Optimizing the Lives of People Living with Cancer
Cancer Lifeline Online Support Groups & Classes
All online classes and support groups are FREE for cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers. Check out our website for online access instructions and current program listings. You can also download a copy of our current class catalog here.

Here is a selection of featured upcoming programs:

Music Therapy During Cancer Oct 26, 5:30-6:30pm
To Soy or Not to Soy Oct 28, 12:30-2pm
Living & Working with Cancer Nov 2, 1:30-2:30pm
Equine Support Workshop Nov 19, 10am-12pm

Register Today for Fall Classes & Support Groups
All classes and support groups are FREE for cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers.

Click here for a downloadable pdf of our current catalog.

Check out our website for access instructions and current program listings.
Cancer Support & Financial Toxicity
It is easy to underestimate how far a dollar can go––or $450 for that matter. When you add up monthly costs in a typical American household, the list can seem endless. Enter a cancer diagnosis and suddenly the costs climb and, more often than not, become insurmountable. Cancer expenses in the US exceed 80 billion dollars per year and result in a phenomenon called financial toxicity. Studies have shown that patients who have financial toxicity report having a lower quality of life, more symptoms, and more pain. In fact, one such study showed that financial toxicity was more severe than physical, emotional, social, and family distress. Read more.
Program Spotlight: New Monthly
Caregiver Support Group
Caregiver Support Group
2nd Tuesday of the Month
Nov 15 & Dec 19 4-5:30pm
The saying, "You can't pour from an empty cup", rings true. We know that cancer affects the entire family in many ways. This is why we've created a monthly support group for Caregivers and invite family, friends & coworkers to join with others who understand the challenges that can arise, share ideas, resources, and self-care strategies.
Join facilitator Marcia Robbins, Certified Social Worker who shares why this group is so important.

"I have found that Support Groups
offer a unique opportunity to feel accompanied by others in similar situations. Hearing people speak of their struggles and joys helps us both connect more deeply to our own experiences and also feel part of something bigger"
Meet Lifeline Volunteer, Rica Hablero
Rica lives in Snohomish and tries to be outdoors as much as possible, and preferably near water. When she's not busy traveling writing her autobiography, or playing guitar, Rica volunteers on our Lifeline once a week. She was attending nursing school when she was diagnosed with cancer and said everything in her life shifted. She volunteers and is active in her community as much as possible. As she's moved along in this journey, she learns to adjust and find the joy in every day life. When asked what she sees as the biggest needs cancer patients and caregivers have, she shared:
 
“I believe it’s finding the appropriate resources and information for them. Each cancer patient and caregiver is different. They may need or may not need more than just one service. I believe it’s Cancer Lifeline's flexibility and increased understanding of them, that really makes the difference,
just being patiently there, a good listener to their needs and offering options for them to get greater support. Based on my experience, most of the time, they’re concerned about their finances, finding resources and connecting with the right organizations to reach out to for help. I really treat each caller individually, on a case-by-case basis.
Our presence and our support is what matters the most. Being there myself, I know it’s that.” 

Interested in becoming a volunteer with us? Learn more about opportunities here
Community Partner: Puget Sound
Oncology Nursing Society

We were honored to be invited back for another year to participate in the 43rd Puget Sound Oncology Nursing Society's (PSONS) Annual Symposium, "Back to the Heart of Nursing", on Sat, Oct 8th. We are always appreciative in being included in the Annual Symposium where we had the opportunity to interact with oncology nurses, patient care providers, pharmaceutical companies and others who share the common vision of enhancing the lives of those affected by cancer. Sharing a
common vision with Cancer Lifeline, PSONS is passionate about being a leader in transforming cancer care.
They have been such a strong supporter of our work in providing financial and emotional support for cancer patients and their families. We are fortunate that we often have a team of oncology nurses from the PSONS to help with our fundraisers.
Our heartfelt thanks for their
continued partnership and we salute the important work they continue to do in the field.
Pictured from Left to Right: Board Member, Sue Drummond, Advisory Board Member, Judy Peterson & Liz White
Sponsor Spotlight: Safeco Liberty Mutual
We want to thank Safeco Liberty Mutual Insurance for their ongoing support and as a sponsor for our 10th Annual Resources for Hope Fundraiser again this year. Since 1923, they've been in the business of protecting families and individuals, making it simple to protect what matters to you most. With a comprehensive range of insurance coverage and expert advice from local independent agents, they make
it easy to get the best mix of coverage and pricing.
A Note from the Executive Director: Reflecting on 10 Years of Raising Resources for Hope
On Saturday, Oct 8th, it was an honor and a joy to come together (finally!) with so many in our community to celebrate 10 years of raising Resources for Hope for cancer patients who are struggling financially, and to add more funds to the Patient Financial Assistance Fund account that provides those safety net funds. This was our first in-person fundraising event since 2019, and we were proud to partner with Kind+Co Events, a local organization founded and run by Deci Evans.

As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, our Patient Financial Assistance Fund provides vital safety-net funding to over 1,000 lower-income cancer patients each year. Patients can use the funds wherever the money is needed most and the patients we serve report using the funds to buy groceries or pay utilities, rent, gas, medical co-pays or medical needs that are not covered by their insurance.

Despite some general COVID trepidation, the night went off-more or less-without a hitch. Most of those who registered attended, and it was so great to see so many familiar faces and welcome many new faces to our supportive community. There were the usual sound challenges-but we kept the brief program rolling along and those issues seemed to sort themselves out by the time Nicole Walters took the stage and sang the first of her two songs, “Memories” (the Maroon 5 song) and later “Rise Up” (by Andra Day). Nicole was fantastic. If you find yourself looking to book phenomenal talent, check her out at nicolesingsjazz.com. We enjoyed food and drinks thanks to Cameron Catering and a vodka tasting courtesy of Ian MacNeil and Glass Distillery.

We rounded out the evening with dancing with help from our new DJ friends, Leo and Nicolas, at The Celebration Specialist. The party room at the Escala Condominiums with their warm and efficient staff proved to be an ideal location for our festivities.
To date, we have raised over $456,000, and thanks to a special donor who wishes to remain anonymous, we have another $20k match on the table to help us get to our goal
of raising over $500,000.

I want to thank the incredible group who came together to help us produce this event: Jane Caron, Jeannie Nordstrom, Lauren Lema, Laurie Rosen-Ritt, Dr. Susan Baumgaertel, Katie Richey, Meghan Melanson, and Maddie Caron. Special thanks to Ian MacNeil from Glass Distillery for doing double duty and providing the vodka tasting and MC duties, and to Nicole Walters for generously sharing her time and talents with us. Our gratitude to the wonderful people who agreed to share their cancer stories with us, and the talented team at Piranha Partners for recording them on video.

Thanks also to our amazing staff for their support and for the awesome team of online fundraisers, some of whom I have already mentioned as well as Steve Ross, Wanda Herndon, Deidra Wager, Marian Svinth, Peggy Sturdivant, Suzie Burke, Jerilyn Brusseau, and Judy Petersen. We also surely benefited from the wonderful article our friend Patti Payne wrote for the Puget Sound Business Journal. Thank you, Patti! 

I also want to send boundless gratitude to our tireless and fabulous event co-chairs, Monica Adams and Lynn Behar for riding the sometimes-choppy waves of a transition year and guiding us to goal no matter the obstacle. And on top of that, they each personally raised over $100k!!! 

We could not have pulled this off without our amazing sponsors, so I hope you will take a moment to look at that lengthy list of organizations who gave back to our community in hopes of making life better for folks who are struggling through a cancer diagnosis.
I love this community and what we can do together is nothing short of phenomenal. You have helped us grow this fundraising event enormously. We launched our first Resources for Hope in 2013 and raised $45,000 and that allowed us to help around 90 patients who were struggling. Since then, we have doubled the amount of grant funding each patient receives and we are on track to serve over 1,100 people who needed a financial bridge in 2022.

So, Cheers to 10 Years of raising the important Resources for Hope and thank you for your support!

You have all made an incredible difference by not only providing important safety net funds, but also providing hope with your kindness and generosity.
Our Sponsors Make It Possible
Cancer Lifeline is grateful for the leadership and support of the following sponsors:
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance brings together the leading research teams and cancer specialists of Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle Children's, and UW Medicine. We are grateful for their ongoing support of our programs.
We are grateful for the support of members of the Fred Hutch Cancer Center organization on so many levels - for our current Board Directors who are on the staff at Fred Hutch: Bethany Murphy, Joanna Diallo, and Reetu Ghumman, and for so many informative presenters over many years.
We began our formal hospital partnership with Overlake Medical Center in September of 2017, but our relationship reaches back to 2004 when Cancer Lifeline had office space in Bellevue. We are grateful for Overlake's ongoing support of our events.

Swedish Cancer Institute has been a steady sponsor of Cancer Lifeline's events for several years. Cancer Lifeline works alongside Swedish to help advance the field of emotional support for people living with cancer. Our heartfelt thanks for their continued support.
We are thrilled to welcome Genentech as a new 2022 monthly program sponsor. While this biotechnology corporation is committed to advancing science for the greater good, they are also committed to supporting our local cancer community.
The Commerce Bank of Washington has been supporting Cancer Lifeline since 1995. Several bank staff members have served on our Board, including former TCBW staff, Steven Gerlock and Susan Finneran, who now sits on our Advisory Board. We are grateful for The Commerce Bank of Washington's ongoing partnership.
Cancer Lifeline's relationship with the University of Washington goes back to 1973 when members of the UW faculty sat down with our founder Gloria Gutkowski to talk about the lack of emotional support programs for cancer patients and what might be done about it. Cancer Lifeline salutes UW Medicine for their ongoing support of our events and welcomes them back for 2022.


Cancer Lifeline welcomes myMDadvocate.com as one of its newest sponsors of Resources for Hope. A virtual consultation service for patients in Washington state, myMDadvocate.com is led by our board chair Susan Baumgaertel, MD.
One of Cancer Lifeline's hospital partners, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health has locations in both downtown Seattle and Federal Way. Cancer Lifeline is grateful for Virginia Mason's sponsorship of our events.



For the fifth year in a row, Jennifer Evans and her Farmers Insurance agency have been a sponsor of our annual Fall Fundraiser, Resources for Hope. We are so grateful for Jen's ongoing support.
Over 18 years ago, Cancer Lifeline was invited to host a support group at EvergreenHealth. That was just the beginning of our strong partnership. Cancer Lifeline thanks Evergreen for their continued support.
 

Dedicated to helping low-income and homeless families since 1989, The Windermere Foundation renews its support of Cancer Lifeline's Resources for Hope as a sponsor of
this year's event.
Reaching as far back as 2006, Pathstone 
(formerly Cornerstone Advisors) has been a steadfast sponsor of Cancer Lifeline's events. Our thanks to Cancer Lifeline Advisory Board Member Dave Drews and Pathstone for their continued leadership. We welcome them back for 2022.
We have counted on ROI Technology Inc. to keep us safe, secure, and active on the internet since 2015. Cancer Lifeline salutes ROI Technology for their ongoing support of our events.


We are grateful for the steadfast support of Lilly as a sponsor of our fundraising events over the years. Our thanks to Advisory Board Member Nate Miles.
Mercer advises on global strategic health, benefits programs, health plan management, brokerage solutions, individual insurance and benefits solutions. Mercer joins Cancer Lifeline this year as a 2022 event sponsor thanks to the stewardship of Board Director Elizabeth Zech.
As we expand our services to serve cancer patients and their families in Pierce County, Cancer Lifeline is grateful for our collaboration with Northwest Medical Specialties and we welcome them as our first sponsor for 2022.
Dedicated to promoting the economic benefits of life science business and research for Washington state's economy and patients around the world, We Work for Health seeks to educate our elected leaders, the news media, and the communities they serve about these key contributions. Cancer Lifeline welcomes
We Work for Health Washington back as a 2022 sponsor.
Freestone Capital, an independent wealth and advisory firm, joins Cancer Lifeline this year as a first-time event sponsor. Our thanks to Cancer Lifeline Board Director and Treasurer Bobby Gentry.


Thanks to the leadership of Board Director
Ben Hicks, Cancer Lifeline welcomes back Soundmark Wealth Management as a sponsor in 2022.
Comfortable and contemporary, funky, and eclectic. No matter what you call it, Kasala has been bringing you unique home furnishings for more than 30 years. We thank the team at Kasala for supporting the needs of cancer patients and their families.

We appreciate the support of HomeLight, an innovative online real estate company dedicated to providing equitable solutions for all people interested in buying or selling a home.
Cancer Lifeline welcomes wealth advisor D A Davidson as a sponsor for this year's Resources for Hope fundraiser. Our thanks to Advisory Board Member Jane Caron for her leadership.

We are grateful for the participation of the Royal Bank of Canada as a sponsor for this year's Resources for Hope fundraiser. Our thanks to Laurie Rosen Ritt for bringing us together.

We welcome back Safeco Liberty Mutual Insurance as a sponsor for our Resources for Hope Fundraiser. Since 1923, they've been in the business of protecting families and individuals, making it simple to protect what matters to you most.

We are grateful for the Alhadeff Foundation for joining us for the third time as a sponsor for our Resources for Hope fundraiser. Your support enables us to help many people in need.
Inquiries regarding opportunities to sponsor events and programs can be directed to Executive Director Joseph Yurgevich.