Promise Me (46 page)

American Cancer Society (ACS)
Information on care for people living with cancer.
   
http://www.cancer.org

American Medical Association (AMA)—DoctorFinder
Information on finding a licensed physician.
   
http://www.ama-assn.org/aps/amahg.htm

American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
Information on finding an oncologist.
   
http://www.cancer.net

Health Care Choices
Information on many breast cancer care issues, including patient volume data and insurance coverage.
   
http://www.healthcarechoices.org

Intercultural Cancer Council
Promotes programs and policies to remove ethnic/racial barriers to breast cancer care.
   
http://iccnetwork.org

Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations
Information on finding a health care organization that meets the commission’s safety and quality standards.
   
http://www.qualitycheck.org/consumer/searchQCR.aspx

National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Information on care for people living with cancer.
   
http://www.cancer.gov

National Center for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
Information on the accreditation rating (based on quality standards) of health management organizations (HMOs).
   
http://reportcard.ncqa.org

National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS)
Teamwork: The Cancer Patient’s Guide to Talking with Your Doctor
.
   
http://www.canceradvocacy.org

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Information on FDA-approved mammography facilities.
   
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/mammography/certified.html

AFTER TREATMENT
Fertile Hope
Financial aid for women with breast cancer whose insurance will not cover fertility treatment.
   
http://www.fertilehope.org

National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Information on genetic testing for inherited gene mutations related to breast cancer.
   
http://www.cancer.gov/cancer_information/prevention/

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Information on weight control and physical activity.
   
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov

National Lymphedema Network
Information on lymphedema.
   
http://www.lymphnet.org

Young Survival Coalition
Information and networking services for young breast cancer survivors.
   
http://www.youngsurvival.org

SOCIAL SUPPORT
American Cancer Society (ACS)—Cancer Survivors Network
Online community for cancer survivors and caregivers.
   
http://www.acscsn.org

American Cancer Society (ACS)—Reach to Recovery
In-person and telephone support for people living with cancer.
   
http://www.cancer.org

American Cancer Society—I Can Cope
Support for people living with cancer, their spouses, and partners.
   
http://www.cancer.org

Association of Cancer Online Resources
Information on online support groups.
   
http://www.acor.org

Cancer and Careers
Information for working women with cancer.
   
http://www.cancerandcareers.org

CancerCare
Information on online support groups.
   
http://www.cancercare.org

Gilda’s Club Worldwide
Support services for people living with cancer, their family, and friends.
   
http://www.gildasclub.org

Living Beyond Breast Cancer
Information on breast cancer support and care.
   
http://www.lbbc.org

Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer
Social support services for lesbian women living with cancer and their partners.
   
http://www.mautnerproject.org

Men Against Breast Cancer
Services to help men be good caregivers of women with breast cancer.
   
http://www.menagainstbreastcancer.org

National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS)
Teamwork: The Cancer Patient’s Guide to Talking with Your Doctor
.
   
http://www.canceradvocacy.org

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
Information on local hospice care.
   
http://www.nhpco.org

Susan G. Komen for the Cure—Talking with Your Health Care Provider
Visit the “Questions to Ask Your Doctor” section.
   
http://www.komen.org

The Wellness Community
Support for people living with cancer and their families.
   
http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org

Well Spouse Foundation
Social support for spouses and partners.
   
http://www.wellspouse.org

FINANCIAL ISSUES—GENERAL INFORMATION
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
Choosing and Using a Health Plan
.
   
http://www.ahcpr.gov/consumer

A.M. Best Company
Information on insurance company ratings.
   
http://www.ambest.com

American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
Information on health issues, Medicare, and health insurance programs for people over age fifty.
   
http://www.aarp.orghealth

American Cancer Society—Taking Charge of Money Matters
A financial workshop for people living with cancer.
   
http://www.cancer.org

America’s Health Insurance Plans
National directory of health insurance plans and information on types of coverage.
   
http://www.ahip.org

Association of Community Cancer Centers
Cancer Treatments Your Insurance Should Cover
.
   
http://www.accc-cancer.org

Medicaid
Find your state’s Medicaid toll-free hotline.
   
http://cms.hhs.gov/medicaid

Medicare (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
Information on the Medicare health insurance program, including Medicare prescription drug plans.
   
http://www.medicare.gov

National Association of Insurance Commissioners
Find your state insurance commissioner.
   
http://www.naic.org

National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
Working It Out: Your Employment Rights as a Cancer Survivor; What Cancer Survivors Need to Know About Health Insurance;
and
A Cancer Survivor’s Almanac: Charting Your Journey
.
   
http://www.canceradvocacy.org

Patient Advocate Foundation
Legal and advocacy help for disputing insurance claim denials; financial assistance information.
   
http://www.patientadvocate.org

FINANCIAL ISSUES—MEDICAL ASSISTANCE
Breast Cancer Network of Strength
Financial assistance for wigs, prostheses, and mastectomy bras.
   
http://www.networkofstrength.org

CancerCare
Financial assistance for diagnostic workups; information on specific prescription drug assistance programs.
   
http://www.cancercare.org
See also
Transportation Assistance
.

NeedyMeds.com
Information on drug assistance programs.
   
http://www.needymeds.com

Partnership for Prescription Assistance
Information on drug assistance programs.
   
https://www.pparx.org

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
Directory of drug manufacturers’ assistance programs.
   
http://www.phrma.org

Social Security Administration
Find your local Social Security office.
https://s044a90.ssa.gov/apps6z/FOLO/fo001.jsp

Susan G. Komen for the Cure and CancerCare’s Linking A.R.M.S.
Financial assistance for some medications and medical supplies.
   
http://www.cancercare.org

Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Patient Advocate Foundation’s Co-Pay Relief (CPR) Program
Insurance copayment assistance.
   
http://www.patientadvocate.org

FINANCIAL ISSUES—TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE
Air Charity Network
Air travel assistance for people living with cancer and their caregivers.
   
http://aircharitynetwork.org

American Cancer Society (ACS)—Road to Recovery
Local transportation assistance.
   
http://www.cancer.org

CancerCare
Financial assistance for transportation to and from treatment. Childcare when a parent is having tests or treatment.
   
http://www.cancercare.org

Corporate Angel Network
Air travel assistance for people living with cancer.
   
http://www.corpangelnetwork.org

Lifeline Pilots
Air travel assistance for people living with cancer and their caregivers.
   
http://www.airlifelinemidwest.org/index2.htm

Mercy Medical Airlift
Air travel assistance for people living with cancer and their caregivers.
   
http://www.mercymedical.org

National Patient Air Travel HELPLINE
Air travel assistance for people living with cancer and their caregivers.
   
http://www.patienttravel.org

Raquel’s Wings for Life
Air travel assistance for people living with cancer and their caregivers.
   
http://raquelswingsforlife.com/default.html

LODGING ASSISTANCE
American Cancer Society (ACS)—Hope Lodges
Lodging for families during cancer treatments.
   
http://www.cancer.org

Nancy G. Brinker

Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker is regarded as the leader of the global breast cancer movement. Her journey began with a simple promise to her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would do everything possible to end the shame, pain, fear, and hopelessness caused by this disease.

Shortly after Susan’s death from breast cancer at the age of 36, Brinker founded Susan G. Komen for the Cure® in 1982. Today Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all, and energize science to find the cures.

In 1983, Ambassador Brinker founded the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure®, which is now the world’s largest and most successful education and fundraising event for breast cancer. To date, virtually every major advance in breast cancer research has been touched by hundreds of millions of dollars in Komen for the Cure funding.

Brinker has enlisted every segment of society—from leaders to citizens—to participate in the battle. In 2009, President Barack Obama honored her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, for this work. The same year, she was named Goodwill Ambassador for Cancer Control for the United Nations’ World Health Organization, where she continues her mission to put cancer control at the top of the world health agenda.

Brinker was named one of
Time
magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” in 2008. She served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Hungary from 2001 to 2003. Most recently she served as U.S. Chief of Protocol from 2007 to 2009, where she was responsible for overseeing all
protocol matters for visiting heads of state and presidential travel abroad. In 2008, President George W. Bush appointed her to The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees.

She has received numerous accolades for her work, including the prestigious Mary Woodard Lasker Award for Public Service, the Trumpet Foundation’s President’s Award, the Independent Women’s Forum Barbara K. Olson Woman of Valor Award, the Champions of Excellence Award presented by the Centers for Disease Control, the Porter Prize presented by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, and the Forbes Trailblazer Award. She was named one of
Ladies’ Home Journal
’s 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century and
Biography
magazine’s 25 Most Powerful Women in America.

Joni Rodgers

New York Times
bestselling author Joni Rodgers was born into a family of gospel/bluegrass musicians and grew up on stage, opening for country music legends of the 1960s and ’70s. She continued performing, directing, and teaching creative drama until 1994, when she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, an aggressive blood cancer. Rodgers used the chemo downtime to complete her first two novels, both of which were published to critical acclaim. Her memoir,
Bald in the Land of Big Hair
(HarperCollins, 2001), is the story of her cancer experience and how it led to the publication of her first book. Rodgers continues to write fiction, speak to audiences about survivorship and creativity, and coauthor memoirs with extraordinary people. She lives with her family in Houston, Texas. Thanks in part to treatments developed through SGK funding, her cancer has been in remission for thirteen years.