Three women share their experiences using Healthline’s new app for those living with breast cancer.
乳腺癌Healthlineis a free app for people that have faced a breast cancer diagnosis. The app is available on the应用商店andGoogle Play。下载here。
For many who are going through breast cancer, family and friends provide unconditional and essential support. But having connections with people who are experiencing exactly what you are is irreplaceable.
乳腺癌Healthline (BCH) is a free app created for people living with breast cancer. The app matches you with others based on treatment, stage of cancer, and personal interests, so that you can share experiences, bounce ideas off of each other, and express your thoughts and feelings with someone who understands firsthand.
“The app is a breakthrough way to get women with breast cancer to connect to each other and discuss their diagnosis and treatment,” says Ann Silberman, who received a breast cancer diagnosis in 2009. “Somebody who is scared or having a bad day can have a group of people who have been there — [right] in her pocket [waiting to] connect.”
Ericka Hart, who received a bilateral breast cancer diagnosis at 28 years old, agrees.
“I have found great ease in talking to other breast cancer survivors, sometimes more than my own family members, because they just got what I was going through. This app is an opportunity to just connect with people who get it, minus the hassle,” she says.
The BCH app matches you with members from the community every day at 12 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. You can also browse member profiles and request to match instantly. If someone wants to match with you, you’re notified immediately. Once connected, members can message one another and share photos.
“So many breast cancer support groups take a long period [of] time to connect you with other survivors, or they connect you based on what they believe will work. I like that this is an app algorithm rather than a person doing the ‘matching,’” Hart says.
“We don’t have to navigate a breast cancer website and find the support groups or sign up for the support groups that perhaps [have] already started. We get to just have our place and someone to speak to as often as we need/want,” she says.
Hart, a black woman who identifies as queer, also appreciates the opportunity to connect with a plethora of gender identities.
“Far too often, breast cancer survivors are marked as cisgender women, and it’s important to not only acknowledge that breast cancer happens to many identities, but that it also creates a space for people of various identities to connect,” Hart says.
当你发现matches that fit, the BCH app makes conversing easy by providing ice breakers to answer.
“所以，如果你不知道该说些什么，你只能回答[问题]或忽略它，只是打个招呼，”Silberman解释道。
For Anna Crollman, who received a breast cancer diagnosis in 2015, being able to customize those questions adds a personal touch.
“My favorite part of the onboarding was selecting ‘What feeds your soul?’ This made me feel like more of a person and less of just a patient,” she says.
The app also notifies you when you’re mentioned in a conversation, so you can engage and keep the interaction going.
“能够用自己的疾病与我的疾病交谈，曾经经历过我的疾病并帮助他们，以及在必要时有一个可以获得帮助的地方，有必要，如果有必要，我会有一个疾病，”Silberman说。
Hart notes that having the option to frequently match with people ensures you’ll find someone to talk with.
“这也很重要的是要注意，因为人们对不同程度的乳腺癌的经历共同经验，这并不意味着他们将连接。每个人的乳腺癌经历仍然是历史的。没有人尺寸适合 - “。”她说。
对于那些喜欢在群组内而不是一对一的对话中聘用的人，该应用程序每个平日都提供由BCH指南领导的小组讨论。涵盖的主题包括治疗，生活方式，职业生涯，关系，新诊断，与第4阶段生活。
“I really enjoy the groups section of the app,” Crollman says. “The part I find particularly helpful is the guide who keeps the conservation going, answers questions, and engages participants. It helped me feel very welcome and valued in the conversations. As a survivor a few years out from treatment, it was rewarding to feel like I could contribute insight and support to newly diagnosed women in the discussion.”
Silberman points out that having a small amount of group options keeps the choices from becoming overwhelming.
“我们需要谈论的大多数人都被覆盖在那里，”她说，加入舞台4的生活是她最喜欢的群体。“我们需要一个谈论我们问题的地方，因为它们与早期阶段如此不同。”
“今天早上我conversation about a woman whose friends were not wanting to talk about her cancer experience after a year,” Silberman says. “People in our lives can’t be blamed that they don’t want to hear about cancer forever. None of us would either, I think. So it’s crucial that we have a place to discuss it without burdening others.”
Once you join a group, you’re not committed to it. You can leave at any time.
“I used to be a part of many Facebook support groups, and I would log on and see on my news feed that people had passed away. I was new to the groups, so I had no connection to the people necessarily, but it was triggering to just be inundated with people dying,” Hart recalls. “I like that the app is something I can opt into rather than just seeing [it] all of the time.”
HART大多引人注于BCH应用程序中的“生活方式”组，因为她很兴趣在不久的将来拥有一个婴儿。
“与人们在群组环境中与人交谈会有所帮助。哈特说，与他们所采取的选择或正在寻找什么选择，[和]他们如何应对母乳喂养。“
When you’re not in the mood to engage with members of the app, you can sit back and read articles related to lifestyle and breast cancer news, reviewed by Healthline medical professionals.
In a designated tab, navigate articles about diagnosis, surgery, and treatment options. Explore clinical trials and the latest breast cancer research. Find ways to nurture your body through wellness, self-care, and mental health. Plus, read personal stories and testimonials from breast cancer survivors about their journeys.
“With a click, you can read articles that keep you up-to-date with what is going on in [the] cancer world,” Silberman says.
For instance, Crollman says she was quickly able to find news stories, blog content, and scientific articles on a study of bean fiber as it relates to breast cancer, as well as a blog post written by a breast cancer survivor detailing her personal experience.
“I enjoyed that the informational article had credentials showing it was fact-checked, and it was clear there was scientific data to support the information shown. In an era of such misinformation, it is powerful to have a trusted source for health information, as well as the more personal relatable pieces about the emotional aspects of the disease,” Crollman says.
The BCH app was also designed to make it easy to navigate.
“I like the Healthline app due to its streamlined design and ease of use. I can easily access it on my phone and don’t have to make a big time commitment for use,” Crollman says.
Silberman agrees, noting that the app only took a few seconds to download and was simple to start using.
“There was nothing much to learn, really. I think anybody could figure it out, it’s so well-designed,” she says.
That’s exactly the intention of the app: a tool that can be easily used by all people facing breast cancer.
“此时，[乳腺癌]社区仍然努力寻找他们在一个地方的资源，并与他们附近的其他幸存者联系，克罗曼说。“这有可能将作为组织之间的协作空间传播的潜力以及将幸存者与有价值的信息，资源，财务支持以及癌症导航工具联系起来的平台。”
凯茜卡萨塔冰淇淋is a freelance writer who specializes in stories around health, mental health, and human behavior. She has a knack for writing with emotion and connecting with readers in an insightful and engaging way. Read more of her workhere。