NOTE: If you want to come to Japan for advanced cancer treatment read this page carefully:
Cancer Treatment in Japan
If you or a someone close to you has been diagnosed with cancer, take action now:
1. Get studying! There are many great online courses about cancer and cancer treatments. The most useful ones are aimed at university students, or non-specialists, such as general doctors who want a good overview of the latest cancer therapies. Take a look at http://www.futurelearn.com which has free online cancer courses 2-30 hours long.
2. Contact organisations that support cancer patients. You’ll be surprised at the range of free support available for you and your family. This can include home visits, financial help, telephone counselling, legal help and just about anything else you can imagine. Many of the organisations publish practical information on cancer, cancer treatments and living with cancer. The guides from MacMillan Cancer Support in the UK are outstanding. Always get the printed versions so you can highlight parts and take them with you when you see medical specialists.
https://www.macmillan.org.uk/
3. Start crowdfunding right now. Even if you’re in a country with Universal Healthcare, cancer gets very expensive very quickly. Also, being able to pay for the best private treatment, or being able to travel for treatment abroad is a real game-changer. Try Go Fund Me:
https://www.gofundme.com/
4. Join online cancer groups including cancer Facebook groups and online cancer discussion forums. Join the most specific groups you can find. For example there are groups for patients with certain metastasis such as “Stage 4 breast cancer with bone mets”. Use Twitter to follow cancer hospitals, individual doctors, cancer conferences and cancer organisations. That way you’ll always get the most up-to-date news about the latest treatments and clinical trials.
5. Keep organised copies of all your medical notes and get your scans on disc. It’s so useful to be able to refer back to your notes when you have a meeting with your doctor. Also, having your data is very important when you look for private care, clinical trials or special treatments.
6. Join our Cancer Course but watch the past session before you register:
Make Cancer History on Youtube