Support for Bladder Cancer Survivors

By Tracy Robbins, MS, RN, OCN, CCRP

In late 2019, the Nurse Navigation team at Maine Medical Center and MaineGeneral Medical Center helped initiate a Charter of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN). The new Charter is called the Northern New England Bladder BCAN. It currently encompasses members from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Recognizing that the bladder cancer survivors we treat at MaineHealth have limited support through education and patient support groups, we felt it important to tap into this national organization to bring resources closer to patients. The mission of BCAN is for patient support both through an on-line community and in-person support groups and to advocate for increased research funding to deliver cutting edge methods of diagnosing, treating and working toward a cure for bladder cancer. Since developing the Northern New England Charter, efforts have been focused on organizing members, procedures and fundraising. The pandemic put limitations on what we could do so our focus in 2023 will be to increase awareness and to reach more patients and their families. We have some exciting fundraising events planned and are working to implement a patient support group in Southern and Central Maine.

Our largest fundraising opportunity will be the 2023 Walk to End Bladder Cancer. The theme of the walk is NoOneWalksAlone. It will be held at Fuller Farms in Scarborough on 5/6/2023. Registration details and how to donate can be found HERE.

We welcome anyone who would be interested in participating in, or donating to, this event. The Northern New England Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network charter is on social media! Please visit at Instagram: @nne_bcan; or Facebook: fb.me/NNEBCAN