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:


Register for Fall Classes & Support Groups
All online 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 online access instructions and current program listings.
Monthly Blog: Writing for
Emotional Health
When you’re wide awake at 3:00 in the morning after spending too much time googling your diagnosis and treatment options, your anxiety is dialed up to eleven, and there’s no one to talk to, pull out your journal - or even just a piece of paper and a pen. Adding a cancer diagnosis on top of our already complex and stressful lives can be overwhelming. Your head spins with everything you need to do and manage, all the changes and complexities, everything you're worried about. It's amazing how a few minutes of writing each day can help take your anxiety down a notch or two. We have two
simple writing exercises that can help you cope with anxiety Read more.
Meet Board Member, Bethany Murphy
Pictured above: Bethany Murphy, Board Director receiving the Karl & Ellen Zahlis Inspiration award at Cancer Lifeline's Impact Celebration this Summer.
Bethany Murphy has been working on clinical trials at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center since 2012 and joined Cancer Lifeline as a Board member in 2017. When she was in high school, her mother’s sister passed away due to metastatic breast cancer. Having witnessed her mother cope with her sister’s journey with cancer, Bethany has always embraced the opportunity to get involved and make a difference in other people’s lives, whether through cancer research, fundraising, or volunteer service.
 
“When I learned about all the things that Cancer Lifeline has to offer both for patients and caregivers, I realized that my mom could have really benefited from them,” says Bethany. “As a Board member, I’ve seen the organization go through a lot of changes in the past five years. This isn’t a one-person endeavor. As they say, ‘It takes a village.’ I’m so proud of everyone involved including Board members, staff members, and volunteers, and especially how quickly they were able to adapt to COVID and put all the classes and programs online. There was an agility to not only to succeed but exceed expectations and increase the impact in the community.” 

Interested in becoming a volunteer with us? Learn more about opportunities here
Community Partner: Swedish Cancer Institute


has been a steady sponsor of our annual Fall fundraiser, Resources for Hope, for several years. Cancer Lifeline works alongside Swedish to help advance the field of emotional support for people living with cancer. Classes and workshops are hosted together monthly online. These include meditation for stress reduction & pain management, guided visualization, mind & body practices to benefit sleep and more. Our heartfelt thanks for their continued support and partnership.
Register Today for Resources for Hope
Saturday, Oct 8th
Cheers to 10 years! We hope you will join us for our 10th Annual Resources for Hope fundraiser on Saturday, October 8 at 7pm at the Escala Condominiums downtown. This special event raises money for Cancer Lifeline’s Patient Financial Assistance Fund to help ensure that financially vulnerable cancer patients are not making choices between buying groceries or other life essentials and getting the necessary cancer treatments they need. 
 
Our event will be celebrating 10 Years of providing Resources for Hope and we’ll have a lively evening of cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres, dessert, live music, a vodka tasting, brief program, raise the paddle and dancing for those who want to stay late and enjoy. Click Here to Register & learn more.
 
Sponsor Spotlight: D A Davidson
Cancer Lifeline welcomes wealth advisor D A Davidson back as a sponsor for this year's Resources for Hope fundraiser. DA Davidson has a strong commitment to the communities it serves and we are grateful for their support. Our special thanks to Advisory Board Member Jane Caron for connecting our two organizations.
A Note from the Executive Director:
Your Help Goes
a Long Way
 
As the Executive Director for Cancer Lifeline, I’m acutely aware of the physical, emotional, and financial impact of a cancer diagnosis and how it’s often magnified for traditionally under-served communities. Since the beginning, Cancer Lifeline’s mission has been to offer emotional and physical support for patients through support groups and education in nutrition, gentle exercise, stress management, and other wonderful, supportive programming. However, when a person is worried about meeting their short-term financial needs, it's impossible for them to focus on the other aspects of their wellness such as their mental health or physical challenges arising from their cancer treatments.
 
Understanding that there’s a need for immediate financial assistance so that cancer patients can meet life’s most basic needs such as buying groceries or paying utility bills, Cancer Lifeline launched a Patient Financial Assistance Fund, with the help of the program founders, Lynn & Howard Behar. The Patient Financial Assistance Fund distributes safety-net funding to over 1,000 lower-income cancer patients each year. Once their basic needs are met, they can then start taking better care of themselves and their families and get connected to the other programs and services at Cancer Lifeline.
 
Today, as evident by the increasing number of applications we receive each month, the need is greater than ever and the demands on the fund continue to grow. Each month, there are a few applicants that we are unable to serve immediately upon applying. These patients must wait until the next month to reapply for urgent funding. We need to do more.

At Cancer Lifeline, we’re proud to be celebrating 10 years of providing Resources for Hope. Resources for Hope is our Fall Fundraiser that dedicates all monies raised during this event to go toward Cancer Lifeline’s Patient Financial Assistance Fund. The more money that can be raised through Resources for Hope, the quicker cancer patients can be served in our community.

Thank you to all the wonderful people who come together to give their generous financial contributions at Resources for Hope. We thank you for your support. Together, with your help, we can serve even more patients in 2023.
 
Here is a quote from a recipient of this fund:

“The care I received made me feel like a special human being, not just a cancer patient. “I was so grateful for your help. It stopped a lot of my worrying and allowed me to concentrate on my recovery.”
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, 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 Hutchinson Cancer Research 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 sponsors 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.
Inquiries regarding opportunities to sponsor events and programs can be directed to Executive Director Joseph Yurgevich.