Programs

Our Programs

Young adults diagnosed with cancer are required to press pause during such a pivotal time in their lives and often don’t receive consistent support from busy friends. Unfortunately, poor support can contribute to a negative response to treatment and overall worse health outcomes. Through two key programs, b-aware and b-connected, we are providing the information and tools that empower the social support network to be present from pre-cancer diagnosis through survivorship.

  • What is b-aware?

    b-aware is educating the general young adult community about the importance of being there for others. We’re proactively providing young adults access to important information and experiences that amplify and reinforce the importance of presence and inspire active change. By giving young adults the tools and experiences before a friend is diagnosed, they will feel empowered to be a strong supporter when the need arises.

    What is b-aware?

    b-aware b-informed b-empowered

    Not all of us will face a cancer diagnosis in our lifetime, but every single one of us will be called on to be a supporter. If we learn how to be the best possible supporter today, we have the power to improve the experience for others.

    Learn from the past.

    b-present.

    Change their future.

    Share Your Story
    • Leading Cause of Death

      Leading Cause of Death

      Cancer remains the #1 cause of disease-related death among young adults (YAs) between the ages of 18-39.
    • Survival Rates Are Not Improving

      Survival Rates Are Not Improving

      Unlike pediatric and older adult patients, YAs with cancer have seen little improvement in survival rates since 1975.
    • Social and Emotional Issues

      Social and Emotional Issues

      Isolation is the #1 psychosocial issue impacting YAs with cancer. Finding effective social support is often difficult for this age group.

    SOURCE: Couzin, 2007

    • TODAY ONLY — DOUBLE YOUR DONATION! 🎁 This #GivingTuesday, Facebook is generously matching donations dollar for dollar on a first-come, first-served basis until $7,000,000. Whether you are able to contribute $1 or $100, we appreciate it more than you know. 🤗 Your donation will support the development of new, innovative tools to improve the lives of young adults with cancer. Thank you, Support Squad!
    • When you create a Facebook fundraiser for the b-present Foundation, you are supporting the development of new, innovative tools that will help improve the lives of young adults with cancer. 💪⁣ ⁣ Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, and Facebook will generously be matching donations up to $7 million. 😱 That means DOUBLE the impact. Help us get started by clicking “+ Create Fundraiser” on our Facebook page! Thank you for supporting us. 💛⁣
    • Thankful for friends, especially the one who makes the turkey. 😉 Happy Friendsgiving!
    • Did you know that most young adults diagnosed with cancer rarely see another patient their age in the hospital? 😱 Yup.⁣ ⁣ They are either in the children's hospital amongst infants and small children or they are in the adult hospital with much older patients. That means there is no one they can talk to that gets them, their interests, and their struggles. This can make it hard to have any sense of normalcy and can feel isolating. Imagine yourself in their situation and how it would feel to be fighting for your life with no one you can talk to that gets YOU. 😢⁣ ⁣ You have the opportunity to bring normalcy to them by showing up with an activity 🎲 or a movie 📼 or special food 🥡 they are craving. Help them feel a little more like the person they were before the diagnosis. ⁣ ⁣ If they feel like joking around, don't be afraid to laugh and joke around with them. 😆 They count on us to bring the outside world to them, so let's do it! By being there to chat with them and do things you'd normally do together, you give them a piece of their life back and a chance to forget about their diagnosis. It helps them feel like they haven't been forgotten and that the world is waiting for them to return. 🌎⁣ ⁣ 📸 @thecancerpatient
    • NEW! Introducing the Be Present Mug in partnership with @betterandcompany. For each mug purchased, Better & Co. is kindly donating a portion to the b-present Foundation. 💪⁣ ⁣ Jessica Walker is the founder of Better & Co. and the wife of a current fighter⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣. She started creating cards and accessories during her husband's recovery to bring awareness, lightness, and humor to others dealing with cancer and long term illness. 💛 All proceeds from her shop go toward medical expenses and cancer research.⁣ ⁣ Click the link in our bio to get yours! ☕
    • We just wrapped up our first-ever workshop! We brought together survivors, supporters, and medical professionals from all over California to discuss how to better serve the nearly 70,000 young adults who are diagnosed with cancer each year. ⁣ ⁣ We laughed, and we cried, but most importantly, we left with new perspectives and ideas on how to make every day better for those dealing with cancer. ⁣ ⁣ Thank you to everyone who joined us for this special two-day event, including @Stanford, @teencanceramerica, @letsfcancer, @radychildrens, @chocchildrens, and @cancerrebellionthefilm. ⁣ We’re just getting started. 💪⁣

  • What is b-connected?

    b-connected is providing the necessary tools to facilitate strong support for young adult cancer patients post-diagnosis through survivorship. We’re addressing the unique needs of these young adults throughout the treatment journey by working closely with patients, survivors, and supporters, to enhance the connectedness of social support networks.

    What is b-connected?

    The b-there Tool

    Our web-based patient and supporter connection tool, b-there, is designed to ensure the support network has the information they need to be there for the cancer patient from the day of diagnosis.

    The tool gives the patient a simple, low-stress way to control visits, convey status, and request needed items, allowing supporters to be responsive to the patient’s physical and emotional needs. Through the easy-to-understand patient dashboard, supporters can quickly get updates on how the patient is doing, what they need, if they want visitors, how they can help, and more.

    Interested in helping evaluate the b-there tool?  Check out the latest info on our testing.

    I Want to Help
    • Patient Status

      Patient Status

      Informs supporters how the patient is doing, the patient's preferred method of contact, and if they are welcoming visitors.
    • Calendar

      Calendar

      Lets supporters know when the patient is available, what activities are of interest to them, and how they can help.
    • Wish List

      Wish List

      Allows supporters to see what the patient needs, when they need it, and how they would like it to be delivered.