Get Cancer Support, Inspiration, Motivation and Education, at WhatNext.com

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WhatNext was formed to allow cancer patients, their family, friends, and caregivers to connect and share their personal cancer experiences along the way. Have you ever heard someone say “you just wouldn’t understand since you haven’t been through it”? Well, it’s true in the case of cancer. A cancer patient will understand and have empathy for you when you tell them about the side effects you’re having after chemo.

They will understand when you tell them about nausea that the radiation is causing you. They will understand your fears, worries and the hope that you have inside that you will make it to the other side of this journey in mostly one piece.

At WhatNext, you can register (for free) create your Diagnosis Profile, then list in detail all of the steps along the way that you have had. From the symptoms you had to the initial confirmation and diagnosis of your cancer (Oh No), to the treatments, procedures, side effects, milestones and even celebrations along the way. You can be anonymous and use a “username” or post as yourself with your real name, you choose. Some people like to be private when talking about something as personal as a cancer diagnosis and treatment, some people have even shared the unexpected fall out they received from employers, friends, and family as well as business associates from having cancer.

After your Diagnosis Profile is created you can then browse for others that have the same type of cancer as you. You can search the database of thousands of people that have registered and shared their personal experiences. These are not people that are telling anecdotes about what they “heard” happened to someone that their friend knew one time, these are real experiences straight from the mouths of those who have experienced it, there is NO substitute. As a 3 time survivor, I can promise you that you will get tired of hearing people tell stories about someone that they knew, or heard about that had the same type of cancer and didn’t make it. Or had a horrible experience. Cancer is not fun, enjoyable and nobody wants it, but everything you have heard about it up until now, is simply not true. It’s NOT all horror stories.

Let’s say you have colon cancer and you want to see what type of treatment others have had for it. All you have to do is click on the “People” tab, then look for the search box on the left of the screen and filter out the information you want to include in your search. You can include people that are the same stage as you, currently in treatment or completed treatment, age group, even search for someone that is in your zip code, or close to you.

Sharing this information helps a newly diagnosed patient or even someone in treatment to know what to expect. Sometimes a quick search of the Community can give you the most common experiences for a type of cancer and this can ease your worries and lessen your stress and anxieties. Knowing that someone else has already gone before you and completed these things will give you the confidence, strength, and courage to go through it yourself.

If you have a question about any topic at all, you can post it on the “Questions” page and lots of helpful people will give you the answers you need. It doesn’t matter what you need to know, just ask! There are no silly questions! Or, if you don’t want to ask a question, you can browse the thousands of questions that have already been asked. There are already questions covering almost every part of a cancer experience you can imagine listed, just browse through them. You can comment on any question or answer and join in on the conversations.

Clicking on the “Diagnosis” tab will bring up a page with almost every type of cancer diagnosis you might be faced with, and there are pages full of information about those different types of cancer, as well as some of the Community’s members that have that type of cancer. All you have to do is click on them and read through their journey, or ask them a question.

The “Experiences” page is a listing of just about any type of procedure, treatment, surgery, drug or side effect that you could imagine. Just type in the name of a chemo drug that you may be getting ready to take, and you will have pages of other’s experiences with that type of chemo. They will have the highs and lows listed, side effects, their own thoughts on if it was easy to take or hard, and advice on what to expect. You don’t have to go into anything without knowing what to expect if you are a member of the WhatNext Community.

The “Pinboard” is our Pinterest style page where many of the Community will post their favorite quotes, share pictures of themselves and articles or videos they have found elsewhere on the internet. It’s a good spot for your daily dose of inspiration to get you out the door to face today’s’ “cancer stuff”.

The “Videos” page is a spot where many of our WhatNexters have shared their experiences in a video. Just click through to find someone with your type of cancer or the type of treatment you may be taking to see how you compare or to learn.

The “People” tab is where you will find every person registered on the site, there are thousands of people, covering just about every type of cancer you could imagine, even some extremely rare varieties. Just browse through them and click on the WhatNexter you want to view, and read through their journey.

Our “Blog Page” is where we post helpful and informative or inspirational articles to help you through your cancer journey. We find topics that are of interest to the average cancer patient and try to shed some light on it. We believe that an educated cancer patient is a less stressed cancer patient and our goal is to provide inspiration, motivation, education and help you through all that you will face. You do NOT have to face this alone!

WhatNext is a great place to share your experiences with others that are or have been through what you are facing, as well as your friends and family. By selecting the “role” during registration, anyone can register as either a patient, survivor, friend, someone who has lost someone to cancer, a Spouse or Partner or as a Medical Professional. By registering on the site, your friends and family can keep up with everything you share by simply “following” you. The will be able to be kept informed without you having to call or text each person individually.

So, if you’re newly diagnosed with cancer, a survivor of any length of time, a friend or family member, or a medical professional that wants to offer support and information to the WhatNext Community, just click here to get started. There are thousands of great people waiting to help you!

Take a look at this video with a little more information:

In their own words, posts by WhatNexters to encourage or help others on the site:

“Welcome to the WhatNext family! The WhatNext family is made up of people like you who are looking for help or looking to help others. To help you along your journey the WhatNext family has put together a Beginner’s Guide to Cancer that I highly recommend you check-out here: http://bit.ly/10BQKCi. Also, please do not hesitate to reach out to others or ask for help.

Wishing you the best.

David
Founder, WhatNexter”

“Ruth, you may be overwhelmed right now, but things will get better.-Schlegel”

“Hi Ruth521…..My name is Donna, (aka Gymmom). I was diagnosed stage 4 diffuse large b-cell just over two years ago. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out. I wish you all the best, and remember chemo will eventually be over!! — Donna”

“Hi Linlyn53, I am BC stage IV. Using Ibrance and Femara to control my cancer progression. I am HER2 neg. ER positive Yes PR positive Yes. Doing anti hormonal therapy so have not done any kind of infusion chemo. I take Femara and Ibrance. Age 65. So far so good. Please stay in touch if you want. Positive thoughts for you from me.-Kayelen

“Welcome. This is a great site for information and to discuss your feelings and progress. You are not alone, and there is never a reason to hold feeling inside.-Marinace”

“Welcome, this forum has helped me tremendously.-Krafty76”

“Welcome to WhatNext. I’m sorry you needed to find us, but now that you are here you will find the greatest bunch of supportive people whose combined knowledge is awesome. We can answer your questions, hear you vent and celebrate the good news with you.

I see you have begun exploring our site and look forward to learning more about you and your journey.-SueRae1″