An essential part of our mission is to reach out to families to let them know they are not alone. Our Lifeline programs work to meet those needs in different ways.

Lifeline “Buddy” program

Lifeline is a telephone support network that pairs survivor families with newly diagnosed ones. Families have the opportunity to talk with someone who truly understands what they are going through, easing the isolation, and helping to drat a sense of community and shared experience.

Need a Buddy?
Register here for a Lifeline buddy or call our office at 203-663-6893 or toll-free at 800-887-6801.

A Lifeline coordinator will call you to discuss your child’ diagnosis and make the appropriate match. Your Lifeline buddy will contact you within 48 hours of your first contact with us.

Our buddies have been carefully selected and trained. All buddies have had a child with a pediatric cancer themselves and can offer their unique kind of support. Our goal is to match families by diagnosis and age of child. There may be times when more than one buddy will be needed to best meet a families’ needs.

The buddy’s role is, not to offer medical advice but, to listen and offer comfort, hope, and practical strategies for coping with the daily demands cancer treatment puts on all members of a family. Buddies offer help, based upon their own experiences, and to refer parents to local resources.

All our buddies are trained to respect your privacy and keep all conversations confidential.

Be a Buddy?
Circle of Care for families with cancer is training volunteers to support families newly diagnosed with childhood cancer. Won’t you consider giving your time to help a family like yours?

Your Experience is Invaluable
Volunteers to our Lifeline program provide telephone support and give hope to families newly diagnosed with cancer. Your personal experience as a family living with childhood cancer is invaluable to those newly diagnosed. Your insights, practical tips and emotional support can make a real difference to these families. Please help us deliver a Lifeline to a family like yours and contact us to find out about our next training session.

To become a Lifeline buddy your child should be one year past diagnosis and you will need to attend one of our training workshops. Please contact us to find out how you can help another family through this experience.

The Lifeline program does not provide medical care, medical treatment, medical advice or psychotherapy, or interfere with the doctor/patient relationship in any way. It is offered at no charge to families, caretakers, and friends of children currently being treated for cancer.