Pink Link Community for Breast Cancer Survivors

Pink-Link.org founder, Vicki Tashman, celebrates her four-year anniversary of connecting breast cancer patients with survivors. Pink-Link.org is a confidential online support community that allows women with breast cancer to access a searchable database and to communicate directly with other women who have, or had, the same diagnosis. To date Pink-Link.org has helped 3,800 women across the world connect. “Pink-Link.org lets women find someone with their exact diagnosis who went through precisely the same treatment,” Tashman says. “The online community gives women who are afraid and uncertain of the road ahead another survivor to talk to who has been through it and who can tell them the truth while sharing their experience, strength, and hope.” It is estimated that 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer will occur among women in the U.S. during 2009. Many women do not learn much about good breast health unless they breastfeed or have had a problem that needs medical attention. Becoming familiar with breast anatomy can help women detect changes in their breasts that may or may not be cancerous. Tumors in the breast tend to grow slowly. By the time a lump is large enough to feel, it may have been growing for as long as 10 years. However, some tumors can be aggressive and grow much more quickly. Today Pink-Link.org has thousands of members from all over the world. As the database grows, the ability of the site to deliver on its central promise of making a match between women who have or had the same diagnosis can be obtained. In addition to the survivor database, the website contains a number of different support resources including a private journal, or a blog. The member forum is host to a variety of informative topics that the members can reply to themselves. In addition, five experts donate their time to run forums in nutrition, physical exercise, skin care, lymphedema and holistic health.