How does the Reach To Recovery® program support people facing breast cancer?

For more than 50 years, the American Cancer Society Reach To Recovery® program has been helping people cope with their breast cancer experience – as early as the first possibility of a diagnosis and continuing for as long as breast cancer remains a personal concern to them.

Finding out that you have breast cancer can make you feel overwhelmed, vulnerable, and alone. Suddenly having to learn about complex medical treatments and trying to choose the best one can also be stressful during this time.

As breast cancer survivors, our volunteers give patients an opportunity to express feelings, talk about concerns, and ask questions of someone who has been there. Most importantly, Reach To Recovery® volunteers offer understanding, support, and hope because they themselves have survived breast cancer. Program volunteers do not provide medical advice.

How does the program work?

Anyone facing breast cancer can join Reach To Recovery for support, wherever they are in their cancer journey.

• Facing a possible diagnosis of breast cancer
• Recently diagnosed with breast cancer
• Considering or have had a lumpectomy or mastectomy
• Considering breast reconstruction
• Have arm swelling (lymphedema) from treatment
• Undergoing or have completed treatment
• Experiencing a recurrence of breast cancer

Through our website and mobile app, you can create an online profile and match with a volunteer who has experienced a similar type of breast cancer, stage, and treatment. Within seconds, the Reach To Recovery® website and app compare your information and preferences to volunteer profiles and identify the best volunteer matches for you.  You can also choose how you want to connect one-on-one with a volunteer – through online chat, a phone call, or exchanging messages.

Volunteers can answer your questions and provide one-on-one support to help you cope with treatment, side effects, talking with friends and family, working during treatment, and more. 

To join Reach To Recovery® and create a profile, visit us at  reach.cancer.org or download the mobile Reach To Recovery app.