Hotlines: Who You Gonna Call?

With your diagnosis in mind, you’re ready to ask questions and search for answers.
Many women turn first to a cancer hotline. Some are local, and if no one told you
about a local hotline when you got your biopsy report, ask your doctor about it now.
Even in small communities without a formal hotline, someone probably has made a
standing offer to talk with newly diagnosed folks about the news.
Other hotlines are national. Some are staffed by survivors, those wonderful women of
the sisterhood who have been where you are today and are now there to support you.
They volunteer their time on the phone lines to help you with whatever questions
you have.
Before you call, write down the questions that you want to ask. Do you want some-
one to help you understand your diagnosis or exactly what the doctor meant when
he said such and such? Or someone to talk to about treatments? Want to hear about
options for reconstruction? Need someone to help you cope now that your husband
has ordered you to “quit that crying”? Want some-
one to help you overcome your fear, even though
the statistics say you shouldn’t be afraid? Need
someone to bolster your spirits? All are typical hot-
line topics. There are no holds barred on what you
can ask, so make a list of your questions, and leave
space after each for the answer.
Okay. List done. Now, whom do you call? Check
out the following popular hotlines, listed in alpha-
betical order, and then turn to Appendix E, “Infor-
mational Web Sites,” for more sources.
➤ American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345
(1-800-227-2345) where trained cancer in-
formation specialists answer the phone in
English or Spanish, 24 hours a day every day.
At peak calling times, you may be on hold for
a time, but eventually you’ll always speak to a
live person. The specialists can tap into a mas-
sive database, send documents through U.S.
mail or e-mail, refer you to other national re-
sources for support and financial assistance,
and put you in touch with the local ACS of-
fice who in turn can set up an appointment
for you with a Reach to Recovery volunteer.
➤ Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
at 1-800-IM-AWARE (1-800-462-9273) on
Monday through Friday, 9:00 to 4:30 (Central
time) connects you with an answering ma-
chine asking you to leave your name and
number. A full-time staff person or a volun-
teer returns your call.
➤ National Cancer Institute’s Cancer
Information Center at 1-800-4-CANCER
(1-800-422-6237) (in English or Spanish)
connects you weekdays from 9:00 to 4:30
(local time) to a certified cancer information
specialist who can send you free, up-to-date
information about cancer, treatments, cancer
research, current clinical trials and coping
with cancer. Because they have 14 offices
across the country serving different regions,
your call is usually answered fairly promptly.
They can also provide referrals for information
from other agencies.
➤ Y-Me Breast Cancer Hotline at 1-800-221-2141
provides information 24 hours, seven days a
week, from trained peer breast cancer survivors,
including help for partners and men survivors.
(For Spanish, call 312-968-9505.) No matter
when you call, you’ll get a live person: no an-
swering machine, no menu. Or, you can e-mail
questions from their Web site at www.y-me.org.
As you talk, take notes. Get names, dates, and times so
you can remember later when and where you picked
up information. When you get off the phone, go over
your notes. Add details to help you remember what
you’ve heard. Then add these pages to your notebook.
After you’ve talked with someone, feel free to call
back. Usually, once you’ve had time to think about
what you’ve learned, or after you’ve talked to some-
one else, you have more questions. No one keeps track
of how many times you call, so go for it.