Finding Support Online

CaringBridge.org is perhaps best known as a site where families experiencing a health crisis can blog about their experiences. Another popular site is blogforacure.com, which also gives its community of members a forum to express their feelings.

Patients who want to simplify the process of maintaining and updating their medical records can turn to iCANcer, an iPhone application created by Naomi Bartley, a childhood cancer survivor. When she was diagnosed with a second occurrence of cancer at age 24, Bartley says she felt overwhelmed with the amount of record-keeping that was involved.

She says she created the app so patients could easily access their medical information via their smartphone.