Suggestions for online grief support

February 13, 2007 5:10 PM

Can anyone personally recommend a support site and/or community specifically for people grieving from cancer, brain cancer if possible?

Failing that, can you suggest any non-religious sites devoted to grieving in general?

posted by jrossi4r to health & fitness (9 comments total)

Any resource recommendations or advice for helping the children (pre- and early teen) deal with the loss of their father would also be appreciated.
posted by jrossi4r at 5:43 PM on February 13, 2007

Might not be geographically relevant but The Irish Cancer Society site is a great resource (I actually designed a lot of the site). They have forums and live online chat with dedicated nurses during the day (GMT).

They're a great organisation. I hope things work out okay for you :)
posted by ReiToei at 5:52 PM on February 13, 2007

Your profile doesn't say where you are but
The Good Grief Center website might have some resources to help.

The GGC is a bit more focused on those who are grieving for someone who has already died, but it seems to me that some of these resources and ways of coping could be helpful for those overwhelmed with the prospect of a loved one's death.

There's nothing harder. My heart goes out to all involved.
posted by nnk at 6:10 PM on February 13, 2007

The National Brain Tumor Foundation has a lot of material ... I know of them because (1) they and I are in San Francisco; and (2) my brother died from a brain tumor. My parents (in New Hampshire) attended a grief support group for a while and found some support there ... but had some difficulty finding a non-Christian/religious group.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 6:40 PM on February 13, 2007

Check out the ACOR listservs, you may find a good community there.

I'm familiar with several online cancer communities (I'll go through my links and see if any might be appropriate for teens/pre-teens), and may be able to direct you to local resources if I know where those involved are located (email in profile).

Is this a loss which is expected or a loss which has already occurred? It can make a difference in the type of support sites/communities you are looking for. Best of luck with this and I'll forward any appropriate links I can find.
posted by Felicity Rilke at 6:57 PM on February 13, 2007

The person in question has already passed on, unfortunately.
posted by wimpdork at 7:21 PM on February 13, 2007

My first suggestion for family/teen sites are Dana-Farber's Family Connections. They have age appropriate information and support for children and teens. If you contact them directly, they should also be able to point you to local resources. As far as bereavement services and support goes, the kids are likely to benefit more from real-life support groups where they can talk and connect with others in similiar situations. Online cancer support groups are often filled with wingnuts (though ACOR groups are generally good) and I would approach them with a healthy amount of caution.

CancerBACUP has lots of resources, including a section for teens. I think the teen section is geared more towards teens with cancer rather than bereavement, but you might want to browse around and see if it would be appropriate.

CancerCare offers online bereavement support, including a program specifically for children/teens. They offer professional counselling online, on the phone, and face-to-face.

I hope that helps.
posted by Felicity Rilke at 8:32 PM on February 13, 2007

Thank you all very much.
posted by jrossi4r at 12:53 PM on February 14, 2007

Widownet has some useful links.
posted by yohko at 1:24 PM on February 14, 2007