to pack to bring to the hospital
”Mastectomy Must-Haves on a Budget” on my blog
”How to Prep Your Home for After Breast Surgery” — My article on Everyday Health (Check out more of my articles on different topics related to cancer here.)

Work & Career
Cancer and Careers: National nonprofit that empowers and educates people with cancer to thrive in their workplace by providing expert advice, interactive tools, and educational events. Free services include a comprehensive website and library of publications in English and Spanish; legal and insurance information; career coaching; resume review; financial and technology grants; and events for people with cancer and their healthcare providers, coworkers, and employers.

Resources to Make Your Life Easier
I did not personally use either of these sites but they are helpful tools for coordinating care during cancer treatment, especially if you can get a friend or family member to set one up for you and manage it. You could also use a simple shared Google spreadsheet for organizing and delegating these types of tasks.

MealTrain: Website for organizing meal drop-offs
CaringBridge: Website for coordinating care and sending health/procedure/status, etc. updates to a group all at once, instead of texting and emailing everyone individually

Instagram Accounts to Follow
There is a vibrant, robust cancer community on Instagram and I have connected there with a lot of inspiring, uplifting (and just downright funny because sometimes you just need to laugh) people, organizations, and accounts.

Here are some of my favorites:

@thecancerpatient: “A satirical look at life as a cancer patient.” It’s funny because it’s true.
@ohyouresotough: Relatable, (darkly) humorous cancer content from cancer survivor and advocate and artist Chelsey Gomez
@thewombtangclan: An inclusive group dedicated to defying misconceptions about endometrial/uterine/gynecological/womb cancer
@talk_peach: Evidence-based, body-positive, inclusive gynecological education and support from a New Zealand-based organization
@eveappeal: UK-based organization raising awareness about gynecologic cancers and their early diagnosis and prevention in an accessible way
@theboobiedocs: A breast radiologist shares informational, educational — and entertaining! — content about breast health, breast screening, and breast cancer
@drteplinksky: Breast and gyn medical oncologist who posts informational and educational content around breast cancer, cancer survivorship, and more
@drdhivyasrinivasa: Double board certified plastic surgeon, breast reconstruction specialist, and breast mircrosurgeon who posts information and educational content about breast reconstruction and breast reconstruction options
@barefootostomate: Colon cancer survivor and Lynch Syndrome advocate raising awareness about and destigmatizing ostomies
@dena.dna: Certified genetic counselor sharing accessible information and tips about hereditary cancer (and other hereditary genetic risk), genetic testing, and genetic counseling
@survivornetfamily: Cancer articles, information, and videos
And me! @jennifergaram: I post about ovarian cancer, hereditary cancer risk, and survivorship — and the occasional dance video! 😊

Tips & Resources for Caregivers, Friends, & Family Members
”How to Help a Friend Who Has Cancer” — I was interviewed for this article in Vim & Vigor Magazine, where I shared some of my favorite tips for ways to support loved ones undergoing cancer treatment
”How Not to Say the Wrong Thing” by Susan Silk & Barry Goldman in the LA Times — A helpful guide about how to treat (and not treat!) someone you care about who is going through treatment for cancer

Check out my blog for more information and additional resources!

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KNOWLEDGE IS POWER