I have never had cancer myself, but I have a depressing family history of it. My mother, two uncles, niece, and aunt have all died of cancer, and I have another two family members battling it at the moment.

I had a health scare just before Christmas and I kept thinking of this kickstarter campaign that I watched with interest a while ago. Sharon Kim is the 25 year old behind this project which I think is an amazing idea.

After her mom passed away from uterine sarcoma cancer in 2014, Sharon Kim quit her corporate job and dedicated the rest of her life to creating CanPlan, a one of a kind cancer planner that guides patients and caregivers towards recovery. She made it her mission to give other fighters a chance to have a different end to their story by providing them with a tool that’ll keep them positive, organized, focused and most of all, determined. She turned tragedy into inspiration and the end result has been the blissful understanding of what it means to live a life of purpose. 

Not everyone likes planning, organising or writing things down but for many people it is a way of managing and coping with stress. For those people and their families, this would be invaluable. Many of the reviews of this product are from cancer survivors who say this is the best gift they received during their illness.

If you or a loved one is battling cancer, then you know about the stresses that come along with it: the heartache, the pain, the little changes that you need to make each day. You also know, however, that there is a level of stress that comes along with this fight, stress brought on by the seemingly endless march of pills and appointments and tests and operations. It’s enough to get to anybody. You try writing it all down, but this isn’t your everyday job: it’s more than that. You’re in a life-or-death situation, and the commitments are piling up. “What do you do?” you ask. “What do you do?”

Now, we have an answer. CanPlan is a one-of-a-kind planner designed specifically for cancer patients and their caregivers. It provides daily reminders, guidelines for positive living, and methods for monitoring and tracking all of the details of your illness every step of the way. This isn’t simply a planner: it’s a roadmap to recovery, a book that will return control of your life back into your hands. Once you’re sick, you know you need a hand. With CanPlan, you’ll have one.

VISION:

The end vision for CanPlan is to create a community of planners who can share their tips and collaborate on strategies to help fine tune a constructive plan to beat cancer. If each person uses CanPlan and shares what worked and didn’t work for them in their treatment plan, the possibilities for healing are endless.

Once you back this project at any reward level, I will send you an invite to an exclusive Facebook group where you can share your cancer story and connect with other patients & caregivers. Whether you’re a patient, caregiver, family member, friend or doctor, I’m sure there’s a compelling reason behind your decision to back my project. Think of it in the same way that support groups help with self healing. I encourage you all to share your story as well as any useful tips you think a fellow fighter should know and use this as an outlet to express yourself. I will also provide exclusive project updates as well as monthly tips & secrets full of cancer fighting recipes, extended survivor testimonials, current event news about the latest treatments, and anything & everything to help you fight cancer the right way. You will also have access to exclusive giveaways and events just by being a backer and joining the community. Let’s show cancer what a community full of love and positivity can do!

GOALS:

• Empower people to share their cancer story
• Change the way patients/caregivers fight cancer by guiding them through the various stages of cancer
• Promote self healing by helping patients bring out their inner doctor
• Encourage a happier, healthier lifestyle with positive thinking & natural therapies
• Motivate patients to be the expert about their illness
• Strengthen the relationship between patient and doctor so they can act as a team in achieving treatment goals

And here is the final product. There are several sites that sell it but the link I have just given is Sharon’s site. There are dated and undated versions as well as a PDF download. Here is a list of the features:

PAGE DESCRIPTIONS:

– Introduction: Why planning is the answer to your fight against cancer
– Important Contacts: Keep all your important contacts in one place
– Support System: Figure out who in your community can help and how
– Cancer Roadmap: Create a visual roadmap & record important milestones
– Medical Expenses Log: Keep track of all expenses related to your cancer
– Suggested Questions for Doctor & Questions Template: Communicate with your doctor by asking the right questions
– Treatment Options Evaluation: Figure out the best treatment option by weighing out the pros & cons for each
– Chemotherapy Tip Sheet: Fight chemotherapy side effects with these tips
– Appointment Tracker: Take notes at every appointment so you can refer to them later
– Blood Cell Tracker: Keep track of your main blood cells to see if you’re making progress
– Cancer Fighting Diet Tip Sheet: Figure out which foods are fighting cancer and which foods are feeding it
– Juicing Tip Sheet: Get tips on how to start juicing
– Tips From Cancer Survivors: 3 cancer survivors explain what they did to beat cancer
– Resources & Support: Every cancer resource you’ll ever need
– Goal Setting & Planning: Figure out your goals for your physical/mental health, relationships, work & finances
– Mind Map Exercise: Figure out your short & long term goals and keep yourself accountable for reaching them
– Undated Monthly Spread (12 months worth): Fill in your monthly layout and keep track of important dates
– Daily Tracker: Become the expert about your cancer by keeping track of everything related to it
– Monthly Recap: Analyze what’s working & not working in your treatment plan
– Positivity Tip Sheet: How to stay positive in your cancer journey
– Positivity Exercises: Exercises to help you combat against negativity
– 20 Day Gratitude Challenge: Cultivate gratitude so that you remain optimistic
– Letter To Cancer: Write a letter to cancer before and after treatment
– Thoughts & Reflection: Allow CanPlan to become your cancer diary so that you may share your story with them one day
– Notes: Write all your research notes
– Wall Of Recognition & Works Cited