Bladder Cancer Support Groups
Online Support Community
The bladder cancer online support community is available 24 hours a day. There, over 400 bladder cancer survivors, caregivers, family members, and other loved ones support each other through their different stages in their journey with bladder cancer.
To participate in our online support community, click on the big orange button above. You will be asked to register, but registration is free and you are welcome to provide as little or as much information as feels comfortable to you. Requiring people who view the site to register gives more privacy to our members.
A tip for new users: Once you are registered & signed in, if you ever get lost, just click on “My Groups” at the very top and then click on “Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network Support Community”
In-Person Support Groups
In-Person Bladder Cancer Support Groups are listed by state (Canadian group at the end of the list)
CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles
Bladder Cancer Support Group
The USC Norris Cancer Center
Meets 4th Tuesday of each month at 6:00-7:30 p.m.
USC Norris Lobby Conference Room1441
Eastlake Avenue, Los Angeles
Contact Katrina dela Cruz at 323-442-8301 or Maddy Kerber at madelyn.kerber@health.usc.edu
Rancho Mirage
Bladder Cancer Support Group
4th Thursday of every month from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Eisenhower Lucy Curci Cancer Center
39000 Bob Hope Dr.
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
Call 760-834-3798 for Registration & Information
Facilitators: Barbara Bigelow, RN, ACON & Alison Mayer Sachs, MSW, OSW-C
San Francisco
Bladder Cancer Education and Support Group
University of California San Francisco Comprehensive Cancer Center
Meets 1st Thursday of each month at 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Mt. Zion Campus
1600 Divisadero, Conference Room H3906, San Francisco
Contact Imelda Tenggara-Hunter at itenggara@urology.ucsf.edu or 415-353-7348
Stanford
A new Bladder Cancer Support Group will start at Stanford Cancer Center in August (details to follow.)
Meetings will be from 5:30pm – 7pm the 2nd Thursday of each month
The Cancer Center, Conference Room 2105, 2nd floor
875 Blake Wilbur Drive
Stanford, CA 94305
For information contact Holly Gautier, RN, at 650-725-9456 or
Traci Fallecker, RN, OCN at 650-736-2287 or tfallecker@stanfordmed.org
COLORADO
Denver
Bladder Cancer Support Group
Urology Center of Colorado
Meets 4th Tuesday of each month at 12 Noon and 6 p.m.
2777 Mile High Stadium Circle
3rd floor conference room
Denver, CO 80211
Contact: Martha Ruschival RN, BSN at 303-825-8822 or mruschival@TUCC.com
CONNECTICUT
Farmington
Bladder Cancer Support Group
Saturday, May 21, 3 PM
Onyiuke Dining Room, University of Connecticut Health Center
263 Farmington Ave., Farmington, CT 06030
Open to all – the group is not limited to UConn Health Center Patients
Contact: Pamela Nixon at psnixon@uchc.edu or 860-679-7820
FLORIDA
Estero/Fort Myers
SWFL Bladder Cancer Support Group
Contact Karen Godfrey at 239-992-4809 or kgod@comcast.net
ILLINOIS
Chicago
Bladder Cancer Networking Group
Gilda’s Club Chicago and BCAN
Meets 4th Wednesday of the month at 6-7:30 p.m.
537 N. Wells Street, Chicago
The group is facilitated by Sandy Hiehl, RN and Josephine Silvestre, RN
Contact 312-464-9900
http://www.gildasclubchicago.org/
Loyola University Maywood Campus
Meets 2nd Tuesday each month at 7 p.m.
“Great Diversions” is for bladder cancer patients that have had continent diversions (neobladders or catheterizable [Indiana] pouches)
Cardinal Bernadin Cancer Center Auditorium
2160 S. First Avenue, Maywood, IL
Contact Ginger Lewis 708-216-5112 or glewis@lumc.edu
INDIANA
Indianapolis
A monthly networking group – The Wellness Community Indiana and BCAN
The Wellness Community
5150 W. 71st Street
Indianapolis, IN 46268
Facilitator – Jim Bailey, bladder cancer survivor
Contact The Wellness Community at 317-257-1505
MARYLAND
Baltimore
Bladder Cancer Support Group (primarily for pre- and post-op cystectomy patients)
Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Meets every other month on the first Thursday at 1:30pm
Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
Contact Joanne Walker at 410-955-5367 or jwalker@jhmi.edu
Bethesda – Washington DC Metro Area
Support group meets 3rd Thursday each month from 6-8PM
The Wellness Community – Greater Washington, DC
5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 100, Bethesda, MD 20814
Contact: Luisa Carneiro at twcdc@wellnesscommunitydc.org, 301-493-5002
MICHIGAN
Ann Arbor
Bladder Cancer Support Group
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and Dept. of Urology
The sessions are free and no reservation is necessary.
Meetings are on Sundays.
2012 Meetings: Jan 15; Mar 11; May 20; July 15; Sep 16; Nov 11
Sundays 1:00-2:30 p.m.
University of Michigan Main Hospital, Ann Arbor
Meetings and parking are free, no reservation is necessary
Contact Staci Mitchell 734-615-4340 or stacilin@med.umich.edu
NEW YORK
Albany
Bladder Cancer Support Group: Upstate New York
Capital Region Urology, 319 South Manning Blvd Suite 106, Albany, NY 12208
Contact Linda Abriel, NP at 858-7499 or Denise DiMascio at 878-2936.
New York City
Bladder Cancer: Challenges & Solutions
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Meets every month on the second Thursday at noon
Contact Richard Glassman, LCSW at 646-422-4658 or glassmar@mskcc.org.
Or contact Vashti Livingston at livingsv@mskcc.org.
Monthly Virtual Support Group
If you are interested in participating, contact VirtualGroups@MSKCC.org
Rochester
A support group – Strong Memorial Hospital and BCAN
The James Wilmot Cancer Center at Strong Memorial Hospital
601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642
The group meets from 5.30pm to 6.30 pm every fourth Wednesday in the months of January, March, May, July, September and October
Facilitator – Jackie Bill, Social Work Dept., The James Wilmot Cancer Center
RSVP to – Jackie at 585-273-2888 or Jacqueline_bill@urmc.rochester.edu
NORTH CAROLINA
Chapel Hill
Triangle Bladder Cancer Support Group
2nd Tuesday of every month
UNC Carolina Point Oncology
6013 Farrington Rd, Suite 201
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
Contact: David Langham 919-943-0589 or trianglebcs@gmail.com
http://trianglebcs.org
OREGON
Springfield
Bladder Cancer Support Group
3rd Wednesday of every month
Oregon Urology Institute-Radiation Center
1457 G Street
Springfield, OR 97477
Contact: Stephanie Kerns 541-284-5508 or stephanie@oregonurology.com
PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh
Bladder Cancer Support Group
Meetings held the first Wednesday of each month, 6:30 – 8:00 PM
The Hillman Cancer Center
5115 Centre Avenue
Cooperman Conference Room A
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Facilitators: Jeffrey R. Gingrich, MD & Kay Lowmaster, MSW, LCSW
Call 412-605-3015 to register and for more information
TEXAS
Dallas
Bladder Cancer Survivorship Support Group
Open to patients/survivors and their families and loved ones
For information contact Diana Freeman at 214-926-0790 or bladdercancerdallas@gmail.com
Baylor University Medical Center
Bladder-Kidney Cancer Education & Support Group
Meets the 2nd Wednesday each month: Noon to 1.30PM (registration required)
Group Room, Cvetko Patient Education Center, Baylor Sammons Cancer Center
3410 Worth Avenue, Ste. 200, Dallas, TX 75246
For information contact Polly Candela, Program Coordinator, Tel: 214-820-2608 or Email: polly.candela@baylorhealth.edu
Houston
Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor Clinic
6620 Main Street
Houston, TX 77030
Meeting Saturdays from 10:30 am to noon on May 7, July 23, September 10, and November 5
For more information, contact Heather at heather.honore@va.gov
Bladder Cancer Support Team
The University of Texas
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 1373
Houston, TX 77030
Meetings: Bi-monthly
Contact: Thomas J. Touzel (ttouzel@mdanderson.org) or Jane Dinney (jdinney@mdanderson.org), 713-792-6388
www.mdanderson.org/departments/bladdercansup/
VIRGINIA
Reston – Northern Virginia
Bladder Cancer Support Group
For pre- and post-radical cystectomy / neobladder patients
The group will meet the 2nd Monday of each month from 6:30 to 7:30 pm
The group does not meet during the summer months of June, July or August
The Urology Group
1860 Town Center Drive, Suite 150
Reston, VA 20190
Contact: Rhonda Golman at rgolman@lmgdoctors.com or 703-480-0220
WISCONSIN
Milwaukee
Bladder Cancer Support Group
4th Wednesday of the Month
6:15 to 7:45 pm
Clinical Conference Room L
(1st floor of the Clinical Cancer Center)
Clinical Cancer Center
Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College Clinical Cancer Center
9200 West Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53226
For More Information: Call Heidi Stark, BSN OCN at 414-805-0196
CANADA
Montreal
Bladder Cancer Support Group
Jewish General Hospital Hope & Cope Wellness Centre
4635 Cote Ste. Catherine Road (corner Lavoie)
Meets 3rd Wednesday of each month at 5:30-7:00 p.m
The group is facilitated by Hy Burack. For more information
Contact the Wellness Centre at 514-340-3616 or email burack@securenet.net
