Cancer Lifeline Support Groups & Classes
All 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:
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.
Coping with Cancer During the Holidays
The holiday season can be stressful, isolating and an emotional time under the best of circumstances. Living with a cancer diagnosis during the holidays may heighten the intensity of emotions and can trigger strong feelings or memories about previous losses such as the absence of family members who have passed away. It’s important to advocate for yourself in terms of setting boundaries and expressing what you can and cannot do and accepting that not everyone will be happy with your choices. This is okay! You are making yourself a priority. Read more.
Together We Give: Nov 29th is Giving Tuesday
It's not too early to show your support for Cancer Lifeline with your 2022 Giving Tuesday gift. For nearly 50 years, Cancer Lifeline has served thousands of individuals and families living with cancer. We provide free support groups and classes, Lifeline phone and chat, financial assistance, and new this year, free mental health counseling for those with limited means. On this special day of giving, Cancer Lifeline needs your help to reach our goal of $20,000!

We’ve got great news! We were able to secure a $10,000 match so that all gifts up to this amount will double in value, but only until midnight on November 29th!
 Let’s come together to help individuals and families affected by cancer and make a positive difference in their lives. Make Your Giving Tuesday Gift Today.

Meet Board Member, Lisa Buchanan

Lisa Buchanan has served on Cancer Lifeline’s Board for over three years. As a Registered Nurse and educator with over 20 years of experience in the field, she felt called to serve in this way to create the opportunity for change and increase the support for people impacted by cancer. She enjoys working with our other Board Directors to focus on current concerns and issues that impact the cancer community and examine and implement programs and services that address these. She sees the biggest needs for those living with cancer as emotional and financial support. 

"It's incredibly rewarding to find ways to soften the impact for those living with cancer through our variety of support groups and programs."
 
As a resident of Washington State for over 50 years, Lisa is still mesmerized by the beauty of the Northwest. Her favorite places include Deception Pass, the extensive Washington coast and the old growth forest. Interested in becoming a volunteer with us? Learn more about opportunities here
Sponsor Spotlight: Overlake Medical Center
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. When we asked My-Linh Nguyen, Oncology Social Worker and Program Coordinator at Overlake Medical Center what she would tell a patient considering attending
their first class or support group, she shared,

"Your experience throughout this process matters. No matter where you are in your cancer care, you owe it to yourself to have a safe space to process and connect with others who may be having similar experiences. I would encourage you to consider participating in a Cancer Lifeline support group to help your journey.”

We are grateful for Overlake's ongoing support of our programs and events.
Healthy for the Holidays Dec 10th
Register for Healthy for the Holidays 2022 at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, on Saturday, Dec 10th from 8:30am-12:30pm. Cancer survivors, patients, caregivers and family are invited to this FREE in-person event. Topics include Finding Balance with Food, In it for the Long-Run: Healthy Exercise for a Healthy New Year, and Thriving as a Cancer Survivor During the Holidays. We are honored to be a sponsor of this special event and an exhibitor with other local cancer community organizations. Space is limited so RSVP today.
A Note from the Executive Director:
The Science of Gratitude
Over the years, Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday. Not only is it the longest of the long-weekends, but gathering with friends for a whole day of meal prep, games, laughter and eating together is simply the best. The unspoken permission to eat left-over pie as a meal the following day makes it that much sweeter. But among all the traditions observed on the occasion, the one that fills me with the most anticipation is sharing our “gratitudes.” During this process, we go around the table and each person shares what they are grateful for. There is something magical in that moment of sharing your list out loud, and better still when including those who are there with you on that list. To say, “I am grateful for you” to that friend across the table and see the little extra sparkle in their eyes…there are few easier joys.
 
The Roman statesman and philosopher, Cicero, was often quoted as saying, “Gratitude is the parent of all virtues.” More recently, there have been countless studies on the benefits of gratitude including better physical and mental health.
 
Think back to the last time you felt truly grateful and that visceral sensation in your body. Research suggests that the benefits of gratitude go beyond those “warm fuzzies.” In one study, cardiac patients who practiced gratitude reported better sleep, less fatigue, and lower levels of cellular inflammation. Other studies have shown that grateful people also experienced less anxiety, depression and stress, and demonstrated greater resilience toward traumatic events.
 
The effects of gratitude are long-lasting and contagious. People who participated in a week-long practice of journaling about what they were grateful for reported increased levels of happiness even six months later. It has also been shown that grateful parents lead to grateful children as they often place their children in situations that might evoke feelings of gratitude.

 
Here are some simple ways to make gratitude part of your everyday life:
 
  • Keep a gratitude journal. Record three things you are grateful for and identify the causes of those good things.

  •  Notice the beauty and awe of nature.

  • Smile (or laugh) more often. Smiling can activate the mirror neurons in another person, causing them to smile and feel good as well.

  • Write a note to someone and tell them something nice.

  • Meditate with your gratitude list.

  •  Include a random act of kindness every day.

  • Tell someone you love them or how much you appreciate them.

  •  Practice gratitude at the same time every day so that it becomes a habit.

  • Make a gratitude collage as a visual reminder for all of the things that you’re grateful for.

  • When times are tough, focus on the goodness in your life and turn to others for support. When times are going well, notice the good and be there for others who might need your support.
  
It’s easy to make gratitude a daily part of your life. Just practicing gratitude for a few minutes every day can make a profound difference. If you are reading this, you are a part of our amazing, thoughtful and supportive community at Cancer Lifeline, and I am grateful for YOU and look forward to the day I can sit across from you over a meal and tell you so in person. You CAN be the change you want to see in the world!
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.