The First Step To Cancer Survival (NAPSA)—When someone hears the words “You have cancer,” it’s hard for them to hear anythingelse. At that point, a person goes into survival mode and the basic skills they’ve always had tend to fall by the wayside. Having the necessary skills to address the many issues that accompany a cancer diagnosis can make a huge difference. Fortunately, the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), the oldest survivor-led cancer advocacy organization, has created a free program that can help. The Cancer Survival Toolbox is a free, award-winning, selflearning audio program developed by leading cancer organizations that helps people develop the skills they need to meet the challenges of their illness. Designed to help people from the moment of diagnosis, through treatment and beyond, the Toolbox can assist anyone whois facing difficult decisions and life changes due to cancer at any stage of their journey—whether they are a cancer survivor or a family member, a caregiver or health care professional. Cancer is more than a physical disease—it affects a person’s emotions, relationships, spirituality, finances, job and more. That’s why it’s so important for survivors and their loved ones to be prepared with the skills they need to manage the many aspects of their illness. The Cancer Survival Toolbox teaches basic skills such as finding trustworthy medical information, making important decisions Fi ll An audio program helps survivors and caregivers learn skills that can help them feel comfort- able communicating their cancer care needs. about treatment, and communi- cating effectively with your health care team. Special topics focus on finding ways to pay for care, car- ing for the caregiver and living beyond cancer, while disease-specific programs, funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), focus on living with multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia. The Cancer Survival Toolbox has helped hundreds of thousands of people across the country navi- gate a cancer diagnosis in a vari- ety of settings, including community hospitals, support groups, cancer centers, community organi- zations and more. You can read or listen to NCCS’s Cancer Survival Toolbox for free at www.canceradvocacy. org/toolbox or download free podcasts from iTunes. To order a free CD version in English, Spanish or Chinese, call (877) NCCS-YES or online at www.canceradvocacy.org.
