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• AMERICAN BLADDER CANCER SOCIETY INC

My name is Abby and I am 73 yrs old. March 2009 I was diagnosed with bladder cancer. I was devistated. I was told my best chance would be to have my bladder removed. That was very hard for me to come to grips with. So I got on the internet and found help. A wonderful lady contacted me and gave me some very good advise and put me in contact with a bladder cancer survivor near where I live. My new friend is my "angel warrior". She helped me through some very tough times and has given me advise that is pricless. Having gone through this she knew the questions I should have been asking but had not even thought of. I spent a year going through all the normal treatments, Chemo, etc. Finally in March of 2010 I had my bladder removed. I can't tell you how afraid I was.I chose the Ileal conduit because My husband passed away in April 2005 and being alone I thought this was best/safest way to go. Now that the surgery is behind me and I am on the road to recovery I am glad I did it. It has been just about 5 months since my surgery and I volunteer one day a week at my local senior center, one day a week I babysit my great-granddaughter, one day a week I bowl with the seniors. When I was told I had cancer I thought my life was over but that is not the case. Life is different but not over. I can never thank my angel enough for the help she has given me and she still supports me today. If I can do this at my age then I have hope that someone out the reading this will have a little faith that they can do it too. God bless!

In May of 2010, my husband and I were given the shock of our lives. We were told my husband had Bladder Cancer. Not much of a warning to prepare for such a blow in life. Some blood in the urine and then pow, hit in the face with a cancer diagnosis. Despite us both being health care professionals, the diagnosis hit us both extremely hard. We knew we were going to have to learn a lot in a relatively short period of time, if we were going to help increase his odds of survival. Aside the quick bits and pieces of information we were given during a doctors appointment, where else could we go? We had some of the basics down, but we wanted to talk to real people who faced the same situations. We needed updated abstracts and data about Bladder Cancer. We were still in shock. We desperately needed guidance. Shortly after taking to intense research on the Internet, I was fortunate to find a link to the American Bladder Cancer Forum. ABLCS. We no sooner logged on to the ABLCS site when we were greeted by many wonderful and knowledgeable people who were willing to help us. The compassion and knowledge from the members at ABLCS was overwhelming in a positive way. They all knew the words to say; first encouraging us to take a deep breath. Oh yes, something as simple as breathing, a situation people often forget to do when given a serious diagnosis such as cancer. One at a time, the ABLCS members began delivering us the answers about what steps we needed to take in an effort to help save my husbands life. One of ABLCS long standing members named Patricia, was like a walking encyclopedia with regard to her knowledge about Bladder Cancer. She was our Guardian Angel. She not only helped us through the steps, but knew the top docs and hospitals in the country who would be best to help us. Never once did she make us feel like we were taking up her time. When one faces such a diagnosis as cancer, it feels like you are caught in the middle of a tornado and you have no idea where it will toss you when it is done spinning. I am here to tell you that ABLCS is there to catch you when you are tossed to the ground. The organization provides, at no charge to its members, updated bladder cancer information and articles, facts about bladder cancer, and on going daily testimony from survivors and caregivers. The information is there for members to retrieve 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. On Sunday evenings there is a LIVE chat line for members. We would not have known what to have done with my husbands Bladder Cancer diagnosis if it were not for ABLCS. It is a non profit organization that empowers each of the members with education. ABLCS is constantly pioneering the way to locate updated information about treatments and cures for Bladder Cancer. The goal, to educate those of us diagnosed with an overpowering disease. No member is ever denied help from ABLCS. It is an organization dedicated to serving Bladder Cancer patients from everywhere in the world. For that, we are grateful.

In 2006, when I was diagnosed with bladder cancer, not many people had ever heard of a female in her 30's having bladder cancer. That included my doctors at MD Anderson! While researching bladder cancer on the internet, I came across ABLCS. I was immediately welcomed to the group and many came forward to both help me understand what I was dealing with and provide unwavering support and encouragement. To this day, when I have questions, I return to my friends at ABLCS for answers. I have even sent my doctors to the site for additional information about treating a patient with a neobladder. Without a doubt, I would have been completely lost and alone during my cancer treatment had I not been fortunate enough to stumble upon this wonderful resource.

Enjoying Key West, post cancer!

I found this web site perhaps two years ago and log on at least weekly. Not only do the members here support each other, they contribute a world of information. If it wasn't for this organization, many of us (including myself) would remain ignorant of our disease. This site has enable me to make educated decisions when it came to the treatments and diagnostic tests. By coming here and supporting others, I have also gained unmeasurable emotional support.

The American Bladder Cancer Forum has been very informative and helpful in all of the processes of treatment and maintenance.