Guest blog by Darryl Mitteldorf, director at Malecare and oncology social worker.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men.
Each year I, and the nonprofit organisation Malecare, work with thousands of men who have prostate cancer. I see how lonely the disease can be. While each person’s experience of cancer is slightly different, the men going through this life threatening disease are looking for answers to the complex and often confusing experience they are going through. Support and community are as critical to survival as medications and treatment.
Bill was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010. For me, he sums up the importance of support when he says: “Coming together with others who are going through cancer is transforming my experience. Through Malecare, I have been able to compare notes, information, frustration and even anger at times with men who understand.”
While the majority of us will agree with Bill, we also know that cancer is a disease that isn’t that easy to discuss with people who do not have cancer themselves. This is why our new partnership with HealthUnlocked is so important.
One of the founding principles of Malecare is to be the first to understand and implement new technology – while traditionally this has referred to cancer treatment, we look at how this refers to support.
Over recent months, together with HealthUnlocked we have been building the world’s largest real-time online community to bring together millions of men living with cancer providing this support and community.
It is something new and exciting that promises to provide millions of men with cancer with peer to peer support in a friendly, stress free setting. It will make men’s journeys through cancer and afterwards significantly easier.
There are four dedicated cancer communities for men, including one of which is specifically for gay men with prostate cancer and another for all LGBT people diagnosed with cancer.
You can join the free support forum or find out more at HealthUnlocked
Darryl Mitteldorf is a director at the nonprofit organisation, Malecare and an oncology social worker.
Malecare is a horizontally organised nonprofit, managed by oncologists, psychologists and social workers. They are known for their men’s health programs for underserved populations, like African-American and LGBT cancer survivors.