Mentoring
For women who have been recently diagnosed with breast cancer, To Life! offers the opportunity to be matched with and receive support from, a long term breast cancer survivor-a mentor.
A mentoring relationship can encourage women to gather as much information as possible regarding their treatment options before making decisions. Mentoring can help women to be their own advocates – to arm themselves with information, speak up, ask questions and participate in treatment decisions and care. Open dialogue between breast cancer patients and their healthcare professionals from the time of diagnosis throughout their survivorship will help survivors and their loved ones navigate treatment and inspire them to find ways to persevere.
To Life!s mentoring program helps to dispel many common misconceptions about treatments and to empower breast cancer patients to be their own advocates and seek the highest quality care.
What is a Mentor?
A woman who has finished treatment for breast cancer and offers to listen, support, encourage and guide a newly diagnosed woman.
How do I get a mentor?
Contact To Life! to request a mentor. You will be asked to fill out a confidential form describing your diagnosis, treatment regimens and personal circumstances. To Life! will review our pool of mentors and select a mentor based on your unique needs. Then, we will call you and help to establish the connection.
What will Mentoring be like?
Your mentoring relationship may be limited to supportive calls, or it may extend to personal visits or rides to appointments. You are encouraged to communicate to your mentor what your desires and needs are so you can agree together on how your relationship will work best. We ask our mentors not to give advice, but they can direct you to appropriate resources, share their personal experiences, and most importantly, listen.
How can I volunteer to be a mentor to others?
Breast cancer survivors are invited to be part of our pool of mentors. Contact our office by calling 518-439-5975 or email Jamiyla Hills, Support Services Manager at jhills@tolife.org for additional information.