Support Groups & Networking Events

Support and self-help groups furnish a way to meet others with cancer and their families to share concerns and methods of coping. The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults' support groups are facilitated by professional social workers with expertise in organizing and running groups.

Young adults dealing with life threatening illness face issues specific to their age group, and greatly benefit from discussing concerns such as independence, dating, and fertility with similarly situated peers. With this in mind, UCF group participants range in age from 15 to 35 years, including cancer patients, survivors, spouses, friends, and children of people with cancer.

UCF proudly sponsors eight support groups nationally. Clicking your state on the map below generates a listing of available resources in your community, including a UCF group if available. Additionally, the index contains contact information for other support groups, organizations, camps, and resources for young adult cancer survivors specific to your area.

The UCF sponsors support groups in 6 different cities:
Westchester, New York | Detroit, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan | Columbia, Maryland | San Francisco, California | Chicago, Illinois

"I joined Doug's Columbia, MD support group in February, 1999. This was about a month after I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. When I first found out I had cancer I was a mixture of really violent emotions, none of them productive. This group has been a key factor helping me come to grips with being sick. The people involved are amazing human beings. The strength all of them exhibit is inspirational. I do not think I would have made it through this whole experience as well as I did had it not been for my friends from the Ulman Group.
- Becca
Columbia, MD