Living as a cancer survivor

At Gundersen, cancer survivorship is about more than life after treatment. As the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) says, "An individual is considered a cancer survivor from the time of diagnosis through the balance of his or her life." In other words, at Gundersen we consider you a cancer survivor whether you are living with, through or beyond cancer.

Knowing every person's survivorship journey is unique, our COMPASS program offers comprehensive support for the many physical, emotional and social challenges you may face at varying stages after a cancer diagnosis. With your care team, our survivorship resources are available to help you:

• Transition into active treatment and into life after treatment
• Coordinate follow-up care during and after treatment
• Find the tools you need to be well during all stages of survivorship
• Establish or maintain healthy lifestyle choices that meet your changing needs

No matter where you are in your survivorship journey, our experts have compiled a comprehensive collection of resources to support you, your family and friends as you navigate life after a cancer diagnosis and treatment. While some may be more appropriate than others at certain times after a cancer diagnosis, here is a short list to get you started if you are nearing the end of your treatment journey.

Survivorship (ASCO) - This section of the American Society of Clinical Oncology website offers information on learning about survivorship, long-term side effects of cancer treatment, follow-up care, dealing with cancer recurrence and life after cancer.

Facing Forward: Life after Cancer Treatment - This booklet, available from the National Cancer Institute, is for people who have completed cancer treatment, though family and friends may also want to read the material. The booklet is available in PDF, Amazon Kindle format and in ePub format for other e-Readers. (Spanish version also available)

Life after Cancer (NCCN) - This section of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network website covers a variety of survivorship topics, including: managing cancer as a chronic condition, understanding your risk of developing secondary cancers, pregnancy after cancer, nutrition and exercise.

Survivorship During and After Treatment - This section of the American Cancer Society website offers information on living well during treatment, finding support during treatment, moving on and being healthy after treatment and understanding recurrence.

Survivorship Library (Journey Forward) - The Journey Forward survivorship library covers many topics, including: follow-up care guidelines for many types of cancer, fertility preservation, financial and legal matters, genetic counseling, late side effects and more.

For even more resources, please visit our Cancer survivorship section.