“Collectively, blacks have the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial/ethical group in the US for most cancers.”
cancer.org
On websites, brochures, information packets, and during office visits, cancer patients are often immediately confronted with facts about the high diagnosis, high recurrence, and high mortality cancer rates found in Black families and communities.
But rarely are Black patients offered culturally relevant support that addresses and helps them to cope with and process these startling facts.
Instead, they find themselves:
- Being given a swag bag for patients coping with appearance related side effects from cancer treatments filled with items that don’t reflect their skin tone, hair texture, and personal needs;
- Struggling to find physicians, therapists, and support groups who have with lived experiences in Black, Caribbean, African, and/or African American communities; and
- Feeling isolated as they try to navigate treatment and survivorship experiences without peer groups or resources that speak directly to their nuanced experiences as Black patients.
We are raising funds towards the development of a new initiative that will offer patients and survivors a chance to wrap their minds around a cancer diagnosis, cancer treatments, and survivorship through culturally relevant appearance support packages, workshops, and crowdsourced lists of community resources.
Wrap Your Head Around Cancer goals include:
The Kit: A care package filled with gifts to pamper, soothe, educate, empower Black cancer survivors and their families.
The Workshop: Non-medical support to help Black patients deal with appearance-related side effects of cancer treatments. The breast cancer program includes lessons on African headwrap techniques, accessories, and style.
The Lookbook: A diverse and culturally relevant style reference guide
The List: A crowdsourced, open-source list of cancer-related support services for Black, African American, Caribbean, and People of African Ancestry in the United States.
The Recommendations: Patient and survivor-centered feedback for cancer-related service providers to improve patient and client care, and to increase the rate in which cancer patients are linked into care.
Thank you for your support!
* While our initial pilot roll out of the program will be focused on breast cancer survivors, we are working on developing a program inclusive of all cancers, and of all genders, as a cancer diagnosis is something that is a challenge for ANY of us to wrap our minds around.
Wrap Your Head Around Cancer 