Get help:
Getting support
Helping build your support team
Reading everything on our website and the associated downloads will explain most things about bladder cancer, but we know that talking to other patients and carers who have also been affected by bladder cancer can fill in any gaps and give you massive amounts of emotional and practical advice.
Whether this is through our Confidential Forum, using our Bladder Buddy service or attending a local support group, we are all here to help you.
Here are all the ways you can get support ...
Our Confidential Forum
Our main support service is our online Confidential Forum, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can ask any question and get support from others who have been in the same situation.
Having a support group that you can talk to openly about your cancer can really make a difference and enhance your quality of life. We believe it’s important to share your bladder cancer journey with other bladder cancer patients, so you can talk about your worries and fears with other people on the same cancer journey openly and in confidence.
We have created a member’s only forum for those affected by bladder cancer where you can discuss any worries or issues, find out about treatment options, and bring up anything you would like to talk about. Our forum spans every conceivable age, and we count medical professionals, patients and carers amongst our members.
The forum is called FIGHT BLADDER CANCER SUPPORT. We invite all those affected by bladder cancer, including people who may be writing on behalf of a family member, friend or loved one. All are welcome.
What our members say about the confidential forum ...
- “Somewhere to share innermost thoughts and fears and no one will judge you.”
- “Knowing that there are others that understand exactly how I feel today.”
- “Somewhere to turn to for information, understanding and most of all ... support.”
- “This forum has shown me that strangers can be great support for each other. A great source of comfort in what is the most horrific chapter of my life.”
- “Support from people that know, and won’t b**s**t you!”
- “A place to ask questions. You can never ask too many questions.”
- “Sometimes, the warmth and caring between the members of the forum just makes me want to cry.”
- “It’s a lifeline.”
- “Whatever your problem, there’s always someone else in the same boat.”
- “It gives lots of help and support.”
- “A great support for all.”
- “On here, the only question that is silly is the one you do not ask.”
- “At 42 I needed to find a safety blanket to curl up with, find comfort and warmth, and to absorb my tears and fears ... this forum is exactly that.”
- “Being able to post questions, no matter how silly or trivial they may seem, and get immediate answers from others in the same position. Sometime we have ‘daft’ questions that we might be embarassed to ask the medical fraternity but are happy to put out here in our ‘virtual’ bladder world!”
- “There’s always someone who knows how you feel, and who’s been there too.”
- “I have found people on here who truly understand what I am going through and have a fountain of knowledge that I can call on, whether emotionally or otherwise.”
- “The forum has brought me sunshine in my darkest moments. I have found kindred spirits who totally understand my anxieties without the need to explain everything.”
- “As a carer I have found this site amazing. My husband doesn’t like to talk too much about it, so for me talking to people who have been there and really understand not only helps with the medical side of it but also gives me an insight into how he must be feeling.”
- “Knowing I am never alone.”
How to join
Our Confidential Forum is hosted on Facebook. This allows us to use all the benefits of a large-scale forum, but, because it is approved membership only, everything is in total confidence and can only be seen by other approved members, not your friends and family.
If you already have a Facebook profile, all you need to do is click here and request to join the forum. The join group link can be found on the bottom right (see the screenshot below).
If you don’t have a Facebook profile, you will need to create one before you can request to join the forum. Trust us, it’ll be worth it.
Head to this page. Fill in your details below the “sign up” heading. You will need to enter your name and email address and think of a password. You must fill in your date of birth and whether you are male or female (this is required for identity verification). It will ask you lots of other questions which you can fill in if you would like, but you can always press the skip button at the bottom if you don’t want to enter this additional information. Once you have signed up, head to this page and complete the process following the steps listed above.
If you are having problems accessing the forum, please contact us and we can send you an email invitation to join. We’ll see you there!
Find a Bladder Buddy
In addition to our forum, we also offer a 1 to 1 Bladder Buddy service. This is when we pair you up with someone who has been though the same thing that you're going through. We try to match you with a buddy on the basis of gender and diagnosis and, if possible, someone local to you. Remember, this buddy service is not just for patients: it's also for carers and anyone affected by a bladder cancer diagnosis. If you think this would be helpful please fill out the form below and we'll put you in touch with our wonderful Bladder Buddy co-ordinator.
Bladder Buddy enquiry form
Local support groups
At present there are just a few local support groups across the country. A list of all those we know of in the UK can be found here, together with their contact details and locations where there are plans to set up a local group.
Fight Bladder Cancer has a specific project to increase the number of support groups across the country, Fight Clubs, with the aim that every bladder cancer patient or carer can join one in their area.
If you would like to help set up a local support group in your area, please download our guide from the box below and get in touch at info@fightbladdercancer.co.uk
Not in the UK? You can download our guide to the other bladder cancer advocacy groups around the world that we know about. If you know of any that aren’t on the list, please let us know!
You can download our handy print-out guides to the SUPPORT GROUPS IN YOUR AREA wherever you are in the world.
Get in touch
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We’ve done everything we can to make all the information on this site as accurate as possible. Whilst we have had support from a small team of medical professionals advisors to review the general medical content of this site, please remember, that only YOUR medical team can give YOU specific advice about YOUR symptoms or illness. We encourage you to discuss any potential options with them.