SHARE cancer support

SHARE cancer support is a volunteer-based peer-support organization headquartered in New York City and focused on women affected by breast or ovarian cancer. Its model is built around survivors helping others facing diagnosis, treatment, recurrence, survivorship, and related emotional and practical challenges. Breast and ovarian cancer survivors serve as hotline volunteers, peer counselors, support-group leaders, educators, and advocates, allowing the organization to provide assistance grounded in lived experience rather than solely in clinical or institutional expertise. The organization began in 1975, when cancer specialist Dr. Eugene Thiessen created an informal support group for 12 women with breast cancer. SHARE was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in New York State two years later. Over time, it developed from a small local support group into a broader community-service organization operating across New York City, with services available in all five boroughs and through numerous sites. The organization has worked in cooperation with major hospitals in the New York City area and has been recognized for outreach to underserved communities. SHARE's services have included telephone hotlines, peer matching, support groups, educational programs, counseling-related support, and information about breast and ovarian cancer. The organization has emphasized that its services are offered without charge. Its peer-support philosophy is summarized by the idea that cancer survivors can help people who are newly diagnosed or undergoing treatment by sharing experience, listening to fears, explaining practical choices, and reducing the sense of isolation that often accompanies cancer. The organization expanded its constituency over several decades. LatinaSHARE was established in 1987 to provide support, information, education, and advocacy opportunities for people who prefer to communicate in Spanish. SHARE began offering services for women with ovarian cancer in 1995, broadening its original breast-cancer focus. In 2007, it added services specifically addressing the needs of women living with metastatic breast cancer. These expansions reflected an effort to respond to differences in language, diagnosis, disease stage, and community access. In addition to direct support, SHARE has participated in public-policy and awareness work concerning breast and ovarian cancer. It has sought to promote health resources and public understanding in New York State, where breast cancer represents a significant health burden. The organization has also helped volunteers create or strengthen peer-support initiatives in Israel and the Czech Republic, extending its experience beyond New York while remaining primarily identified with the city's cancer-support network. SHARE has combined service delivery with fundraising and public events. Its annual benefit, A Second Helping of Life, brings together prominent women chefs and other public figures for a tasting event supporting the organization's programs. The event illustrates SHARE's use of community partnerships and cultural programming to raise funds and visibility for free cancer-support services. Overall, SHARE is best understood not as a commercial product brand but as the public-facing identity of a nonprofit support network centered on survivor-led assistance, education, outreach, and advocacy.

SHARE cancer support originated in New York City in 1975, when cancer specialist Dr. Eugene Thiessen formed an informal support group for 12 women with breast cancer. The group was based on the premise that people living through cancer could provide a distinctive form of help to one another: practical information, emotional reassurance, and a sense of connection that could complement medical care. In 1977, the organization was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in New York State. During its early development, SHARE established a volunteer-centered operating model. Breast and ovarian cancer survivors became central to its hotlines, support groups, educational activities, and peer counseling. Rather than charging participants, the organization developed as a free community resource. Its services were intended to help people cope with diagnosis and treatment decisions, understand available resources, and manage the psychological and social effects of cancer. SHARE broadened its accessibility in 1987 with the creation of LatinaSHARE. This initiative was designed for people who felt more comfortable communicating in Spanish and added language-sensitive support, information, education, and advocacy opportunities. The expansion acknowledged that language and cultural access can affect whether patients and families are able to use cancer-support services effectively. In 1995, SHARE extended its work to ovarian cancer. This was a significant expansion of the organization's scope because ovarian cancer involves different treatment experiences, information needs, and support concerns from breast cancer, even though the two communities can share some forms of peer assistance. In 2007, SHARE added programming specifically for women with metastatic breast cancer, addressing the distinctive emotional, informational, and practical needs associated with advanced disease. By the late 2000s, SHARE was operating support and outreach activities through 18 sites and in every borough of New York City. It cooperated with major hospitals in the metropolitan area and was noted for outreach to underserved communities. In 2008, the New York Department of Health included SHARE among community-based organizations receiving a grant for breast-cancer education, counseling, outreach, and support services. The department described support groups, education, counseling, and related activities as tools that could reduce stress, improve coping, and help patients make more effective use of health services. Peer support remained the defining philosophy of the organization. Volunteers who had themselves experienced breast or ovarian cancer could provide hotline assistance, lead groups, and offer peer matches. The model was intended to reduce isolation and help individuals navigate difficult decisions involving surgery, reconstruction, hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, recurrence, and other aspects of treatment. The organization also pursued advocacy and public-policy engagement related to cancer awareness and access to health resources in New York State. SHARE's influence has not been limited to direct New York City services. Its volunteers have assisted in creating comparable peer-support organizations in Israel and the Czech Republic. At the fundraising level, the organization has sponsored A Second Helping of Life, an annual tasting event launched in 2003 that brings together prominent New York women chefs and public figures to benefit SHARE. The event has provided a public platform for fundraising and awareness while reinforcing the organization's community-oriented identity. SHARE is therefore best characterized as a nonprofit service and advocacy organization whose brand represents survivor-led cancer support. Its principal contribution is not a commercial product but a network of free, peer-based resources combining telephone assistance, groups, education, outreach, and policy engagement for people affected by breast and ovarian cancer.

• 2008

  New York Department of Health grant support

  [1]SHARE Cancer Supporten.wikipedia.org

  The New York Department of Health announced grant support for SHARE and other community-based breast-cancer education, counseling, outreach, and support organizations.

• 2007

  Metastatic breast-cancer services expanded

  [1]SHARE Cancer Supporten.wikipedia.org

  SHARE expanded its programming specifically for women living with metastatic breast cancer.

• 2003

  A Second Helping of Life established

  [1]SHARE Cancer Supporten.wikipedia.org

  SHARE began its annual A Second Helping of Life fundraising event featuring New York chefs and other public figures.

• 1995

  Ovarian-cancer services introduced

  [1]SHARE Cancer Supporten.wikipedia.org

  SHARE began offering services for women affected by ovarian cancer.

• 1987

  LatinaSHARE launched

  [1]SHARE Cancer Supporten.wikipedia.org

  The organization established LatinaSHARE for Spanish-language support, education, information, and advocacy.

• 1977

  New York not-for-profit incorporation

  [1]SHARE Cancer Supporten.wikipedia.org

  SHARE was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in New York State.

• 1975

  Informal SHARE support group founded

  [1]SHARE Cancer Supporten.wikipedia.org

  Dr. Eugene Thiessen founded an informal breast-cancer support group for 12 women in New York City.

A free, survivor-led, community-based support organization for people affected by breast and ovarian cancer, with particular emphasis on peer connection, underserved communities, multilingual access, education, and advocacy.

• Peer support service · 1975

  Breast cancer peer support

  Survivor-led support for women affected by breast cancer, including opportunities to speak with trained or experienced peers, participate in groups, and receive practical and emotional assistance during diagnosis, treatment, recurrence, and survivorship.

• Peer support service · 1995

  Ovarian cancer support

  Support, information, and educational resources for women affected by ovarian cancer. The service broadened SHARE's original breast-cancer focus and incorporated the organization's survivor-led approach.

• Multilingual community service · 1987

  LatinaSHARE

  A Spanish-language initiative providing support, information, education, and advocacy opportunities for people who prefer to communicate in Spanish in connection with breast or ovarian cancer.

• Specialized peer support service · 2007

  Metastatic breast cancer support

  Programming designed for women living with metastatic breast cancer, addressing the distinct needs associated with advanced disease and long-term treatment.

• Information and counseling service

  Telephone hotlines and peer matching

  Telephone-based assistance connecting people affected by breast or ovarian cancer with survivor volunteers who can listen, share experience, provide information, and offer encouragement.

• Community education service

  Support groups and educational programs

  Free group-based and educational activities addressing cancer-related information, coping, treatment experiences, emotional support, and use of health resources across New York City.

• 2009A Second Helping of Life 2009

  New York City

  The 2009 benefit featured a group of New York chefs and media or entertainment personalities. Chef Anita Lo later competed on Top Chef Masters with SHARE identified as the beneficiary of her winnings.

  Outcome. The event and related publicity promoted SHARE's fundraising mission; the available reference does not provide a complete financial result.

  Source
• 2003A Second Helping of Life

  New York City

  An annual fundraising tasting event bringing together prominent women chefs, food-industry figures, and public personalities to benefit SHARE's free cancer-support services.

  Outcome. The event became a recurring fundraising and awareness platform for SHARE.

  Source

• 2008

  Accept community-health grant supportOther

  Background

  New York State sought to support community-based breast-cancer education, counseling, outreach, and support organizations.

  Action taken

  The New York Department of Health announced a grant to SHARE and nine other community organizations.

  Aftermath

  The grant announcement recognized SHARE's role in community cancer support; the available reference does not specify the grant amount or subsequent program metrics.

  Source

• 2007

  Add metastatic breast-cancer programmingStrategy

  Background

  Women living with metastatic breast cancer have support and information needs that differ from those of people receiving treatment for earlier-stage disease.

  Action taken

  SHARE expanded its services specifically for women with metastatic breast cancer.

  Aftermath

  The organization added a more specialized service area within its breast-cancer support work.

  Source

• 1995

  Expand from breast cancer to ovarian cancerStrategy

  Background

  The organization began as a breast-cancer support group but saw a related need among women affected by ovarian cancer.

  Action taken

  SHARE added ovarian-cancer services to its support and education activities.

  Aftermath

  The organization's service scope expanded to cover two major women's cancers.

  Source

• 1987

  Create a Spanish-language support initiativeStrategy

  Background

  SHARE identified a need for cancer support that was more accessible to people who preferred communicating in Spanish.

  Action taken

  It established LatinaSHARE to provide support, information, education, and advocacy opportunities in a Spanish-language and culturally responsive setting.

  Aftermath

  The initiative broadened SHARE's outreach beyond English-speaking participants.

  Source

• 2008

  New York State grant announcement highlighted community cancer-support services[1]SHARE Cancer Supporten.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The New York Department of Health announced a grant to SHARE and other community organizations providing breast-cancer education, counseling, outreach, and support.

• 1995

  SHARE expanded into ovarian-cancer support[1]SHARE Cancer Supporten.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The organization began offering services for women affected by ovarian cancer, expanding beyond its original breast-cancer focus.

• 1987

  LatinaSHARE established[1]SHARE Cancer Supporten.wikipedia.org

  Other

  SHARE created LatinaSHARE to offer support, information, education, and advocacy opportunities for people more comfortable communicating in Spanish.

• 1977

  SHARE incorporated as a New York not-for-profit organization[1]SHARE Cancer Supporten.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The original informal support group was formally incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in New York State.

• 1975

  SHARE founded as a breast-cancer peer-support group[1]SHARE Cancer Supporten.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Cancer specialist Dr. Eugene Thiessen established an informal support group for 12 women with breast cancer, creating the organization that became SHARE.

1. 1SHARE Cancer Supporten.wikipedia.org
2. 2SHARE cancer support official websitesharecancersupport.org