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Resources

Below, you’ll find links to information and organizations to help you navigate your journey with sarcoma. See practical help such as housing and travel subsidies as well as links to other cancer organizations.

Practical Help

Advance Care Planning

The Conversation Project Advance Care Planning

Advance care planning is a way to state what an individual’s life values, personal goals, and medical preferences are so that they are clear to loved ones and healthcare providers. Any person—at any age or stage of health—can create a care plan and change that plan at any time. When you go into the hospital for any reason, you will be asked who your medical decision-maker will be. The role of your decision-maker is not to make decisions for you, but for that person to speak on your behalf if you are unable to speak for yourself. Advance care planning is an important tool for your loved ones to help guide them in case of a medical emergency and will also allow them to support you with any medical decision-making in the future.

COVID-19 Help

 The Sarcoma Alliance understands that the global COVID-19 pandemic adds difficulty to the existing complexities of a sarcoma diagnosis. Below you’ll find some nation-wide resources to help you get the continued support needed during the pandemic.

Financial Assistance

  • Cancer Care has a list of organizations that provide financial assistance for people facing cancer.
  • Search the Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition’s database for organizations that provide specific financial and practical assistance for cancer patients and their loved ones.
  • Debt.org lists organizations that provide financial support for cancer treatment and medical bills, housing, and transportation assistance.
  • Family Reach provides a COVID-19 emergency relief fund for cancer patients as well as a fast-track financial assistance program.
  • Health Well Foundation has a COVID-19 fund for assistance with costs associated with delivered food, medication, diagnostics, transportaiton and telehealth as a result of COVID-19 risk or incidence.
  • The Patient Advocate Foundation provides navigation assistance for programs and services to relieve financial burdens for patient in addition to a COVID-19 Co-Pay Relief Fund and a COVID-19 Care Recovery Fund.
  • Patient Access Network (PAN) Foundation has a COVID-19 Financial Support Fund. They are currently not accepting applications for new patients but you can call 1-866-316-9263 from 9am to 7pm Eastern Time to be put on their waitlist.
  • The Sam Fund provides financial assistance grants for young adult cancer survivors (ages 21-39).

Food Assistance

Housing Justice

In September 2020, the CDC issued a federal eviction moratorium that temporarily bans evictions and protects renters who may struggle to pay their rent during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Information on this is available on NLIHC’s and NLHP’s Eviction Moratorium Overview and FAQ Sheet in English and Spanish.

While the government’s federal eviction moratorium is no longer in effect, some cities and states have protections in place for renters who have been unable to pay rent due to hardships caused by the pandemic. Contact your local and state housing agencies to see if this is available in your area. You can also learn more about fighting evictions from the Alliance for Housing Justice.

Legal Services

  • The American Bar Association offers resources for finding legal aid and pro bono lawyers in your area. They also have an online pro bono program that you can use to get free answers to your legal questions.
  • Law Help.org offers low-cost and free legal help.
  • Use the Legal Services Corporation map to search for legal aid services near you.
  • USA.gov lists organizations that help people with finding free and low-cost legal aid as well as resources for people in specific groups or situations.

Amputation & Disability Resources

Americans with Disabilities Act – Questions & Answers

Ampower – Peer support community for amputees. They also have a virtual support group on Facebook.

Amputee Coalition

Friends of Man 

Jordan Thomas Foundation 

Lost Limb Foundation 

Move For Jenn Foundation

Social Security – Disability Programs

Steps of Faith

Drug Access and Information

ACS Cancer Reference Info – Click on Cancer Drug Guide

American Cancer Society – List of Information about Cancer Drugs

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists

The Medicine Program – Accessing Free Medication

Needy Meds – Drug Assistance

Partnership for Prescriptions – Several hundred drug assistance programs stand ready to offer free or low-cost drugs to patients in need.
Toll Free Telephone: 1-888-477-2669

Rx List – The Internet Drug Index

Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance List –  See our list of many organizations offering financial assistance.

Second Opinion Grants – Apply for the Sarcoma Alliance’s special grant program that reimburses costs for getting a second opinion.

Food Assistance

Find a food bank in your region on Feeding America’s site.

Search Why Hunger’s map for a food pantry near you.

Housing

A Shelter for Cancer Families (ASCF) – Temporary, short-term housing while seeking medical treatment in Houston, Texas, USA.

Cedars-Sinai “Where to Stay” Page  Lodging near Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, California, USA. Select hotels may offer special rates for patients and their families.

Dan’s House of Hope –  Housing specifically for adolescents and young adults (AYA) in Houston.

Hope Lodge – American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge program provides FREE lodging to cancer patients in select cities around the U.S.

Hospitality Apartments – Temporary, free housing in Houston, Texas, USA.

Joe’s House – Free or reduced housing nationwide

National Association of Hospital Hospitality Houses, Inc. 

Ronald McDonald House – Provides inexpensive housing for families of ill children in many locations

Legal Assistance

American Bar Association – offers resources for finding legal aid and pro bono lawyers in your area. They also have an online pro bono program that you can use to get free answers to your legal questions.

Cancer Legal Resource Center

Disability Rights Legal Center – Services for health and disability insurance, employment, estate planning, and finances

Law Help.org – offers low-cost and free legal help.

Legal Services Corporation – map to search for legal aid services near you.

USA.gov – lists organizations that help people with finding free and low-cost legal aid as well as resources for people in specific groups or situations.

Mental Health

Managing Mental Health After a Cancer Diagnosis – A resource page from Georgetown University that discusses how cancer affects mental health, how to identify signs of mental health issues, and ways to manage emotional health during any stage of treatment. The guide also shares additional resources and helpful tools.

Sarcoma Alliance Wellness Blog – Contains short articles on different topics related to cancer and mental health.

Pain Management

American Pain Society

Get Palliative Care – Palliative care teams are medical specialists in symptom management such as pain or other troublesome symptoms. They provide an extra layer of support to people living with a serious illness. It is appropriate at any age and any stage of a serious illness and can be provided along with curative treatment.

Medscape Oncology Pain Learning Center

National Comprehensive Cancer Network Pain Guidelines – These guidelines for physicians require registration and are free to everyone.

National Comprehensive Cancer Network Palliative Care Guidelines – The goal of palliative care is to anticipate, prevent and reduce suffering; promote adaptive coping, and support the best quality of life for patients/families/caregivers regardless of the stage of the disease or the need for other therapies.

World of Information on Pain

Travel

A Shelter for Cancer Families

Air Charity Network coordinates free air transportation for people in need – 877-858-7788

Airlines of the Web Medical Air Services – (AOW)

Angel Airlines for Cancer Patients – The mission and purpose of Angel Airlines For Cancer Patients’ is to ensure that no cancer patient is denied access to distant specialized medical evaluation, diagnosis or treatment for lack of a means of long-distance commercial airline transportation.

Angel Flight East (AFE)- Free air transportation to children and adults seeking medical treatment far from home. Volunteer pilots use their own aircraft to bring patients to appointments in the Northeastern region of the U.S. For flights outside of this region, AFE can put you in contact with other volunteer pilot organizations.

Corporate Angel Network – Free Airline Flights for Cancer Patients

Mercy Medical Angels – Patient Travel Referral Program

Patient Airlift Services (PALS) – PALS is a 501(c)(3) organization that was founded in 2010 and has since flown over 23,000 flights for individuals and families in need. They have over 700 volunteer pilots across 43 states who, along with corporate and commercial partners, enable the organization to provide comprehensive door-to-door transportation assistance including both air and ground transportation. Services are completely free of charge and there is no limit to the number of times a person or family can fly with them. To learn more or request a flight, please visit their website.

Sarcoma Oma Foundation – provides travel-related financial assistance patients seeking sarcoma-related medical care.

Southwest Airlines – Medical Transportation Grant Program (MTGP) provides roundtrip tickets to select nonprofit hospitals and healthcare organizations. For a full list of participating hospitals and organizations, please visit their website. You may also contact the Southwest Airlines directly at:
Department of Civic and Charitable Contributions
P.O. Box 33611
Dallas, TX 75235
214-792-1300

Links for Additional Organizations

Cancer Organizations

American Cancer Society

American Indian Cancer Foundation

American Society of Clinical Oncology – Sarcoma specific information

Asian American Cancer Support Network

Asian and Pacific Islander National Cancer Survivors Network (APINCSN)

B+ Foundation

Black in Cancer

The Brain Tumor Society

Cancer Care – Counseling, Education and Comprehensive Resource Guide

Cancer Information Network

CancerNet: PDQ – NCI’s Comprehensive Cancer Database

Cancer Support Community – Free Professional Support Services

Cancer Supportive Care Program – Comprehensive Coping Guide

Cancer Survival Toolbox – Free Audio Program Teaching Self Advocacy Skills

The Doctors Doctor – Interpret Pathology Reports (for a fee)

Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE)

Healthline – Cancer Channel

Imerman Angels Resource Packets – Contains links to resources for children and adults including stress-relieving activities, resources for cancer and the holidays, webinars, and more!

Josh Powell Foundation – The foundation’s mission is achieved by empowering the minds of newly diagnosed sarcoma patients, providing them with inspiration, encouragement, and motivation to keep going beginning on their first day of treatment.

Latinas Contre Cancer

The Latino Cancer Institute

Look Good…Feel Better – Free Service for Women and Teens with Cancer

National Cancer Institute –

National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship – Advocacy

National Comprehensive Cancer Network – Website specifically for patients

National Institute of Health – Chemotherapy and You

National LGBT Cancer Project

National LGBT Cancer Network

National Lymphedema Network

Native American Cancer Initiatives, Inc. (NACI)

Nature Reviews Websites

Nikolas Ritschel Foundation

Nueva Vida – An organization that supports Latinas with cancer and their families in the Washington D.C. and Baltimore areas

Oncolink – Cancer Information for Professionals and Lay Persons

Patient Power – A website devoted to providing patients and care partners dealing with cancer and other serious and chronic conditions with detailed information and patient stories.

People Living With Cancer – A patient website from ASCO with doctor-approved patient information

SAGE – Advocacy and services for LGBTQI+ elders

Steve Dunn’s Cancer Guide – Patient Perspective

Vital Options International – Telesupport Cancer Network and Radio Program

Woven Health Advocacy

Sarcoma Information from Cancer Organizations

British Columbia Cancer Agency – Bone and Connective Tissue Sarcomas

Cancer.net

The Doctor’s Doctor – Look up specific soft tissue sarcoma diagnoses here

Management of Soft Tissue Sarcomas: An Overview and Update
Excellent article about soft tissue sarcoma in the journal The Lancet Oncology. There is a fee for the complete article.

MDAnderson Cancer Center – Sarcoma Practice Guidelines

The National Cancer Institute’s Soft Tissue Sarcoma Home Page

National Cancer Institute Adult Soft Tissue Treatment PDQ (Physician Data Query)

University of Pennsylvania OncoLink Sarcoma Page

Find a Sarcoma Expert

We offer a list of sarcoma centers around the world to help you find sarcoma experts in your area.

Find a Sarcoma Center