We were young, full of dreams, and ready to take on the world when cancer changed everything.
At 26, an advanced testicular cancer diagnosis turned my life upside down, replacing everyday routines with hospital visits, treatments, anxiety, and uncertainty. Surrounded by loved ones, I was grateful for their support, but something was missing — someone who truly understood what it felt like to walk this path.
Near the end of my cancer treatments, I was lucky to bump into and meet other young cancer fighters at Karmanos, my Detroit-based hospital. We had so much in common. We were instant friends for a million reasons.
We formed a group. We wanted to support each other, and share our lessons and experiences to help others. We began volunteering on nights and weekends at the cancer center. We gave in-person pump-ups, positive energy, and shared our friendship door-to-door with others still deep in the fight. The doctors, nurses, and social workers, whom we already knew, encouraged us and helped us.
We saw firsthand how powerful it was when a survivor reached out to someone newly diagnosed, offering words of encouragement from a place of true understanding. That connection, the bond between those who had been there before and those in the middle of the fight, was life-changing. We had to turn this experience into something bigger. Cancer had taken so much, but it had also given us meaning and purpose.
The power of psychosocial care
In 2006, in Chicago, we co-founded a nonprofit called Imerman Angels, built on a simple yet powerful belief: No one should have to face cancer alone.
Our mission is to provide free, one-on-one support for cancer fighters, survivors, previvors, and caregivers. We carefully introduce each individual struggling with cancer to a Mentor Angel, a survivor or caregiver who has faced the same type of cancer and understands the journey. These connections offer not just advice, but hope, strength, and the reassurance that survivors care and no one is alone in this fight.
In just the past decade or so, science and medicine have come to recognize the importance of psychosocial care in the treatment of cancer. Psycho-oncology addresses the psychological, behavioral, and social aspects of cancer for both patients and their families, including the anxiety, depression, fear, and grief related to a diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Integrating a holistic approach, not just physical, to treating a patient has been shown to improve outcomes, such as higher treatment adherence, fewer hospitalizations/emergency room visits, and better symptom management.
Speaking with a social worker, joining a support group, or connecting with a Mentor Angel are all forms of psycho-oncology. These treatments provide emotional validation, peer-to-peer learning, and practical guidance, which have been proven to decrease depression and increase quality of life, both in the short term and long term, for patients and caregivers. In fact, more than 90% of Imerman Angels’ program participants report feeling less isolated and alone due to their connection with someone who’s gone through a similar experience.
As we continue learning more about the importance of psychosocial care, I encourage everyone to do their own research, ask questions, and take care of themselves. Remember, our service is always free. More than 16,000 trained survivors and caregivers are on call to volunteer as a mentor in 120+ countries and growing.
With the strength of human connection, let’s work together to ensure no one faces a cancer journey alone.
